[vtk-developers] How to update someone else's topic (or create a new topic off of theirs)

[Ken Martin]

I apologize if these are stupid questions but I'm exploring this a tad
further as it hits on the basic way we will collaborate on a topic and I
want to make sure I do it the right way.

So basically

1) Checkout their topic from their fork of VTK (the topic does not exist yet
on other forks right?)

2) Do some work

Then...

I can push it to their fork if they add me as a developer on their fork.

Can I push it to my fork even though my fork lacks their topic?  Should I?

They cannot fetch it from me unless I push it someplace public that they can
see right? Where would that be? Github?

Thanks!
Ken

Ken Martin PhD
Chairman & CFO
Kitware Inc.
28 Corporate Drive
Clifton Park NY 12065
ken.martin at kitware.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: Brad King [mailto:brad.king at kitware.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 2:24 PM
To: Ken Martin
Cc: VTK Developers
Subject: Re: How to update someone else's topic (or create a new topic off
of theirs)

On 03/17/2015 02:16 PM, Ken Martin wrote:
> So I was doing a review of someone's merge request and I realized it
> needs some extra changes. Is there a way for me to download their
> topic (cherry pick?), make some more changes and then resubmit it? I
> saw lots of options to download a patch or diff for a topic but I do
> not want to lose their node/hash/whatever it is called. Is there a
> right way to do this. I did check the wiki but did not see a "revise
> someone else's topic".

This is an area where GitLab's merge request workflow differs from Gerrit's.
In GitLab the original submitter of the merge request is responsible for
pushing all updates to the branch.  There are a few options here:

1. You could checkout the branch locally, make the changes, and then ask
   the original submitter to fetch your version of the topic and
   'git gitlab-push' it again to update the MR.

2. You could do the same but instead open your own MR and close the
   original.

3. You could work with the submitter directly in their repository.  They
   can use the Setting tab in their GitLab fork to make you a developer
   that can push directly to their repository.  In that case though
   the 'git gitlab-push' alias won't help you because it won't be
   configured to push to the right place.  You'd have to push by hand.

-Brad