Combining Example-Based and Rule-Based Program Transformations to Resolve Build Conflicts
Sheikh Shadab Towqir, Fei He, Todd Mytkowicz, Na Meng

TL;DR
This paper presents BuCoR, a hybrid conflict resolution tool combining rule-based and example-based strategies to effectively resolve build conflicts in software merging scenarios, improving automation and accuracy.
Contribution
It introduces BuCoR, a novel conflict resolver that integrates rule-based and example-based transformations to address diverse build conflicts in software development.
Findings
Successfully resolved 34 out of 88 real-world conflicts
Generated solutions for 65 conflicts across 21 conflict types
Demonstrated effectiveness of hybrid approach in conflict resolution
Abstract
Merge conflicts often arise when developers integrate changes from different software branches. The conflicts can result from overlapping edits in programs (i.e., textual conflicts) or cause build and test errors (i.e., build and test conflicts). They degrade software quality and hinder programmer productivity. While several tools detect build conflicts, few offer meaningful support for resolving them. To overcome limitations of existing tools, we introduce BuCoR (Build Conflict Resolver), a new conflict resolver. BuCoR first detects conflicts by comparing three versions related to a merging scenario: base b, left l, and right r. To resolve conflicts, it employs two complementary strategies: example-based transformation (BuCoR-E) and rule-based transformation (BuCoR-R). BuCoR-R applies predefined rules to resolve conflicts in frequently suggested or conventional ways. BuCoR-E mines…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSoftware Testing and Debugging Techniques · Software Engineering Research · Software Engineering Techniques and Practices
