Permanent SVN-action with shared configurations and different local settings (e.g. different plugins)

Hello Thomas,

As a general rule, IDEA does not delete configuration sections from plugins
which are not installed. In which specific case do you see this behavior?

We use the "Directory Based Format" to store our project settings. All
config-files except workspace.xml are shared through the svn
repository,

Unfortunately the following two aspects of IDEAs behaviour cause
permanent svn-action for all users regarding the shared configuration
files:

1. Shareable configuration files may contain settings concerning
locally (user specific) installed plugins.

2. In case some user does not have a certain plugin installed, IDEA
deletes the corresponding setting from the configuration file.

Number 1 leads to local subversion changes for those users having a
certain plugin installed, adding a special plugin-specific part to
some configuration file.

Number 2 leads to the plugin-specific part beeing deleted for those
user not having this plugin installed.

Both lead to a continuous subversion-ping-pong between those users
having a plugin installed and those not having it installed.

My proposal for fixing this issue is:

Stop IDEA from deleting unused parts (because a certain plugin is not
installed) from XML-configuration files.

If you don't delete those parts those users having a certain plugin
installed can add the plugin-specific part to the configuration once
and the ping-pong stops.

What do you think of the proposal?

Kind regards, Thomas

--
Dmitry Jemerov
Development Lead
JetBrains, Inc.
http://www.jetbrains.com/
"Develop with Pleasure!"

Submitted as http://youtrack.jetbrains.net/issue/IDEA-54222