TortoiseSVN reports a conflict but no conflict was found

Question

I have a working copy for my entire repository that contains several Python projects. When I select the right-click → Update SVN in Windows Explorer, I get an error with a specific project folder:

Command: Update Updating: path\to\working\copy Skipped obstructing working copy: path\to\working\copy\project Completed: At revision: 176 Warning!: One or more files are in a conflicted state. 

When I go to this project and right-click → SVN Update, it is updated successfully. A conflict editor is also available, and when I right-click → TortoiseSVN → Allowed, there are no files available.

What can cause a conflict? While this is happening, it is not possible to update this project in my working copy.

Answer 1

 Skipped obstructing working copy 

this means that there is a folder with a working copy: your update wants to add a folder with the name "project", but you already have a version of the project "project" in your working copy. Maybe you moved this folder from another working copy? Or this folder is its own working copy (if it has hidden .svn folders, then this is an independent separate working copy).

To solve: move the folder from the working copy (or just delete it). Then run the update. Updating again will create a folder with the same name. But this may not be what you had - therefore, I recommend that you move the folder and delete it only after verifying that the updated folder is identical to the original folder.

Answer 2

You can also check the "Delete unversioned files and folders" option in the cleanup menu if your version of svn supports this. This definitely makes things easier, instead of looking at these folders one at a time (I always considered them non-versions).

Beware that you do not locally forget to make any valid new file additions before going through this cleanup.

Answer 3

Try right-clicking / TortoiseSVN / Clear.

This usually works for me.

Answer 4

I ran into the same problem, but this was happening at the root of a very large branch (c:\svn\root) . I work deep in (c:\svn\root\some\dir\deep\down\) only one of the directories, so explaining the problem and solving Stefan does not make sense.

My workaround was to update each of the directories individually in c:\svn\root\ , and then go back and update c:\svn\root\ . It worked for me. Not sure what the problem is.

Answer 5

I solved this problem without moving the files since the obstructed subfolders were correctly associated with svn:

• Check all folder files having Skipped obstructing working copy
• Now you can safely delete hidden folders (as we all checked before)
• Update the root folder

Now the whole folder is cleared again and the updates in the root folder work.