Earlier quoted context omitted.
Forget rename detection ; it doesn't do renames period . So if you rename a file in one branch, you need to rename the file in the other branch BEFORE the merge, or you'll simply end up with two different files with different names.
Sigh, bullshit. I do this every day and it's just fine. You must be referring to some other concept of rename in some bizarrely complicated configuration you've worked yourself into.
I am referring to this sequence:
gozer:~$ fossil new zed.fsl
project-id: e4549d02538b1b58cf28488f76fc7549dc11a752
server-id: 0bb5e1159eef42ed514c6ec13d17ba05f21ecdea
admin-user: benjamin (initial password is "068bda")
gozer:~$ mkdir zed
gozer:~$ cd zed
gozer:~/zed$ fossil open ../zed.fsl
gozer:~/zed$ echo hello > hello.txt
gozer:~/zed$ fossil commit -m "initial"
fossil: nothing has changed
gozer:~/zed$ fossil add hello.txt
ADDED hello.txt
gozer:~/zed$ fossil commit -m "initial"
New_Version: 10c3840dc611fdc22888571560b908f36e647e59
gozer:~/zed$ echo zed >> hello.txt
gozer:~/zed$ fossil commit -m "edited"
New_Version: 10aa55193ddd374a75d37508cbc8a09466a05019
gozer:~/zed$ fossil update 10c384
UPDATE hello.txt
gozer:~/zed$ mv hello.txt hello2.txt
gozer:~/zed$ fossil mv hello.txt hello2.txt
RENAME hello.txt hello2.txt
gozer:~/zed$ fossil commit -f -m "renamed"
New_Version: 3c3253cbd31cbc479c888fb8b1f38a8a46d8d4d6
**** warning: a fork has occurred *****
gozer:~/zed$ fossil merge 10aa55
gozer:~/zed$ ls
_FOSSIL_ hello2.txt manifest manifest.uuid
gozer:~/zed$ cat hello2.txt
hello
gozer:~/zed$ fossil update 10aa55
ADD hello.txt
REMOVE hello2.txt
gozer:~/zed$ ls
_FOSSIL_ hello.txt manifest manifest.uuid
gozer:~/zed$ cat hello.txt
hello
zed
gozer:~/zed$ fossil merge 3c3253
ADDED hello2.txt
DELETE hello.txt
gozer:~/zed$ cat hello2.txt
hello
gozer:~$ hg init zedhg
gozer:~$ cd zedhg
gozer:~/zedhg$ echo hello > hello.txt
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg ci -Aminitial
adding hello.txt
gozer:~/zedhg$ echo zed >> hello.txt
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg ci -medited
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg up 0
1 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg mv hello.txt hello2.txt
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg addremove -s100
recording removal of hello.txt as rename to hello2.txt (100% similar)
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg ci -mrenamed
created new head
gozer:~/zedhg$ hg merge
merging hello2.txt and hell.txt to hello2.txt
0 files updated, 1 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
(branch merge, don't forget to commit)
gozer:~/zedhg$ cat hello2.txt
hello
zed