I would go with the merging over the shared mode but baxatob is correct.. those are your two best options. Do the merge process and then check in the final merged file into your source control. Then, whenever a user needs to work with TestComplete, they can get the latest NameMapping file and run with it.
Being able to load name maps on the fly through script as you need them (a feature they added to QTPro just before I left that job and stopped using it) would be awesome. And it would make what you want to do very simple.
Pretty sure there is already an improvement suggestion for it ...
*****
Just had a look .... this must be what I'm thinking of: https://community.smartbear.com/t5/TestComplete-Feature-Requests/Ability-to-share-a-Name-Mapping-file/idi-p/97545
Feel free to upvote it! (It's the lowest name map request at the moment)
But I do notice the top 4 or 5 feature requests are ALL to do with name mapping. Which suggests it's the area people most want to see updated.
And I'd agree with that. The core concept of how name & alias maps are used is great. But their implementation is a little klunky. Object Repositories in QTPro were one of the few areas I felt it had the edge over TestComplete.
