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Generic VCS User View
John Jullion-Ceccarelli
November 5, 2001

Contents

  1. Purpose of This Document
  2. Module Overview
  3. Common Tasks
  4. Target Users
  5. Use Cases

Purpose of This Document

This document is intended to provide a high-level view of the NetBeans 3.3 Generic VCS module. The document starts with some background information (module overview, typical tasks) and then goes on to provide detailed use cases for the generic VCS support.

Module Overview

The Generic VCS module provides IDE support for a variety of version control systems (VCS). The module uses profiles of variables and commands, which are passed to the VCS executable. Users can choose from the predefined VCS profiles included in the IDE (CVS, PVCS, Visual Source Safe), download additional profiles from netbeans.org, or write their own custom profiles. The module also provides a front-end graphical user interface for most standard VCS commands and some additional features such as the two-pane diff viewer.

Common Tasks

The following tasks are commonly done by Generic VCS users:

  • Mount VCS Working Directory.  Mount a directory as a VCS filesystem in the IDE.
  • Call VCS Commands.  Call VCS commands on files and specify advanced command switches.
  • Configure VCS Settings.  Configure how each generic VCS filesystem behaves and set global version control settings.
  • Make and Save Changes to a VCS Profile. Change an existing profile of VCS commands and variables or create a new VCS profile.

Target Users

The Generic VCS module is targeted for use by developers at all levels, whether they are working independently or in a team. The profiles support both local and remote repositories. The Generic VCS module is meant for client use only and is not intended as a tool for repository administration.

Use Cases

Mount VCS Working Directory

Using the New Generic VCS wizard, the user mounts a working directory as a VCS filesystem in the Explorer. The user can mount an existing working directory that is already linked to a repository. The user can also create a new working directory and check out a fresh copy of the repository files into it.

  1. The user opens the New Generic VCS wizard in any of the following three ways:
    • Chooses Versioning > Mount Version Control > Generic VCS from the main window.
    • Right-clicks the Filesystems node in the Explorer and chooses Mount > Version Control > Generic VCS.
    • Chooses File > Mount Filesystem from the main window, expands the Version Control node, selects Generic VCS and clicks Next.
  2. In the Profile panel of the wizard, the user chooses the desired profile from the Version Control System Profile combo box. The fields available in the Profile panel vary depending on which profile the user chooses.
  3. The user enters all of the information in the Profile panel. Once this information is entered, the user can click Finish to exit the wizard and mount the filesystem.
  4. If the user wants to configure advanced options for the filesystem, they click Next and set the options in the Advanced panel. The Advanced panel includes the Edit Variables and Edit Commands buttons, which can be used to edit the commands and variables that this filesystem uses. These changes are not saved to the VCS profile unless the user then clicks the Back button and clicks Save As in the Profile panel.
  5. If the user wants to configure environment variables for use with the filesystem, they click Next to the Environment panel. The user can disable a system environment variable for use with VCS by deselecting its checkbox in the Used in VCS column. The user can create a user-defined environment variable by clicking Insert. The values of user-defined environment variables can be changed by clicking in the Variable Value column and entering the new value.
  6. When the user is finished configuring the filesystem, they click Finish to exit the wizard and mount the filesystem.

Call VCS Commands

The VCS commands submenu contains all the available VCS commands for the currently selected file or package. Each profile's VCS commands submenu has the same name as its profile. The user can access the VCS commands submenu in any of the following ways:

  • In the Explorer, right-clicks the file or package's node and selects the VCS commands submenu.
  • Right-clicks the file or package's node in the Versioning Explorer and selects the VCS commands submenu. The VCS commands submenu is available only on the working revision node of each file.
  • Chooses Versioning > VCS commands submenu from the main window.
  • Right-clicks a file in the Source Editor and choose the VCS commands submenu.
  • Right-clicks a file's node in the VCS Groups window and choose the VCS commands submenu. To run a command on an entire group, the user right-clicks the group's root node and chooses the command from the VCS commands submenu.

In addition to the VCS commands submenu, you can also some frequently-used VCS commands from the Versioning toolbar.

The process for running VCS commands depends on the value of the Advanced Mode property in the filesystem's property sheet.

  • Advanced Mode = False (Default). If the command can run without any user input, it runs without presenting the user any additional dialog boxes. If the command requires user input, a dialog box opens in which the user can enter this input.
  • Advanced Mode = True. For all commands, a dialog box opens presenting the user with all of the available switches for the command.

Even if the Advanced Mode property is set to False, the user can still specify advanced options for a command by holding the Ctrl key while choosing from the VCS commands submenu.

Configure VCS Settings

The user can configure how the IDE works with mounted VCS filesystems at three levels:

  • Filesystem Property Sheets. These property sheets contain advanced filesystem settings that affect how the filesystem is displayed in the Explorer and how it interacts with the VCS repository. The user opens the property sheet by right-clicking the filesystem's root node in the Explorer and choosing Properties. If the user has a persistent Properties window open, it displays the filesystem's properties whenever the filesystem is selected in the Explorer. Filesystem properties are arranged in two tabs: Properties and Expert.
  • Filesystems Customizers. The generic VCS filesystem customizer contains the information entered in the New Generic VCS wizard. The user opens the customizer by right-clicking the filesystem's root node in the Explorer and choosing Customize. The customizer can also be opened by clicking the Customize button on the filesystem's property sheet. Customizer settings are arranged in three tabs: Profile, Advanced, and Environment.
  • Global Version Control Settings. These settings control the way all VCS filesystems function in the IDE. Global versioning settings are accessed by choosing Tools > Options from the main window, expanding the Source Creation and Management Node, and selecting the Version Control Settings node. The properties appear in the left pane of the Tools Window.

Make and Save Changes to a VCS Profile

The user can make changes to a filesystem's VCS profile using the Command Editor and Variable Editor. These changes apply to the individual filesystem for which they are set. The user can also save the changes to the profile or as a new profile and use the profile to mount other working directories.

  1. The user right-clicks the VCS filesystem's node in the Explorer and chooses Customize.
  2. In the customizer, the user clicks the Advanced tab and clicks the Edit Commands button. In the Command Editor, the user can select a command and edit its properties in the right pane of the editor. The user can also right-click any command's node in the Command Editor and choose from the following: Delete, Move Up, Move Down, Copy, Cut, Paste, and Add > Command/Folder/Separator. When all the necessary changes have been made, the user clicks OK to exit the Command Editor.
  3. In the customizer, the user clicks Edit Variables. The Variable Editor displays all variables grouped under the Basic and Accessory nodes. Basic Variables are listed in the order in which they appear in the VCS generic filesystem customizer and New Generic VCS wizard. Accessory variables are listed alphabetically.

    The user can select a variable and edit its properties in the right pane of the editor. To add a variable, the user right-clicks either the Basic or the Accessory node and chooses Add Variable. The user can also right-click any variable's node and choose from the following: Delete, Cut, Copy, Paste, and Add Variable. The contextual menu for Basic Variables also contains the Move Up and Move Down commands. When all the necessary changes have been made, the user clicks OK to exit the Variable Editor.

  4. If the user only wants to apply the changes to the current filesystem, they click OK to exit the customizer. If the user wants to save the changes to the current profile or as a new profile, they click the Profile tab and click the Save As button. To save the changes to an existing profile, the user selects the profile from the list and clicks Save. To save the profile as a new profile, the user enters a file name and profile label for the profile and clicks Save. The user then clicks OK to exit the customizer.