Working with CVS

The purpose of this tutorial is to teach you how to work with the CVS source control system. You will learn how to configure your CVS repository, upload projects and files to it, check out (import) projects and files from it and commit changes which you have made to files.

Purpose

A Concurrent Versions System (CVS) repository is a source control system intended to allow a team or group to work on the same files and projects simultaneously, and to be able to revert file and project states back to previous versions.

Adding a CVS Repository

Before you can add projects to or export projects from CVS, you must define your CVS repository settings.

Note:

To access a repository, make sure that a CVS server is already configured.

This procedure describes how to create a CVS repository connection which you can access in order to be able to carry out CVS functionality.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

To create a new CVS repository connection:

  1. Open the CVS perspective by going to Window menu and selecting Open Perspective | Other | CVS Repository Exploring.

  2. Click the Add CVS Repository button on the view's toolbar -or- right-click within the CVS view and select New | Repository Location.
    The Add CVS Repository dialog will open.

New CVS Repository Dialog

  1. Enter the information required to identify and connect to the repository location:

  • Host - The host address (e.g. mycomputer.com).

  • Repository path - The path to the repository on the host (e.g /usr/local/cvsroot)

  • User - The user name with which you connect to the repository.

  • Password - The password for the user name.

  • Connection Type - The authentication protocol for the CVS server.  
    There are four connection methods:

    1. pserver - a CVS specific connection method.

    2. extssh - an SSH 2.0 client.

    3. pserverssh2 - provides a pserver connection over ssh2.

    4. ext - the CVS ext connection method which uses an external tool such as SSH to connect to the repository.

  • If the host uses a custom port, enable Use Port and enter the port number.

  1. Click Finish to create your connection.

Your repository will be displayed in the CVS Repositories view.

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Sharing Projects

Through CVS, projects can be shared and worked on by numerous team members.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to upload a project you have created so that other users can work on it:

  1. Create a new PHP project called "MyCVS Project".

  2. Within the project, create a PHP file called "CVSFile1" with the following code:

<?php

//This is a new file

?>

  1. In PHP Explorer View, right-click your project and select Team | Share Project.
    A Share Project dialog will open.

  2. From the repository list, select CVS and click Next.

  3. Select 'Use existing repository location', and select your CVS repository from the list.

  4. Click Next.

  5. In the Module Name dialog, select 'Use project name as module name'.

  6. Click Next.

  7. Depending on your authentication settings, a dialog might appear asking you to provide authentication information.
    Re-enter your password and click Next. (Mark the Save Password checkbox to ensure that this screen does not reappear.)

  8. The 'Share Project Resources' dialog will open.
    Your project will be displayed as a resource that is to be added to CVS. The purple plus icon indicates that these are new files that have not previously been added to CVS.

  9. Click Finish.
    A Commit dialog will open.

  10. Enter the comment "I am uploading files to CVS." and click OK.

  11. In PHP Explorer View, your project will now have a repository icon , indicating that it is in CVS.

  12. Once you have committed your files, other team members will be able to access and change the files.

The instructions below explain how users can check out (import) projects from CVS, edit them and upload their changes.

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Checking Out Projects from CVS

Once projects are placed on the CVS repository, they can be checked out (imported) by anyone with access to that repository.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to import (check out) projects from CVS into your workspace:

  1. Delete the 'MyCVS Project' from your workspace in order to simulate being a new user who has not previously had access to this file.
    Note:
    Deleting the project from your workspace will not delete it from CVS.

  2. Go to File | Import | Projects from CVS.

  3. Click Next.

  4. Select your repository.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Select the 'Use an existing module' option to see all the available projects under that directory.

  7. Select the 'MyCVS Project'.

  8. Click Finish.

The project will now be added to your workspace and will be displayed in the PHP Explorer view.
Note the repository icon next to the project in PHP Explorer view, indicating that they it is sitting in a CVS repository.

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Adding Files to Existing Projects

You can add files to existing projects in the CVS repository and commit them so that other users can access them.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to add and commit a file into an existing project:

  1. In your MyCVSProject, create a new PHP file, called "CVSFile2", with the following code:

<?php

//Another new file

?>

  1. Save the file.

  2. In PHP Explorer view, select the file, right-click and select Team | Commit.

  3. A Commit dialog will open.
    Enter a comment "Another new file added." and click OK.

  4. The file will be committed to CVS and will be accessible by other users.

Note the icon next to the file, indicating that it is sitting in a CVS repository.

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Making Changes, Comparing Changes, and Committing Changes

Once files are stored on CVS, you and all other team members can make changes to the files and commit them. Before committing changes you have made to a file, you can compare the file stored locally in your workspace to the file stored on the CVS repository.

Making and Comparing Changes

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to make changes to files and compare the newly edited local files to files in the repository:

  1. Open CVSFile1 in your MyCVS Project.

  2. After the text "This is a new file." add "I have made a change".

  3. Save the file.
    In PHP Explorer view, the file and project will have a ">" suffix, indicating that a change has been made which has not yet been committed.

  1. So far, the changes have only been saved in your workspace. In order to compare the local file to which you have made changes with the one sitting in the CVS repository, right-click the file in the PHP Explorer view and select Team | Synchronize with Repository.

  2. A Text Compare dialog will open showing the local file you have just made changes to (in the left-hand window) as compared to the file in the repository (in the right-hand window).
    The change you have made will be highlighted.

Text Compare Dialog

 

Committing Changes

Once you have edited your file and compared it to the one in the repository to ensure that the changes are correct, you can commit your changes.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

To commit your changes to the repository:

  1. In PHP Explorer View, right-click your file and select Team | Commit.

  2. A Commit dialog will open.
    Enter the comment "I have made changes to CVSFile1." and click Finish.

  3. Your changes will now be committed to CVS and all users will be able to access the newly updated file.

 

Note:

If you had made changes to a number of files, you can use the Synchronize view, within the Team Synchronizing Perspective, to view and commit all your changes at once.

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Replacing Files with Older Versions

Using CVS's version control system, users can revert back to older versions of files if incorrect or irrelevant changes have since been made.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to replace your file with an older version from CVS:

  1. In PHP Explorer view, right-click your CVSFile1 and select Replace with | History.

  2. A History view will be displayed, listing the times that the file has been committed. The changes made on CVS (as opposed to local workspace changes) will be shown with a repository icon.
    As committed changes have been made twice (once during the original upload and once when you edited the file), 2 CVS revisions should be listed with their relevant comments.

CVS History View

  1. To open the Text Compare view to see the previous version of the file, double-click the second CVS revision in the list (containing the comment "I am uploading files to CVS.") This is the original state the file was in when it was first uploaded.  

  2. To return the file to its previous state, select the second revision again, right-click and select Get Contents.

  3. Your file will be replaced with the contents of the previous version of the file (without the line "I have made a change.")

 

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Deleting Files from CVS

You can delete a file from the CVS repository by first deleting it from your workspace and then committing the deletion.

 

 

Instructions on how to complete a procedure

This procedure demonstrates how to delete a file from CVS:

  1. In PHP Explorer view, right-click CVSFile2 and select Delete.

  2. Click Yes when asked to confirm the deletion.

  3. In PHP Explorer view, right-click MyCVS Project and select Team | Synchronize.

  4. The Team Synchronizing Perspective will open.
    The file you have deleted will be displayed with a purple arrow with a minus sign.

  5. Right-click the file and select Commit.

  6. A Commit Deletion dialog will open.
    Enter a comment "Deleting CVSFile 2."

  7. Click OK.

  8. The file will be deleted from CVS.

 

Note:

This action will delete the file from the CVS repository and not just from your workspace. This file will no longer be accessible by any users.

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Related Links:

Quick Start

CVS

Import Submenu

Export Submenu

Using SVN

 

 

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