SVN, Its Tools and Checkins

Subversion (SVN) is an open source version control system. I used it for source code control or repository. There are two open source SVN tools available for Windows and Visual Studio: TortoiseSVN and AnkhSVN.

Normally, I use Tortoise to check out source codes, a solution or project, to a folder and then it will create SVN client folders and files (hidden) to mark files as a copy out from a SVN reposity. Then, open the sln or project by VS. AnknSVN will detect this project is from SVN and prompt you AnkhSVN is available for use for the project.

If you make a change to a file, the file then is marked as a changed one with red icon. You can commit the change back to the SVN server or check in to the repository. Ankhn works well for editing files. However, it does not support file renaming. You have to remove the file and add a new one as two steps for renaming.

In many cases, I have to revert some changes or the whole changes by using Ankhn's context menu. Revert means no change to the file in local and re-copy the file from repository to local. In case of removing a file, you will be prompt to remove the file from the repository. If you choose Yes, this actually is commit or change to the repository! You cannot just revert the change to get it back. You have to revert to previous versions. If you have several check-ins in a day, it may be hard to find the correct one restored back. Therefore, if you want to make a trial change in local, do not remove the file from the repository. Then you can simply revert the local project back and use Update to refresh the local files if you do not want to commit the change.

If you removed file from local (not in the repository!), and verified the change is OK and want to commit you changes to the repository. Remember, the removed files are still in the repository after your check-in. Use Tortoise's repo-browser to open the repository and remove the file from the browser. That's another commit change to the repository.

In a sense, those SVN tools do not have a check out session, or SVN does not support check out set or locking a check out set. That means several developers can work on a same source code file at same time. Any developer can drop their change and that's fine for others. However, if one checks in the code file, others may have to merge their changes before check in. Ankh provides diff for comparing repository file to local files and will prompt, I think, you if your check out version has been changed by others.