Windows front-end for CVS

[lieberlady]

I've been researching, and I see that CVS is much more popular than VSS. Now I'm looking for the best front-end for PL/SQL Developer. In this forum, I have seen issues with Igloo, Tortoise, PushOK. I haven't seen any complaints with WinCVS. Is anyone using WinCVS who likes it? Is there really a good tool that works consistently? Does anyone know if Eclipse works with PLSD?

 

[Joachim Rupik]

I think it is always a personal point of view. My first win32 client was a WinCVS, and I like it. In my opinion the most stable release was version 1.2. Then I switched to TortoiseCVS, but WinCVS is still installed on my box.
At present, I think the most interesting and powerful version control system is subVersion (svn). It is mainly concurrent versions system, a direct successor of cvs, but not only - implements locking strategy so could be closer to ms vss system's fanatics.
For svn is available TortoiseSVN, a win32 client also.
CVS or SVN clients always work with 'local working copy' so I always prefer working with controlled files within win shell and standalone clients then directly from PLSD. I have (almost) never edited PL/SQL stored code "directly from DB". In my opinion it is bad practice.

Joachim Rupik

 

[lieberlady]

I am really confused.
Background: I have a choice of VSS or CVS here. I installed the vcs plug-in (v 1.2) to PLSD (v 6.05). Also installed VSS v 6. Have no problem seeing VSS in the preferences list, and it seems to be working fine.

Now I want to try using cvs. (The Mac users here love cvs, so it'd be nice to be consistent. No one has svn.)

I've installed WinCVS v 2.0.2.4, with cvsnt, which connects just fine to my cvs repository, but I don't see it in PLSD. I read all the posts about the SCC interface. I don't see anything in WinCVS that mentions an SCC interface, but it sounds like people are using it, so I'm missing something. I don't really want to start msking random entries to my registry.

I also installed TortoiseCVS v 1.8.22. It also doesn't show up in PLSD. But I don't even know if I installed it correctly, since I don't see any nice GUI for idiots like me. It just has "Preferences" & "About" icons.

The only entry in my registry is for VSS.

I'd prefer to use WinCVS, if that's possible, since it has a nice GUI.

 

[Joachim Rupik]

To work with cvs within PLSD you need a scc proxy, like igloo. The wincvs or other cvs clients will not work as a cvs-scc proxy. Plese look at:

Topic: VCS plugin
Topic: CVS

Joachim Rupik

 

[lieberlady]

I'm getting closer, but still soooooo far away.

For anyone else reading this, this download is obsolete: http://www.jalindi.com/igloo. I used http://www.collab.net/downloads/tools/cvs-clients/index.html#jal

I installed Jalindi Igloo, and PLSD sees it just fine.

Now I'm trying to tell Igloo thru PLSD where my cvs repository is. I'm having trouble with the Open Project dialog box. I selected Jalindi for system. For Project, I want to point to the cvs repository on Unix, yes? (It currently has the Windows network folder that I had used for VSS.) I clicked the folder. I saw that your syntax was this:
server:cvs@pserver.samba.org:/cvsroot

For WinCVS, my syntax was this:
:ssh;username=myname;password=mypass;hostname=wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site/cvsroot/lynne

(My Unix guys here said to use ssh.)

This is clearly way too long for the dialog - the error mesg is "cannot verify the existence of :ssh;username=myname;password=mypass;hostname=wagdev01" Bad CVSROOT.

I tried using your syntax (and switching between ssh & pserver), but I got the same error. And still couldn't fit the whole path. When I use pserver, instead of Bad CVSROOT, it says connection refused. I think this should be the correct syntax:
:ssh:myname:mypass@wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site/cvsroot/lynne

But the dialog only fits
:ssh:myname:mypass@wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site

Once I get past that, what goes in CVS Module? Does it need a path? Would that be the package I'm checking out? Why to I want to put that here, when all I want to do it connect to CVS? Nothing is in CVS yet anyway; I have to connect before I can add.

Local drive is the path where I save my local copy, yes? Seems obvious, but I'm batting 0% here.

Second, much more minor question:
In WinCVS, when I go to Admin | Login, it doesn't save my cvsroot, username, pswd, etc. How do I save that?

THANKS!!!

 

[lieberlady]

I got a little further with PushOK than with Igloo. At least I could fit my whole root in the CVSROOT box. So I see this dialog is specific to the 3rd party product, not to PLSD.
ssh:myname:mypass@wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site/cvsroot/lynne)

Now I don't know what to put for module. According to the instructions, it's a folder. Under lynne, there is already a folder CVSROOT. I tried that, it didn't work. (That's what I selected with the ellipsis button.) I created a new folder under lynne called plsqlfiles. That didn't work either. I tried creating plsqlfiles under CVSROOT. Still didn't work. Same error every time: I hit Check and it says "[ls aborted] server does not support ls." (I only entered a folder name, not a path.)

 

[Joachim Rupik]

Please look at:

Open Version Control Project dialog and try to download (checkout) project from shown server.
Module is a directory name on the server side below a "cvsroot". In your case I suppose it will be "lynne". Your url should look like:
:ssh:myname:mypass@wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site/cvsroot
module = lynne (I hope )

You must have some modules in cvs repository to use cvs from within PLSD. The "problem" (when working from within PLSD) with cvs and svn is that both works on "local working copy" and always you should checkout (download) it to local folder and then you can work on files.That is why I prefer to work with stand-alone clients. People usually think that this step (download) won't be necessary when working from within PLSD. cvs-scc proxy do it silently (to "local path") in a background for you.

Joachim Rupik

 

[lieberlady]

I'm getting nowhere fast. The guy who created my directory said my entire path includes "lynne," so I went to WinCVS and created /devel under /usr/local/site/cvsroot/lynne and imported some files, which I think now qualifies "devel" to be a module.
Went back to PLSD. VCS | Open project | System = PushOK.
Clicked project folder. Entered CVSROOT and hit check. Got CVSROOT OK (whole path incl "lynne").

CVS module: If I click on the folder, I can see CVSROOT & devel.
If I select either one and hit Create, it says module created. If I hit Check, it still says "[ls aborted] server does not support ls." (And it doesn't like if I just leave it blank either.)

If I just try hitting OK, I get "repository or module is not valid. If you are adding files to a repository, you may need to create a module first."

So I can't get past the Open Project to do anything.

 

[lieberlady]

Joachim:
I just re-read your last paragraph. Are you saying you still use something like WinCVS to do your check-in/check-out, or that you're using a different editor for PL/SQL code?

That seems unnecessarily complicated, and renders PLSD completely useless.

I know if I use Toad & Visual Source Safe, I never have to use another editor or source code control package. Everything is seamlessly integrated.

Now I know CVS is wonderful for branching & merging, which I would really like to have. But I have a large team of developers here, and if the SCC is not seamlessly integrated, no one will use it. Frankly, even if I were working alone, I wouldn't use it.

I haven't tried Toad with cvs yet - that's my next step. But even if it works, that'll be $30,000 and I don't think mgmt will go for it.

What a mess.

Lynne Lieberman

 

[Joachim Rupik]

Lynne:

Yes I still use something like WinCVS (TortoiseCVS, TortoiseSVN) to do my check-in/check-out with cvs or svn and that doesn't seem unnecessarily complicated, and doesn't render PLSD completely useless!

You probably (like many people) have experience with MS VSS.
VSS and CVS/SVN works in completely different way.
When you use VSS you work (edit) file "on server":

- lock
- download (check-out)
- edit
- upload (check-in)
- unlock
few days later:
- lock
- download (check-out)
- edit
- upload (check-in)
- unlock

When you work with CVS/SVN you always work on a "local copy of repository". You have all project folders and files (or only a part of them) in your local folders. Then you can work even off-line on project files. When you decide to do a check-in, you simply commit your work. You do not need every time to download whole file you only check if it is not changed by others and download when was changed.

- download (check-out) - only once, initially
- edit
- commit
- few days later: update (if changed)
- edit
- commit

very fast and efficient.

It is not complicated, when you work with vcs like cvs or svn you do not need to use it from within any tool. You work with files controlled under vcs like with any ordinary files, so you can open such file in PLSD from your file system. Then do your work, save and close.
You do not need to hurry (with check-in and unlock) because cvs/svn are concurrent version systems. Many developers could work on the same file at the same time (all on theirs local copy) but not at the same lines of course. When they finished, simply do a commit. System will merge all changes automatically.
You lock file (svn) when it is absolutely necessary (binary files).

I like such model of work, so I have no problems with cvs/svn proxies in PLSD and other tools!

Joachim Rupik

 

[lieberlady]

Thanks for your help. I understand cvs now, but I still can't get either PushOK or Igloo to recognize my cvsroot or my module.
I have used both WinCVS & SmartCVS to add packages to my module, check them in & out, and it seems to be working fine. (SmartCVS seems to be easier to use.)

Everything I try to do using vcs in PLSD comes back to the same error

CVS module: If I click on the folder, I can see "devel".
If I select it and hit Create, it says module created. If I hit Check, it still says "[ls aborted] server does not support ls." (And it doesn't like if I just leave it blank either.)

If I just try hitting OK, I get "repository or module is not valid. If you are adding files to a repository, you may need to create a module first."

 

[lieberlady]

OK, I found your response in this topic:

http://www.allroundautomations.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002444#000003

So I gave up on clicking the folder icon next to Project.

I entered "devel" as Project (my cvs module)
Local path is my local hard drive folder (currently, on my network).
Aux path is my cvsroot string that I couldn't get to fit in Igloo:
:ssh:llieberman@wagdev01.myco.com:/usr/local/site/cvsroot/lynne

I hit OK and it worked.

Next, I opened my local copy of a program (that I had previously added to cvs). I tried Check out:
Dialog says CVS error, not available online.
Underneath that is another dialog that says "Concurrent checkout files in: G:/cvs/devel
ranking_p.bdy"
I hit OK on the 1st box and get another one that says "non-specific error."

Then I tried Run PushOK (which I setup to call SmartCVS). I selected Open existing project, where I can see my program. I went back to PLSD and tried Check Out again. This time I got
"Cannot launch cvs process. Arguments: -z 5 -r edit "ranking_p.bdy" working dir g:\cvs\devel"

So I thought, OK, it