What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Software Version Control using
Subversion
Guy K. Kloss
Computer Science
Massey University, Albany
Softare Engineering 158.329
Auckland, 11 May 2009
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 1/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 2/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 3/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
What?
Subversion maintains snapshots of the code repository.
Allows many people to concurrently work on a codebase.
Subversion is source control with a central repository.
Usually integrates with a frontend: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 4/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Why?
Continuous incremental backup.
Ability to recall older code.
Distributed development.
Various versions of a single project.
Tracking bugs, timeline, goals and releases.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 5/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Central Repository
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 6/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
How?
Developers checkout code from the repository
to a local working-copy.
After making edits, they commit changes.
At any point, they can revert
to an older version of the codebase.
They update their local working copy frequently
to keep up with changes.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 7/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Work with Subversion
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 8/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
How does Subversion work?
A system to track changes in files.
The code is initially imported into the repository.
Then a special “subversion-aware” directory
is checked-out.
Developers commit and update.
Subversion tracks the changesets and the commit-log.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 9/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 10/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Common Subversion Commands
checkout: Obtain a new working copy.
import: Import code into repository initially.
commit: Update repository with changes.
update: Update working-copy with changes.
Other commands: revert, move, copy, merge.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 11/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 12/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
To be shown . . .
For examples see slides 49–77 in the presentation
“SVN – SubVersioN” here:
http://www.slideshare.net/slidesharechaos/svn-subversion
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 13/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 14/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
GUI Tools
TortoiseSVN in
Windows
Right-click a directory:
get a context-menu with
everything in there.
Useful Integration with
diff and patch.
Reasonably fast.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 15/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 16/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Project Layout
trunk/
→ All constant development happens here.
branches/
→ Special purpose development here.
tags/
→ Releases are “tagged” for archiving.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 17/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Outline
1 What, Why and How?
2 Subversion Commands
3 Demo: Command-line Tools
4 GUI Tools
5 Project Layout
6 Demo: Trac
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 18/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Major features of Trac
Web frontend to a Subversion repository.
Shows the changesets and timeline.
Has a bug tracker which integrates
with the Subversion commit-log.
Simple project management.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 19/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Some good Subversion practices
Follow the branches, tags, trunk structure.
All code should be in the repository!
Update code at the start of every day.
Only commit coherent changes.
The central repository should always be consistent.
No dependent stuff!
Branch as less as possible.
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 20/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
Questions?
G.Kloss@massey.ac.nz
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 21/22

What, Why and How? Subversion Commands Demo: Command-line Tools GUI Tools Project Layout Demo: Trac
References
Thanks to Vishnu Gopal’s presentation
“Basic SCM with Subversion & Trac”
Subversion Quick Reference Card
http://www.digilife.be/quickreferences/quickrefs.htm
Subversion Cheat Sheet
http://ariejan.net/svncheatsheet/
TortoiseSVN client for Windows
http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/
Guy K. Kloss | Software Version Control using Subversion 22/22