Version Control in CF Studio: What, Why, How
(c) 1998 Charlie Arehart, SysteManage
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Note: | This is a work in progress. It began as an article, then became a presentation, and now is a budding online resource. The abstract and intended outline are presented below, followed by links to the site in its unfinished state of development.
A more succinct resource is the slide show that I developed based on this paper, and presented to the Denver ColdFusion Developers conference in Denver, July 1998.
(There are some sections with bullets that would be in outline form in my editor but do not appear hierarchically here. It's too much effort to convert them to unordered lists,but I'll do it as I finish the thing. I offer it here in is current state for the anxious reader. :-) |
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Release 4 Changes
There are significant changes in Release 4 of ColdFusion and ColdFusion Studio with regard to Version Control. In particular, there will be new server-side source control in addition to the client-side processes described here. This new feature will solve some important problems encountered in client-side version control. I will highlight these new features and solutions as well in time.
Still, client-side version control will continue to be valuable both for those currently using it and those who may choose to use it. As such, this presentation should remain helpful. In time, it will be changed substantially to support the new features.
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Abstract
CF Studio now supports Version Control, which enables you to track and manage changes to your code. Are you using it yet? It's surprisingly easy to implement, if you know the right buttons to push. Literally. And it enables incredible gains in efficiency and manageability when you have many pages or templates that your changing often. (And who doesn't?)
What's more, Allaire has removed the most significant roadblock for many: cost. A free copy of Starbase Versions is bundled with Studio. If you already use Microsoft Visual Source Safe or PVCS, the two most popular products on the market, you're covered as well. Studio's integration implements standard IDE support and works equally well with these packages.
In this article, we'll introduce the use of version control in Studio. We'll describe what it is, and how it will benefit you. Then we'll take a walk-through of the steps involved (and common pitfalls encountered) in setting up version control under Studio. We'll also compare the 3 supported version control packages and how they work with Studio.
Whether novice or expert at Version Control, if you're not yet using it with Studio, you're missing out. After reading this article, you will have your code under version control in hours.
Outline:
Background
- new capability in Studio 3.1, integrates with existing version control systems, free "versions" product included, easy to use, pitfalls to avoid
Why? The Benefits
- why version control is useful. Common problems that beset the CF developer (in both corporate team-oriented as well as lone ranger development environments). How version control would save them
What? The Features and Products
- what version control is. how it works. the information it can provide. the version control systems on the market, and the one included with Studio.
How? Making it Work in Studio
- installing and configuring a version control product. integrating with existing version control products. setting up a project in studio, adding the project to "source control", adding templates to source control, checking out, checking in, reporting, showing differences, showing history
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
Scenarios: Problems and solutions
Observed Annoyances
Tips
Resources
Miscellaneous
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