[TUT] All about SvN's...

Creating and Using a SvN
By Starblaster100​

What is a SvN?

SvN or Subversion is a great way to keep up to date with electronic files if there are a large amount of developers developing the electronic file in question. In simple terms, it is a great way for large amounts of people to stay up to date with projects.


How it works:

Basically, all of your project files are hosted on a server. The SvN then connects to that server when you ask it to and downloads the latest version to your computer. When you have updated whatever you want to update, you send your files to the server so that other developers can download the newly modified files and get the most up to date version.


Installing a SvN program

A SvN program is needed to download and upload files to your server. I recommend getting Tortoise SvN

Info here
Download here (first link)

Install it like any other program, reset your computer etc. etc.

When you right click a folder, you will now have new menu items



I'll tell you how to use them in a sec...


Getting a server:

I recommend using Google Codes, however, each developer needs a google account to be able to commit to the server (anyone can update from the server).

Visit Google Codes and press Create a New Project

Type in your Project Name, E.G SRL, Summary and Description if you feel like it, E.G. SCAR Resource Library for RuneScape 2 and Select a license (NOTE: By selecting any one of these licenses you are agreeing that your code is open source and can be modified by anyone under the GNU GPL license) I recommend GNU GPL V3 if you don't know what it means (Its not that important really). Leave labels blank

Your server is created!

The main page will look something like this:



Go to the Source tab - The two boxes which i have blackened are what you are interested in




Linking the Server and your computer
Feel free to actually test out the Links i give you below, they do work)

Browse through your documents until you find a place where you want to place your project. Create a new folder there and name it whatever you want (possibly something related to the project so you know what it is )

Right click the newly created folder and press SVN Checkout.



Some things you have to do here. Remember the "Source" page we generated at Google Coded? In the first box there is a link starting with "https" and ending with "trunk". In our example it is:

https://cheatzor.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/

We need to put this link into the URL of Repository.

Make sure the HEAD revision radio button is clicked (should be done by default, but just in case...)

Leave everything else as it is and press OK.

If you are prompted for a username and password, check out the google codes source page for your username in the first box i highlighted, and press Generate googlecode password to get your password. You will need to enter this everytime you download or upload files. Just click remember my Login Details and it won't prompt you everytime.

Your Folder and Server will now be linked!


Using the SvN

Its very simple to do.

Everytime you want to modify / update your project, right click your main folder and press SVN update. This will download the latest version to your computer.

After you have finished modifying the project, right click the folder and press SVN Commit. That will send your mods to the server for others to download. Everytime you send a mod the the server, it is stored under a new revision name. This is useful and becomes apparent in a sec...

By default, the folder containing your project has a green tick on it. if you change something, it turns into a red exclamation point. This alerts you that you have to commit to the server for other devs to be able to download what you have changed.

Note: To commit to the server, the admin of the googlecodes group has to add you as a project member and send you the link of the project on googlecodes. Only then can you use the HTTPS path in the first box. Adding you to the group will also generate your own username and password. this way you can easily track what all users are committing to the project.

IMPORTANT!!!: Always download the latest version of the project before modifying the files!! If someone modifies one file and commits, and you do not download the latest update, when you commit, your old version will overwrite their new version! You can loose hours of work this way!!!


Other cool features of the SvN

1) When you commit, the committer can write comments on what they have done. if you then right click your folder --> Tortoise SVN --> Show Logs you can see a list of what everyone has done, what they have modified and when they did it:



2) Anyone can download the project if they have Tortoise SVN and the link in the second box. (In our example above, http://cheatzor.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/). however, with this link they cannot commit to the project. This is an easy way for users of your project to get the latest version.

3) Finally, and what might be the most useful tool in extras, is the ability to download previous revisions. Right Click the file --> Tortoise SVN --> Update to revision. you can back track to a previous version of the project if something has gone wrong in recent versions.


End Note

SVNs and Repositories and a great way for developers to share source code with each other. This is actually the way the developers at SRL keep the include up to date with so many devs committing to the project. We have been using it for ages, and have had no problems to date (well apart from early on when someone forgot to update before modifying and committing ) I hope this proves useful to some of you, it really is a great little feature

Thanks

Starblaster100

 

Wow this is the first time I've ever seen you post in General discussion

Looks like a good tutorial. Although most of the stuff I code is independent (I like flying solo) so I probably won't ever need an SVN lol.

 

Well someone asked me to make a tut on it, so i did >.<

Hopefully this will help someone...

 

It was me XD

Thanks alot.