How the CVS support works


Forte for Java's CVS support is effectively an object wrapper which integrates CVS into the Forte for Java environment. Files accessed through it have all the properties of files on the local file system (access dates, attributes, and so on) - along with two additional properties: file state and locker status. The file state appears next to the file's name on its Explorer node. The locker status can be viewed in the output generated when you choose the Log command. For each action performed on your files, your version control system is called, and the information it returns on the command line is processed by the module.

Note: Every operation is called in an asynchronous manner, so that you can do your work and do not have to wait for commands to complete. Therefore, the file state and locker status of a file will not necessarily be visible until the CVS module needs this information (for example, when an attempt is made to modify a file) and requests it from your version control system.

Many of the calls to your version control system (for example, to retrieve status information) happen automatically, behind the scenes. However, there are some actions that must be performed manually, such as committing changes. When you have mounted a CVS file system, a new node appears under the Filesystems tab of the Explorer with the label CVS your CVS. To dispatch commands to the version control system, right-click on the file or directory you want to apply the command to, choose CVS from the contextual menu, and then choose the command from the submenu.

Note: Since the CVS module is designed to work across many platforms and operating systems, some configuration is necessary to get the systems interacting properly. CVS is called from within the context of a command shell.


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