METEC SVN - Getting Started
Subversion (SVN) is a version control software used at METEC for sharing files. It is designed to track changes of files between many users, as well as accessible offline.
If you have a computer built by Research IT, the SVN client is already installed.
Terminology
Repository
A repository is a database residing on a central server. Graphically, it looks just like any other folder in file explorer.
Each repository has a URL attached to it, which will always start with the base URL followed by the repository name: https://eecl-svn-prop.research.colostate.edu/svn/<repository>
For example, the URL for a repository named "foo" would be: https://eecl-svn-prop.research.colostate.edu/svn/foo
Working Copy
The working copy is the copy of the repository on your local machine. It acts like a regular set of folders and files that you can make changes to.
The full workflow looks something like this:
There are 3 main operations used to share files:
Checkout - a one time operation to copy the repository from the server to your working copy on your computer
Commit - submitting changes from your working copy back to the server
Update - fetch any changes made by other users that aren't yet present on your working copy
Credentials
Your NETID credentials (usually same ones you use to log into your computer) are used to access SVN resources.
Example
Checkout
If you don't already have a folder or location made to store all of the SVN repositories, make a new directory now. I created a folder called "SVN" in my documents folder to store everything.
Double-click into your SVN folder in file explorer. It is not unusual to have many repositories at once on your system, so staying organized from the beginning is beneficial.
In this example we are going to use the "test" repository. To checkout the test repository, right click in an empty space in file explorer and select TortoiseSVN > Checkout
Fill in the checkout dialog as follows:
The URL will always be formatted https://eecl-svn-prop.research.colostate.edu/svn/<repository>
Make sure the Checkout directory is the full path to your SVN folder plus the name of the repository name. Do not checkout a folder directly to your SVN folder without specifying a sub-directory!
You can click the three dots [...] to the right of the checkout directory path to browse to a desired folder.
Again, double check that it is formatted correctly like this:
And not like this:
(notice there is no test folder specified at the end of the path) This will create a mess.
Once you have double checked that the fields are correct, click "OK". You may be prompted for credentials - use your NETID username and password here.
A window will appear with lots of text showing the progress of the copy process. If you don't see it immediately, it might be hiding in a tortoise icon in your taskbar at the bottom of your screen. Once done, it will say Completed at the end of the file list:
Click "OK" to dismiss the message.
Back in file explorer, a new folder called "test" has appeared. This is your working copy of the repository. You can interact with now just like any other folder on your computer and create/delete/modify files as usual. The green check mark next to the folder indicates that it is in a clean state.
The checkout process is only needed once per repository to initially copy all of the files from the server to your computer.
Making Changes
Let's say you need to modify or create a new file. Make a new Word document and type something creative in it. Then save it somewhere inside the test folder on your computer. In my case, I created a file called "essay.txt" in the demo folder.
As of now, all of the changes I made to my document are local to my computer. Nobody else can see them yet.
To sync the changes I have made to my working copy back to the server so everyone else can see them, I need to commit my changes.
Go back to the top level test repository folder in file explorer. Right click on the folder and choose TortoiseSVN > Commit
Note: if you don't see this option (or other SVN related buttons) it might be hidden behind the show more options button at the bottom of the right click dialog)
A window will appear with all of the files you have changed. Make sure everything you want to be synced back to the server (and visible by everyone) is checked.
Then click "OK". A window will appear saying the commit has finished.
Click "OK" again to dismiss the commit finished message.
Updating Changes
If someone else commits their changes to the server, they are not visible to you automatically. To see everyone else's changes, navigate to TortoiseSVN > Update
A dialog box will appear with any new changes.