How To Use Subversion (SVN)

^{Go back to the SVN page.}

You can use many SVN clients, but we suggest to use RapidSVN because it is open source and cross-platform (so it works the same on Linux, Mac, Windows). You can dowload it here: http://rapidsvn.org/

There are also many applications for comparing files, but we suggest you to use the tools that are part of Perforce, because even if they are only freeware and not free / open source software, you can use them for free and they are multiplatform (as above, they work in the same way in Linux, Mac, Windows). More information about the Perforce Visual Client (P4V) package here: http://www.perforce.com/product/components/perforce_visual_merge_and_diff_tools You can download it here: http://www.perforce.com/downloads/complete_list

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Once you have downloaded and installed the applications, we can start using them. Our Subversion repository is located here:

http://meta.openp2pdesign.org/svn/

You can download the files (checkout), but in order to being able to modify the files on the repository and work collaboratively with us, you need an account. For the moment we have to create it manually, so if you want it, please send an e-mail to meta @ openp2pdesign.org to ask for it! If you go to http://meta.openp2pdesign.org/svn/, you can also browse the repository online in its last version. For example, at the beginning you can see something like this:

The interface of RapidSVN is divided into three parts: on the left, you have a list of bookmarks (online repositories or local working copies in your computer); on the right, you have the file browser (that browse the folders of the repository/working copy you have selected on the left); on the bottom you have the log (where you can see the history of the commands and if there are any error messages).

In order to add the bookmark of the repository, click on Bookmarks and select Add existing repository:

And then insert the repository link http://meta.openp2pdesign.org on the next window:

In order to create a working copy on your computer (where you will work locally), right-click on the repository bookmark and select Checkout new working copy:

You can then choose where to store on you computer your working copy (and then choose last version available):

You can now see both the repository and the working copy in the bookmarks (please pay attention that they are different, never work directly on the repository: you have to work in your working copy and then commit the changes to the repository):

RapidSVN only works as a communication tool with the repository, in order to work on the file, use your operating system's file browser and work on the files there. Every time you add some files or folders to the working copy, RapidSVN will show a ? icon on them:

You have then to right-click on the files/folders and then choose Add (in the same way you can Delete files/folders):

When you want to send your modified files/folders to the repository, right-click them and choose ""Commit"":

You will requested to enter a log message, please do it as it is important in order other people can understand what has happened to the files:

You will then see the files/folders also in the repository, both in RapidSVN and in the SVN link:

If you want, instead, to update your working copy with the last changes other people committed to the repository, select the bookmark of your working copy and choose ""Update"":

In order to compare different versions of a file, after installing Perforce Visual Client, open the Preferences of RapidSVN and write this configuration (or a similar depending on your operating system), with the path to p4merge and as arguments:

"%1" "%2"

Then, you can select one file and choose Diff by right-clicking on it:

In the following window, you have to select which different versions of the file you want to compare:

If you don't know which versions of the file there are, you can right-click on it and choose ""Log"" to see the file's history:

You will see all the versions of the file, and if you select two of them and click on ""Diff"" you will be able to compare them:

RapidSVN will automatically open P4merge (from the Perforce Visual Client) comparing the two versions of the file: