TFS and VS2010 Source Control / Configuration management question?

Question

Here's a for-instance:

Group of 6 developers working on a project with hundreds of source files; Someone checks-out a file from source control and does their thing and are done with it BUT it's not ready to go into the main source. Another developer needs to work with the original version of that file and make changes that ARE ready to go into the main source (after the 1st developer has made thier changes).

How do you handle this sort of thing in TFS with VS2010?  Source Safe 2005 is not satisfactory (that I have figured out) in being able to do this sort of thing (kind of like the "shelf" idea in SubVersion....

Thanks,
Owen

Answer 1

Hi !

There are multiple ways, all dependant upon what you prefer:

1. You like the Shelf idea from subversion? Fine, it's there.  You can Shelve the set of files for the 1st developer.  Any developer can later take this Shelveset down again and continue working with it

2. More easy:  You have multiple checkout, unlike Source Safe.  So both developer 1 and developer 2 can check out the files. Developer 2 can check in her files while developer 1 waits.  They dont have to check in in the same order as it was checked out. 

3. The scenario you describe do look more like a branchinh scenario. Since it seems dveeloper 1 is working on some new features, and developer 2 is fixing some bug, you can branch off the main source to a developer branch, where developer 1 can do her things, AND check in. Developer 2 fixes his bugs on the main. When developer 1 is finished the changes are merged back to main.  There are multiple such branching scenarios, look for the codeplex branching guidance for more details.

 

best regards

Terje

Answer 2

Hi

If you are using Distributed version control solution (of course not VSS), chick-in modified files is OK. Since end users still have to merge their local versions into the final version. The drawback is that this operation may mess up your project.

For centralized version control solution like Dynamsoft SAW, Shelve/Unshelve is adopted. End user can Shelve a modified copy if he is not ready to check-in the file. Alternatively, Multi-check out will allow more than one user to check out files and make changes to one project. System may ask for merge when end user check-in files.

Regards

Michael