The IDE's CVS support enables you to maintain different versions of
an entire code base using branches. Branches are created by attaching a
branch tag to a file or folder in the repository. When you modify files
in a branch it does not affect the files in the main code line or
"trunk". You can, however, merge any modifications you make in the
branch back to the trunk later.
Checking out Branches
If you need to edit files on a branch that already exists, you
can check out the branch to copy the files to a local working
directory. You must, however, create a new local working directory
within which to checkout the branch.
To check out a branch to a local working directory:
Choose CVS > Checkout from the main menu.
On the first page of the CVS Checkout wizard, specify the
location of the CVS repository by choosing from the CVS Root drop-down
menu. If you are unfamiliar with the syntax, click the Edit button and
enter the required information in the Edit CVS Root dialog.
Enter your password in the Password field.
If you are using a proxy, click the Proxy Configuration button
and enter the required information. Click Next.
On the Module to Checkout page, specify the files and directories
you want to check out in the Module field or click the Browse button to
choose from a list of all modules in the repository.
Specify the branch, revision number, or tag to checkout in the
Branch field or click the Browse button to choose from a list of all
branches in the repository.
Specify the local working directory into which you want to check
out the selected branches. Alternately, you can click the Browse button
to navigate to the desired directory on your system.
Click Finish to check out the files.
The IDE initiates the Checkout command for the branch. The IDE's
Status bar indicates the progress of the files downloading from the
branch to your local working directory.
Switching to a Branch
If you want to switch a project, directory, or file to a branch that
already exists for stabilization or experimentation purposes, you can
do so using the Switch to Branch command.
To switch to a branch:
In the Projects, Files, or Versioning window, right-click the
file or folder you want to be the root of your branch and choose CVS
> Switch to Branch.
In the Switch to Branch dialog, enter a Branch name or click Browse to see
a list of available branches.
Click Switch.
The IDE moves the selected file to the specified branch by adding a branch tag.
Creating a Branch
If you want to work on a separate version of your file system for
stabilization or experimentation purposes, you can do so by creating a
branch. Branches are created by adding a branch tag to a project,
directory, or file revision.
To create a branch:
In the Projects, Files, or Versioning window, right-click the
file or folder you want to be the root of your branch and choose CVS
> Branch.
In the Branch dialog, enter a Branch name or click Browse to see
a list of available branches.
If you want to tag the file or directory, select the Tag Before
Branching checkbox and enter a Tag name.
If you want to switch to the new branch after creating it, select
the Switch to This Branch Afterwards checkbox.
Click Branch.
The IDE creates the branch by adding a branch tag to the selected
file or directory.
When you add a branch tag, the branch is created in the
repository immediately and does not require using the Commit command.
For more information on working with branches, see the CVS
documentation at: