ClearTeam Explorer - CCRC - integrate with Beyond Compare - merge

I am using IBM Rational Clear Case. Due the current world wide health situation, I am forced to work from home.
The best way and may be the only one, when using Visual Studio, is working with a Web View (Please correct me if there is a better way) - I assume this is called CCRC (Clear Case Remote Client). It is similar to a Snapshot View but without constant connection to the Clear Case server at work (This statement is not entirely correct).
When working with a snapshot view or for that matter with a dynamic view, I can change the setting to use Beyond Compare as the tool used for merge and compare in Clear Case.
Now for my questions:
1) Is there a way to do this also for ClearTeam Expolrer, which is where I control and manage my web view?
2) Any other workaround to use Beyond Compare with a web view?

I found the answer on IBM support page: Changing the Diff/merge Type Manager in CCRC 7.1.1 and later. Where it is explained how to change this setting in the ClearTeam Explorer.
The description do not exactly match my version of Clear Case (9.0.1.07) :
In CCRC 7.1, go to the menu
Window > Preferences > ClearCase Remote Client > Integration > Compare Merge > Manage Providers
Should probably be:
In ClearTeam Explorer, go to the menu
Window > Preferences > IBM Rational ClearTeam Explorer > Integration > Compare Merge > Manage
In addition the following is probably valid for kdiff3.exe:
Choose 'Supports Compare Operations'
Fill in the arguments for compare:
%contribs% -fname "%filename1%" -fname "%filename2%"
Choose 'Supports Merge Operations'
Fill in the arguments for merge: %contribs% -o %merge_out%
On Scooter Software site I actually found the correct arguments.
These are the modification for Beyond Compare:
Choose 'Supports Compare Operations'
Fill in the arguments for compare:
%contribs% /vcs1="%filename1%" /vcs2="%filename2%"
Choose 'Supports Merge Operations'
Fill in the arguments for merge:
%contrib1% %contrib2% %base% /mergeoutput="%merge_out%"
My Settings example:
Make sure to write BComp.exe and not BCompare.exe. Because of that, I had a problem opening the compare more than once.
And:
Doing the instruction recommended by IBM and Scooter Software did the trick and I could compare my code:

Using a web view is a good option, unless you can use directly snapshot views, as I explained here (CC8+)
In both cases (web view or snapshot view), the goal is to have the files copied on your local disk, to avoid network latency.
The problem is: ClearTeam Explorer does not come with a mgrs/map file to modify for you to declare your own diff tool (be it Beyond Compare or WinMerge)
So I used to get two web views:
one set to a fixed label
one for working
That way, I could diff between the two separate view folders.

Related

Using Eclipse with non-standard subversion directory layouts

I have a subversion repository with a layout like this:
/trunk/<projectname>
/branches/<projectname>/<branchname>
/tags/<projectname>/<tagname>
It is this way for historical reasons, which aren't really up for debate and so I won't go into here.
I'm trying to use this layout with Eclipse (Juno) using the Subversive plug in. The .project file lives in /trunk/<projectname>, and I can check out a project from trunk with no problem. However if I try to create a new branch for a project using subversive, I seem to get into trouble. Creating a branch with a path /branches/<projectname>/<branchname>, it gets transformed into a branch /branches/<projectname>/<branchname>/<projectname>.
The repository properties dialog has no visible options which allow for this layout - although the Advanced tab has fields for "Resource names" which default to as "trunk", "branches" and "tags", these evidently cannot contain a path separator without being rejected as an "invalid resource name"
I've read the documentation for Subversive. It talks about a "Repository Location project layout", and states that with this "the user is free to change this layout by any way he wish" [sic] - but it doesn't really explain how.
In short What's the correct, or most expedient way to use this layout within Eclipse?
Note, I really need a way which will appease those users uncomfortable with the command line subversion client, so dropping to the command line won't be a very satisfactory solution.
I have not used it, and I'm not using eclipse for branching/merging operations, but in Window/Preferences/Team/SVN > project structure, you can modify project structure.
Not sure exaclty what it do , but you can try playing with structure settings and manual specification.
Command line subversion don't really assume a structure, given a tag/branch is only a simple (remote preferably) copy, so you may be able to just copy from Eclipse (IIRC it's possible in the repositories view).
This has been answered on the Eclipse Subversive forum here:
http://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php/mv/msg/674039/1274614/#msg_1274614
To quote:
It is not the one of recommended layouts, so the automation is not available for it. In order to use such a layout you should open plug-in preferences and change the following option: Window->Preferences->Team->SVN->Project structure->Branch and Tag settings from "Respect project structure" to "Manual specification"
I have checked and it does seem to work, although unfortunately it is a global setting and not a per-project setting.

Eclipse content assist (for PHP or anything) not using active working set

The Eclipse content assist for PHP (and I'm assuming for other types as well) isn't using the currently active working set - it's searching ALL files in the project. How do I change it to only use the active working set?
When doing a Ctrl+Shift+R search, it was also looking for all files in the project (not what I wanted), until I clicked the small black triangle in that window and selected the working set I wanted it to use. Now it successfully only shows the files that match my search string in the working set. However, this doesn't change anything in the autocomplete content assist feature (i.e. doing a Ctrl+Space to complete the name of a function or variable). Is there any way to accomplish this?
I'm using Eclipse Indigo release, so it's very recent.
I'm afraid it's not possible the way you put it. Eclipse Working Sets just give you a way to organize your projects.
However you may want to take a look at Mylyn, which is fully integrated with Eclipse platform. Here and here is a nice overview of what you can do with Mylyn. But briefly, what it allows you to do is to create a task and maintain a context associated with it. This way, only the relevant files will be displayed in Project Explorer and autocomplete would suggest you only task-focused options.

Is it possible to change the merge engine in TFS 2008?

Where I'm working now we use TFS2008, and people are generally unhappy with the auto-merging capabilities.
I was wondering, is it possible to change the merge engine? I know you can change the merge tool used by VS, but I'm not clear if this gets used when you do a local automatic merge, or what the deal is for merging branches.
(Before you say anything, I realise doing it manually is safer!)
Yes, upgrade to 2010 and you'll be MUCH happier. Significantly.
(I know it's not quite the answer you were looking for, but it's easy and it's true)
I never used it myself, but in a quest to be able to merge binary files, I encountered posts like http://www.neovolve.com/post/2007/06/19/using-winmerge-with-tfs.aspx
Visual Studio will use the configured tool to perform merging. Here's an useful post.
In visual studio 2008 you can do the following:
1) Tools->Options
2) Source Control->Visual Studio Team Foundation Server
3) Click the "Configure User Tools..." button
4) in pop-up click "Add"
5) in pop-up select the extensions you want to use your other merge engine with and select "Merge" in the Operation drop-down
You will need to know what your engine is expecting as passed in parameters but I would think the default of file 1 file 2 would fit most of them.

How to activate revision info in line number view

I know of an Eclipse feature to show revision information (gradual coloring, more info like revisionnumber, date and author on mouseover) for the last changes in a line in the linenumbers-view.
Does anyone know how to activate this feature for a file, or even better, by default? I accidently hit some shortcut lately which made it show in one file, it does not show up in the others, though.
This is called "Show Annotation" and you can find it in the "Team" menu. Since this is a pretty expensive operation, you can't make it the default.
Regarding the shortcut: You have to enable the command group SVN.
Window -> Customize Perspective... -> Command Groups Availability -> check "SVN".
If you do this, some SVN actions show up in the toolbar which you can remove again (if you want) using the same Customize Perspective dialog (tab Tool Bar Visibility).
Remapping the shortcut did not work for me but enabling the command group did (with the default key mapping Ctrl+Alt+A).
(did not find a way to reply to Aaron's answer so I had to create a new one)
I found my way here while trying to find a way to get the option to show up with code from my git repository.
A lot of the logic in the other answers applies to git too, and I followed the equivalent steps for git but it didn't help me.
It turned out that my projects, although imported from a git repository, hadn't been connected to (or had become disconnected from) the eclipse git integration. I think this happened because I imported the projects before I installed the elcipse git plugin.
I needed to connect them thus:
Right-click your project (or multiple selected projects) in the Project Explorer
Select 'Team' > 'Share Project...'
The default settings were fine for me, but change them if needed
Click 'Finish'
I found this solution here.

How to compare a file in a project with one in the filesystem in eclipse?

I have an eclipse project containing a source file. Now I have a different version of that file somewhere in the filesystem (not inside an eclipse project).
I can open the second file in eclipse, but I find no way to compare it to the first file.
How can I compare these two files?
Or use WinMerge as external programm - aslo not true way, but fast and simple.
Interesting article "Compare with" Dialog
A simple way is to make a temporary copy in your Eclipse workspace, in the same directory to make it even easier. Then compare, then delete.
Not the ideal theoretical way, but fast and simple to remember.
It's what I use, but I'm open to improving my ways :-)
Use the Remote System Explorer (RSE) plugin to find the files in the operating system.
Download the RSE plugin from the following link (Please check against the version of Eclipse that you are using) http://download.eclipse.org/dsdp/tm/downloads/
Once installed:
1. Display your local file system in a new view by navigating: Windows -> Show View -> Other -> remote Systems -> Remote Systems
Use CTRL-Click to select 2 files for comparison.
Right-click to bring up the context menu and select Compare - To each other.
All those are bad answers... rather have "there's no way" and go back to diff than very cumbersome ways...
This should be as simple as:
"mark first file-->right click-->select to compare"
then
"mark second file-->right click-->compare to xxxx" (xxxx is whatever you first marked)
Bam ! Compare is up.
Another useful option to keep in mind:
"mark second file-->right click-->" and have an option to mark this as first compare, in case you change your mind.
Simple as bread and butter.