Checking out an object from a source control system usually prevents other users from checking in modified versions of the same object. By default, PowerBuilder assumes that any object checked out by a user is exclusively reserved for that user until the object is checked back in.
Some source control systems, such as Serena Version Manager (formerly Merant PVCS) and MKS Source Integrity, permit multiple user checkouts. In these systems, you can allow shared checkouts of the same object. PowerBuilder can recognize shared checkouts, but only if you add the following instruction to the Library section of the PB.INI file:
[Library]
SccMultiCheckout=1
After you add this PB.INI setting, PowerBuilder shows a red check mark as part of a compound icon to indicate that an object is checked out to another user in a shared (nonexclusive) mode. PowerBuilder allows you to check out an object with this compound icon, even though another user has already checked the object out.
Multiple user checkouts
If you configure the PB.INI file to allow multiple user checkouts,
you must make sure that you have a way to manage updates to the
same object by multiple users. The merge functionality is not supported
by the SCC API, so either you must configure merge operations through
the Advanced Check Out dialog box of the source control system,
or you must merge the changes using the source control management
system instead of the PowerBuilder user interface.
When you check out an object, PowerBuilder:
Locks the object in the archive so that no one else can modify it
Copies the object to the directory for the target to which it belongs
For a PowerScript object, compiles the object and regenerates it in the target PBL to which it is mapped
Displays a check mark icon next to the object in your System Tree and in your Library painter to show that the object has been checked out
If you select the Check Out menu item for a PowerBuilder target that is not already checked out, and at least one of the objects in that target is available for checkout, PowerBuilder displays a dialog box that prompts you to:
Select multiple files contained in the target
Check out the target file only
If you select the multiple file option, or if the target file is already checked out, the Check Out dialog box displays the list of objects from that target that are available for checkout. A check box next to each object in the list lets you choose which objects you want to check out. By default, check boxes are selected for all objects that are not currently checked out of source control.
The Deselect All button in the Check Out dialog box lets you clear all the check boxes with a single click. When none of the objects in the list is selected, the button text becomes Select All, and you can click the button to select all the objects in the list.
You can also select multiple objects (without selecting a target) in the List view of the Library painter. The PowerBuilder SCC API does not let you check out an object that you or someone else has already checked out or that is not yet registered with source control. If you use multiple object selection to select an object that is already checked out, PowerBuilder does not include this object in the list view of the Check Out dialog box.
If your source control system supports branching and its SCC API lets you check out a version of an object that is not the most recent version in source control, you can select the version you want in the Advanced Check Out dialog box (that you access by clicking the Advanced button in the Check Out dialog box). When you select an earlier version, PowerBuilder displays a message box telling you it will create a branch when you check the object back in. You can click Yes to continue checking out the object or No to leave the object unlocked in the source control project. If this is part of a multiple object checkout, you can select Yes To All or No To All.
If you want just a read-only copy of the latest version
of an object
Instead of checking out an object and locking it in the source
control system, you can choose to get the latest version of the
object with a read-only attribute. See “Synchronizing objects with the source control server”.
To check out an object from source control:
Right-click the object in the System Tree or in a Library painter view and select Check Out from the pop-up menu
or
Select the object in a Library painter view and select Entry>Source Control>Check Out from the Library painter menu.
The Check Out dialog box displays the name of the object you selected. For PowerScript objects, the object listing includes the name of the PBL that contains the selected object.
If you selected multiple objects, the Check Out dialog box displays the list of objects available for checkout. You can also display a list of available objects when you select a target file for checkout. A check mark next to an object in the list marks the object as assigned for checkout.
Make sure that the check box is selected next to the object you want to check out, and click OK.
