How to Install and TortoiseSVN and Make Your First Repository Change
Download the latest version of TortoiseSVN - http://www.wandisco.com/subversion/download#tortoise It comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours, get the one that matches your system., Double click the installer file. , Click the Run button. , You'll see...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Download the latest version of TortoiseSVN - http://www.wandisco.com/subversion/download#tortoise It comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours
Click Next >
If you're happy to proceed, click the 'I accept the terms...' radio button and then click Next >. , Unless you are really low on disk space, it isn't worth worrying about this.
When you're ready to continue, click Next >
, Tortoise is now installed.
Click Finish. , We start by creating a directory in which we'll store the the working copy. , The Explorer context menu appears, along with Subversion commands that are added with TortoiseSVN.
Click on the option 'SVN Checkout....
URL Repository:
This is the URL of the repository on which you want to work.
This is the address of the repository, or portion of a repository for which you want to make a working copy.
You can get the repository URL from the repository's screen in uberSVN:
Checkout directory:
This is the location on your local file system where the checkout will occur.
By default it will be the location that you're currently focused on in Explorer, however you can change it here.
Checkout Depth:
The Checkout Depth drop-down allows you to limit what you checkout.
Useful if you only want to make a change in one directory of a very large repository.
Revision:
You can get the latest version of the repository, called 'HEAD' (most up-to-date version), or select a specific revision to go back to a version before particular changes.
When you've finished with these options and you're ready to do the checkout, click OK. , All files and folders that are included in the checkout will be logged. , The working copy is now in place on your computer, ready to edit and change to your heart's desire.
One of the benefits of Tortoise as a shell replacement is the fact that it can overlay repository files with status icons that tell you the current state of each file. , In this example the file 'system.txt' will be modified and saved. ,, To apply changes to the repository that you've made in your local copy you need to use the SVN Commit command.
You can select individual files or their directories, then right click to get the context menu.
On the menu, click SVN Commit.... , It's human nature to try to leave this blank because you're in a hurry and can't be bothered, but simple log messages can really help with troubleshooting problems at a later date. , If the commit was successful the repository's revision number will increase.
Click OK.
That's it, you're working with version control. , You see, it's not possible to commit something unless Subversion already has a record of the file you are adding.
So first, right click the file and choose Add... from the Subversion commands., Although Subversion now knows about the file, you still need to perform a commit.
So again, right click the file and choose SVN Commit... from the menu. , While Subversion gives you lots of tools for scrutinizing file changes, it's nice to have a quick summary to look back on.
To complete the commit, click OK. ,, Probably 90% of the work you need to do is covered here.
If you get stuck though, don't forget that you can read the user guide by clicking on the Help link in the TortoiseSVN commands menu. -
Step 2: get the one that matches your system.
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Step 3: Double click the installer file.
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Step 4: Click the Run button.
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Step 5: You'll see the welcome screen
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Step 6: which will confirm the version of Tortoise that you're about to install.
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Step 7: Read the End-User License Agreement.
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Step 8: The Custom Setup screen lets you deselect various elements of the install.
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Step 9: Click Install.
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Step 10: Hey presto!
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Step 11: To work with a Subversion repository we first need to download a local copy (called a working copy) of either the full or part of the repository.
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Step 12: Open Windows explorer
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Step 13: go to the new directory and right click within the folder space.
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Step 14: You'll now see the progress of the checkout.
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Step 15: it's time to make a change.
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Step 16: We'll now make a change to a file.
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Step 17: You'll notice that once saved
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Step 18: 'system.txt' now has a different icon overlaid
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Step 19: showing an exclamation mark in a red circle to denote that it has been changed.
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Step 20: Having tested the change
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Step 21: it's time to add it to the repository.
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Step 22: You'll be prompted for a message to associate with the changes you've made.
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Step 23: The outcome of the commit will appear in a dialog window.
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Step 24: Next we'll add something new to the repository.
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Step 25: The added elements should now appear in Explorer with the 'added' overlay icon.
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Step 26: It's always good practice to leave a note
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Step 27: whenever you do a commit.
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Step 28: You'll get a log of the commit
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Step 29: confirming that your new files are now part of the new repository revision.
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Step 30: That's all there is to using Subversion with the TortoiseSVN client.
Detailed Guide
Click Next >
If you're happy to proceed, click the 'I accept the terms...' radio button and then click Next >. , Unless you are really low on disk space, it isn't worth worrying about this.
When you're ready to continue, click Next >
, Tortoise is now installed.
Click Finish. , We start by creating a directory in which we'll store the the working copy. , The Explorer context menu appears, along with Subversion commands that are added with TortoiseSVN.
Click on the option 'SVN Checkout....
URL Repository:
This is the URL of the repository on which you want to work.
This is the address of the repository, or portion of a repository for which you want to make a working copy.
You can get the repository URL from the repository's screen in uberSVN:
Checkout directory:
This is the location on your local file system where the checkout will occur.
By default it will be the location that you're currently focused on in Explorer, however you can change it here.
Checkout Depth:
The Checkout Depth drop-down allows you to limit what you checkout.
Useful if you only want to make a change in one directory of a very large repository.
Revision:
You can get the latest version of the repository, called 'HEAD' (most up-to-date version), or select a specific revision to go back to a version before particular changes.
When you've finished with these options and you're ready to do the checkout, click OK. , All files and folders that are included in the checkout will be logged. , The working copy is now in place on your computer, ready to edit and change to your heart's desire.
One of the benefits of Tortoise as a shell replacement is the fact that it can overlay repository files with status icons that tell you the current state of each file. , In this example the file 'system.txt' will be modified and saved. ,, To apply changes to the repository that you've made in your local copy you need to use the SVN Commit command.
You can select individual files or their directories, then right click to get the context menu.
On the menu, click SVN Commit.... , It's human nature to try to leave this blank because you're in a hurry and can't be bothered, but simple log messages can really help with troubleshooting problems at a later date. , If the commit was successful the repository's revision number will increase.
Click OK.
That's it, you're working with version control. , You see, it's not possible to commit something unless Subversion already has a record of the file you are adding.
So first, right click the file and choose Add... from the Subversion commands., Although Subversion now knows about the file, you still need to perform a commit.
So again, right click the file and choose SVN Commit... from the menu. , While Subversion gives you lots of tools for scrutinizing file changes, it's nice to have a quick summary to look back on.
To complete the commit, click OK. ,, Probably 90% of the work you need to do is covered here.
If you get stuck though, don't forget that you can read the user guide by clicking on the Help link in the TortoiseSVN commands menu.
About the Author
Nathan Murphy
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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