File Browser

The File Browser is used to view and monitor the status of elements located in AccuRev streams. You can have any number of File Browser tabs open concurrently in the Web UI—each one displaying the contents of a different stream.

In this topic:

File Browser Overview

The Web UI displays only data stored on the AccuRev Server. Only AccuRev-controlled elements— members of the current AccuRev stream—appear in the File Browser. This means, for example, that files with status (external) are not visible, even if the user opens a workspace located on his local machine. See File Statuses for more information.

Each open stream appears in a separate File Browser tab. If you open a stream, its tab becomes active. The active tab (brass05_dvt_john in the following image, for example) is highlighted and shows a click-to-close icon ().

When a File Browser tab opens, the root of the current stream () is shown in the Folders pane (see Folders Pane). From there you can navigate to a location of interest. The Details pane (see Details Pane) displays the contents of a particular directory (folder) selected in the Folders pane, or the results of an AccuRev search that you've selected from the Search drop-down list. The Streams pane (see Code Review) displays a hierarchy of all the children of the stream displayed in the File Browser.

The File Browser display is sorted at each hierarchical level as follows:

• Workspaces, in alphabetical order
• Dynamic and pass-through streams in alphabetical order (capitalized stream names appear before of non-capitalized stream names)
• Dynamic streams and snapshots, which have basis times, ordered by basis time (most recent first)

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Searching by AccuRev Status

The File Browser's Search command lets you search for elements by AccuRev status. Search response times can be affected by your network connection speed, by AccuRev's response time, and by the total number of elements in the open stream.

If the File Browser is not showing the results of a search, the Search field displays <none selected>.

See File Statuses for more information.

Status Types

Choose one of the following types from the status drop-down list to start a new search:

Default Group

Selects elements whose status includes (member).

Overlap

Selects elements whose status includes (overlap), where the current version in the parent stream is not an ancestor of this version. This means there might be changes in the parent stream version that are not present in this version.

Deep Overlap

Selects elements that satisfy the Overlap search criterion in the current workspace or stream, along with Overlap elements in the parent stream, in the grandparent stream, and so on, all the way up the stream hierarchy for the current depot.

Underlap

Selects elements whose status includes (underlap), where the current version in the parent stream is not an ancestor of this version, but the parent-stream version already contains all the changes of this version.

Defunct

Selects the elements in the default group of a workspace or dynamic stream whose status is (defunct).

A link to the Web UI URL (see Obtaining Web UI Links) used to access the current search is shown to the right of the drop-down list.

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Folders Pane

You can use the Folders pane to:

• Navigate to a location of interest within a stream or workspace.
• Perform searches on the contents of the current stream or workspace, using the Search command.

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Details Pane

The Details pane shows either the AccuRev elements in a selected directory, or the results of an AccuRev search. The Search field in the Folders pane shows the name of the search, or <none selected> if a directory's contents are shown.

Information displayed on the Details pane includes the element's name, AccuRev status, and version. Click a column header to sort items in the list by that column.

The following commands operate on the selected element. You can select only one item at a time.

Open

Opens the selected file.

Save As

Invokes your Web browser's Open command, allowing you to open or save the selected file.

Promote

Opens the Promote dialog box to send the current version of the element to the parent of the current stream. See Promoting Elements.

Annotate

Opens the selected file in the Annotate tool. See Reviewing Changes to Text Files.

History

Shows the history of this file in a History Browser.

Version Browser

Opens the Version Browser, showing the versions of this file in the AccuRev repository.

Diff

Compares this file to its basis and shows the results in the Diffing Files in AccuRev.

Properties

Displays the Element Properties dialog box for the selected file. See Displaying Element Properties.

Code Review

If enabled by your AccuRev administrator, allows you to create a code review for the selected file, or add files to an existing code review. See Submitting AccuRev Elements to Code Review for for more information.

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Streams Pane

The Streams pane shows the current stream and all of its children in the stream hierarchy. The display shows only the stream's immediate children, but you can expand the nodes to explore the stream hierarchy. The context menu in this pane provides access to the following commands:

Open

Opens the selected stream in a new File Browser tab.

Look up Stream

Opens a Look up Stream tab that can be used to search for streams below the current stream in the stream hierarchy. See Search From options for more information.

Open Basis Stream

Opens the basis stream of the selected stream in a new File Browser tab.

New Stream

Creates a new stream, based on (that is, as a child of) the selected stream.

The Adding a Stream to a Depot dialog box appears to specify settings for the new stream. This command is not available from a workspace.

Show Active Issues

Shows development activity for the selected stream (see Show Active Issues). An issue is active in the stream if one or more active elements have been associated with it (during promote, for example). The set of elements associated with an issue is referred to as a change package. This command is not available from a workspace.

Show Active Transactions

Shows development activity by transaction for the selected stream in a History Browser tab. A transaction is active in the stream if one or more active elements are part of the transaction.

History

Shows the history of all elements in the selected stream in a History Browser tab.

Issue Diff

Shows the change packages that differ between the selected stream and another (not the backing) stream. When you click this option, the cursor changes to a cross-hair and you can select the target stream against which to diff. To cancel this operation, right-click instead of selecting a target stream.

Diff Against Basis (by Issues)

Shows the change packages that differ between the selected stream and its backing stream in a Issue Diff  tab. This command is not available from a workspace. See Diff Against.

File Diff

Shows the files that differ between the selected stream and another (not the backing) stream. When you click this option, the cursor changes to a cross-hair and you can select the target stream against which to diff. To cancel this operation, right-click instead of selecting a target stream.

Diff Against Basis (by Files)

Shows the files that differ between the selected stream and its backing stream in a File Diff tab. This command is not available from a workspace.

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File Statuses

Every element under AccuRev control is assigned a status, an indicator of that element’s state within the AccuRev repository. In the File Browser, an element's file status is displayed in the Details pane as a parenthesized word. For example: (overlap)(member). Note that an element file can have more than one status.

Only AccuRev-controlled elements—that is, members of the current AccuRev stream—are displayed in the File Browser. If an element exists only in the workspace, it is not displayed in the File Browser. For example, an element that has not been promoted to a stream is not displayed in the File Browser. Examples of other workspace-only statuses that are displayed only in the Java GUI include (external), (missing), and (modified).

File Statuses Explained

The file statuses displayed by the Web UI can indicate:

• The presence of the element in the stream
• Changes to the element
• Relationship of the element to the version in the parent stream
• Whether or not the element is a link

Presence of the Element in the Stream

(defunct)

The element has been marked for removal from the workspace or stream with the Defunct command. The element will be removed from the stream (in the depot) when you promote the element to the parent stream.

(xlinked)

This version of the element appears in the stream by virtue of a cross-link, either on the element itself or on its parent directory or a higher-level directory. (Cross-linking a directory also cross-links the entire subtree below it.)

(twin)

The element is one of multiple elements in the workspace that exist at the same pathname. At most one of these elements can be accessed through the pathname; the others can be accessed through their unique element IDs.

Changes to the Element

(member)

The element is active in the workspace. Commands that create a new version in the workspace or stream also make the element active there if it is not already.

Relationship to the Version in the Parent Stream

(backed)

The version in the workspace stream is the same as the version in the backing stream.

(overlap)

The element has changed in this stream and in the parent stream. Overlap elements require a merge operation before you can promote changes to the parent stream. Overlap elements are displayed with a yellow highlight.

(underlap)

The element has changed in this stream and in the parent stream, however the parent stream already contains the changes in this workspace or stream. In many cases, it is most appropriate to remove your changes from this workspace stream. In other cases, you can merge and promote, just as with an overlap element.

Link-Related Indicators

(elink)

The element is an element link.

(slink)

The element is a symbolic link.

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