Re: Question about svn:externals linking within a repository

On 11/03/2008, Jason Harrison <harrison_at_koolhausgames.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've tried to find a concise clear answer to these questions in the
> mailing lists, and the SVN book doesn't seem to clarify it either. As
> far as I can tell, when I do a commit with TortoiseSVN, it only commits
> to a single repository. However, TortoiseSVN, and possibly SVN will
> commit to svn:external files within a repository, because they are valid
> checked out files in a working copy.
>
> In my case I have arranged the repository like so, with a _Tags, _Trunks
> and Roles folders. Roles represent job roles and can share data within
> the repository. Svn:externals is used like soft-links to "copy" data
> from one Role to another.
>
> _Tags
> _Trunk
> + Art
> + Code
> Artist
> Engineer
>
> Artist has the svn:external properties:
> Art svn://repository/project/_Trunk/Art
>
> Engineer has the svn:external properties:
> Art svn://repository/project/_Trunk/Art
> Code svn://repository/project/_Trunk/Code
>
> An svn checkout on the root of the repository gives me a working copy
> with directories:
>
> _Tags
> _Trunk
> + Art
> + Code
> Artist
> + Art
> Engineer
> + Art
> + Code
>
> Typically, an Artist or Engineer would only checkout their own directory of files, not the entire repository. Then they would svn commit their working copy, which would commit all of the sub folders, except that the SVN documentation seemed to state otherwise.
>
> Imagine my surprise when I discovered that TortoiseSVN was saying "all of the files from the current root repository will be commited...I'm not checking to see if the svn:externals command or any other WinXP file explorer mucking was involved, here is the commit dialog..."
>
> So finally the questions:
> - Is my analysis correct: TortoiseSVN commits only to a single working copy?

TortoiseSVN commits _from_ a single working copy _to_ the repository.
You can only commit changed files at or below the folder level you run
the commit from.

> - Is my observation correct: TortoiseSVN commits folders checked out via svn:externals, as long as they are from the same repository as the current directory/file?

Correct.

> - Is my repository setup somewhat rational or totally screwy? Before I arrived here we didn't have a Trunk or Tags or Branches. All of the folders were right at the root, and people would check out the five or so that they needed to work with. Morning updates would grab way too much data.

It works, but why bother with the externals? Just have artists
checkout svn://repository/project/_Trunk/Art
and engineers checkout svn://repository/project/_Trunk.

Simon

-- 
       ___
  oo  // \\      "De Chelonian Mobile"
 (_,\/ \_/ \     TortoiseSVN
   \ \_/_\_/>    The coolest Interface to (Sub)Version Control
   /_/   \_\     http://tortoisesvn.net
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org
For additional commands, e-mail: users-help_at_tortoisesvn.tigris.org