Subversion

Terminology: the location of the master copy is called the repository and the local copy is called working copy.

To use subversion, you must remember exactly two things:

• Always start a work session by updating your local copy of the project. This will get the latest versions of all the files from the server and put them into your local copy.
• Always end your work session by "committing" your local copy of the project. This gets your new versions onto the server, where they will be available for your or your partner at your next session.

There's more, but that's the basic idea.

By using subversion, not only can you and your partner avoid discrepencies between your copies of the project, but you can also revert to earlier versions if you need to, etc.

Because you always keep a master copy on the server, you never have to e-mail each other copies of the project, etc.

Subversion (and other version control systems) become even more valuable when there are many people working on a project, perhaps from many different places. In a company setting, this is vital, and there are often restrictions on who can check files into the master copy of a project. Luckily we don't have to worry about these complications.

Your subversion repository (master copy) will be at

https://trac.ccs.neu.edu/svn/csg107/spring09/pairNNN

You will turn in your homework by leaving it on the subversion server.

You can check whether your homework is visible by pointing your Web browser at the URL above. The browser will prompt you for a username and a password and, if these are correct, will display your directory structure as a Web page.

Just like the design recipe asks you to run tests at the end of a design cycle, you should -- no you must -- check on your homework assignment on the server at the end of every work session.