Controlling ReadOnly-Style Checkouts by File or Directory

[HankFay]

We have a need to have one particular file be, in the old VSS parlance, "multiple checkouts allowed," while all the rest are ReadOnly style checkouts. In VSS, this could be accomplished in srcsafe.ini by specifying for the directory/project in question that multiple checkouts were allowed; and then for all child directories/projects, indicating that they were not. A pain, but it served our need, albeit bluntly.

How would we accomplish the same action in Vault (which we love, not too strong a word, btw). If it has to be blunt (by directory/project) that's OK; although by File would be even better.

thanks,

Hank Fay

[lbauer]

Vault isn't the same as VSS in this regard. The Vault Admin can require exclusive checkout for all users/all files. Or if a file extension is not in the list of mergeable files in Admin Tool->Repository Options, Vault considers the file to be binary and by default, checkouts for files with that extension are exclusive. Finally, users can request an exclusive checkout for a specific checkout operation.

There's no setting for exclusive checkouts for a specific file or folder.

I'll log it as a feature request.

[HankFay]

Hi Linda,

could you make that ER a little broader? We have "exclusive" set, and need a particular file (or, in VSS style, a folder, with the folders below set to Exclusive) to be non-exclusive. We could do it by file extension, also, if that's an option.

thanks,

Hank Fay

[lbauer]

Sure, will do.

[HankFay]

Problem solved.

The problem was getting one file type, *.pjm, to check out concurrently, while having the other files types we use check out exclusively. In VSS terms, having multiple checkout for one file type (which we had to accomplish by using srcsafe.ini commands to make a particular directory multiple checkout, and all others not, in VSS).

The (or a) trick in Vault is to:

In Vault Admin, for the given repository (or all, your choice):

a) make the entire repository concurrent checkout style (uncheck Require Exclusive Locks)
b) take all but the single file type used in development out of the mergeable list of file types

On the client, in Options:

a) uncheck request exclusive locks
b) indicate Make Readonly for checkout style

Now, when the checkout dialog appears, request exclusive lock will be unchecked, when you know you really want it checked; but not to worry, as Vault will see all but the desired file type to be a "binary" file, and demand an exclusive lock anyway.

Maybe all of this is not required; but since our work occurs through the COM API calls from our IDE in Visual FoxPro, I decided to make sure all defaults were what we needed on the client settings. Whether needed or not, it is working this way.

Congratulations to the designers for making this workaround possible.