sluggishness in SourceGear Vault GUI client

[Perry]

I've seen two problems in the GUI client.

#1) It is very sluggish responding to right-click on files.

(Perhaps it is running some slow code in the right-click handler, which is perhaps not a very good place for such.)

#2) It is often sluggish to repaint when alt-tabbing to it.

(Perhaps it is running some slow code in an OnAppActivate, which is perhaps not a very good place for such.)


Both problems are hit&miss -- intermittent I mean.

[Perry]

Also, the Help/About doesn't seem to support ctrl-c to copy the version (to paste into here)?

[lbauer]

You can copy from Help->Technical support, plus will provide more information.

Please refer to the directions found in the sticky note at the top of this forum or Please Include Version Information with Your Questions

[Perry]

Client Information
Vault Client Version: 3.1.8.3771
.Net Framework Version: 1.1.4322.2032
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Service Pack: 2.0
OS Version: 5.1.2600

[Perry]

This alt-tab bug is very annoying all the time that I use Vault.

I'm thinking of trying to bring up another source control solution, because I don't like spending so much time waiting for Vault to repaint, or waiting for it to paint the right-click handler... It probably feels a much worse impediment to productivity time that it is, but certainly the frustration of having to wait for it on every action and every alt-tab is impeding my productivity.

I just tracked down where I posted this bug report in hopes of finding some info about a timeline for when it will be fixed. Anyone know if there are plans to fix it?

[dan]

I'm not aware of other reports of this issue.

Do you have the search tab active when switch back to Vault?

[GregM]

I remember reading a post somewhere that said it rescanned the working folders for changed files whenever it was activated.

[jclausius]

Perry:

It may also help if you give a more complete description of the issue. We're talking about the time it takes to bring up the context menu, correct?

If so, how many files are in the folder? How many files are selected? Any other useful information.

[Perry]

Oops, I missed this. Let me try to explain it.

re: walking about right-click context menu

No, well, yes, the right-click response is painfully slow (but not consistently -- just sometimes), but, the even larger problem is painting at all.

For example, if I alt-tab to the Vault IDE client right now (pause whilst I do so), it shows up around the edges, with a big white center, and I have to sit and wait until it paints the center.

If I then alt-tab back here -- as I just did to type the above -- and then alt-tab back to the Vault IDE client, then it does that freezing up again -- partly shows up, and then I have to sit and wait until it paints.

Every time I switch to it there is a painful delay.

Where it hurts is when I'm looking at a file list of differences and trying to select them in the Vault IDE & check them out, if I have to alt-tab back and forth between the two windows -- because the Vault IDE is so painfully slow to respond every single time I alt-tab back to it.

I would *much* rather immediately see the content that was there 30 seconds ago, than sit looking at a white screen while it does some slow check for update, showing me nothing and not reacting in the meantime.

I don't recall all this frustration with Vault over the past several years, so I'm guessing this just started happening with 3.0.8 version -- but that is only a guess, as I didn't record when it started happening.

Or maybe this problem isn't noticeable when only working with small files, and it only becomes apparent when you start really using a medium amount of files. I just checked, and the problem is correlated with the selected item in the tree on the left being a directory that has files.

That is, if I select a tree node with no files, in the left-hand tree, then the alt-tab slowdown goes away.

So if I work where there aren't files, that solves the problem -- heh, but I cannot really do any work there, without files.


Help/About

Hm, this version number doesn't seem selectable


Oh yes, you have to go to another menu item -- it would be more convenient if you could get the info from Help/About, because -- AFAICT -- that is the conventional place (ie, where other programs put it, so where I look).


Client Information
Vault Client Version: 3.1.8.3771
.Net Framework Version: 1.1.4322.2032
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Service Pack: 2.0
OS Version: 5.1.2600


Server Information
Vault Server Version: 3.1.8.3771
.Net Framework Version: 1.1.4322.2300
Operating System: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Server 2003, Standard Edition
Service Pack: 1.0
OS Version: 5.2.3790



Note: Tools/Options/General
My automatic refresh is set to every 10 minutes, and this slowdown happens every time I alt-tab to Vault, far more frequently than every 10 minutes.

[dan]

By Vault IDE client, do you mean the standalone GUI client, or the Visual Studio IDE with a Vault project loaded?

If this is the standalone GUI client, again, is the status search pane in the foreground when you do this? There is a bug in the status search pane that it automatically starts searching files when you activate the client, so it locks up the GUI until the search is done. Going to a different tab is a good workaround for this.

[GregM]

Dan, it also searches all folders for modified files when checkouts are not required. I don't usually get the white screen, but I do get the message about searching for modified files (I can't remember the exact text right now).

[dan]

Good point Greg. Perry, how many files are in the folder that you are experiencing problems with?

If you temorarily turn on the option to require checkouts, does it make the sluggishness go away? Or, is there a message saying "Looking for changes in working folders..." above and to the right of the pending change set?

Update: One more question: Are there are very large number of items in your pending change set as well?

Update 2: Do you use CRCs to determine whether a file has been edited? If so, try turning that off, which should give you better performance.

[Perry]

#1)

I'm talking about the standalone Vault GUI client.

#2)

I just checked, and this happens if I click on a directory in the left-hand tree, then alt-tab away and then alt-tab back (so focus should be in the left-hand tree).

It also happens if I click on an item in the directory -- that is, in the right-hand list view, then alt-tab away and then alt-tab back (so focus should be in the right-hand file list view).

It also happens if I click in the Pending Change Set tab at bottom, then alt-tab away and then alt-tab back (so focus should be in the Pending Change Set area).

It also happens if I click in the Messages tab at bottom, then alt-tab away and then alt-tab back (so focus should be in the Pending Change Set area).


But, it seems to sometimes be faster when I last clicked in the Messages area.


#3)

This has been really bothering me in a couple directories, which have approximately 1,000 files in them -- they're outputs of a scripting process, not source files, but they tend to be short.

They're about 1.6MB total, so that is about 1.6KB each on average.

I just tried in a directory with only about 200 files, and it is much more responsive -- still noticeable sluggishness, but not nearly as bad.

(The annoying thing is that the sluggishness is with almost every alt-tab, not just when I actually do something.)