Is there any way to save a change list in Fortress

[SCarroll]

I often find that I'll be working on something (Item A), and have a few files checked out, and then I'll get asked to fix a more pressing issue (Item B). I want to save what I'm working on for Item A, address Item B, and then go back to Item A. However, I can't address Item B while I have files checked out for Item A, and I can't check in Item A, because it's not done yet.

What I'd like to be able to do is save the change list for Item A, then undo checkout on everything, fix Item B and check it in, and then reopen my saved changelist for Item A (automatically checing out all of those files and making the changes I had made previously). Is there any way to do that in Fortress?

[Beth]

Not currently, but there is a feature coming in the next version that will make what you want possible. Look in our Vault blog for details on a feature called Shelve (it will be in Fortress also).

In the meantime, why is it that you can't have A checked out while you are working on B?

[SCarroll]

Mostly it's about testing. I can't test B with A checked out, becuase A doesn't work, or may not even compile. It could also be that B uses A, and I need to make sure that B works with what A is in souce control, not whatever changes I'm making to A. Also, the changes I make to A may have unintended consequences on B, and we would never know, because A is untested. Or B and A are the same code, but B is a patch to fix a bug that needs to be done right away, while A is a new architecture that would eliminate the bug in future implementations.

Most likely, B needs to be out the door working in a few days, while A doesn't need to be done for several months, if ever.

[Beth]

One thing you could try doing until shelve exists is create a branch from your original A and do your work in your branch. Then you can check in changes whenever, and when they are ready to be in the original location, you could perform a Merge Branches, to put the changes where they need to be. Would that work for you?

Also, if B relies on something in A, B could still be looking at the original A instead of the branch A. It could even be looking at any version of the original A.

This would just be a work around until we get shelve released, unless you end up really liking working with branches.