Version Control Terminology
Terminology
| Check-in | To save your working copy of the file into the repository. Referred to as Commit in some version control systems. |
| Check-out | To take a copy of a file from the repository into your working folder (sandbox). Typically you will be checking-out the latest revision, but you can also access all earlier revisions. Depending on the VCS the file can be flagged as simply checked-out, or checked-out exclusively (locked). |
| Commit | To save your working copy of the file into the repository. Referred to as Check-in in some version control systems. |
| Conflict | The situation when two people try to commit changes that affect the same region of the same file. These must be resolved, either using a Merge tool, or manually. |
| CVS | Concurrent Versions System, an open source version control system. Altium Designer has a direct CVS interface, allowing you to track and access revisions directly from its Storage Manager panel, making it very easy to compare different revisions of schematic and PCB files. |
| Database | The master storage of all the files under version (or source) control, also known as the repository. |
| Log message | A comment about changes made to a revision when you check it in. The log messages can be used as a summary of the progress of changes in a file. |
| Project | Most version control systems support the concept of a project. A VCS project is a set of related files which can be checked-in/out as a set. The VCS may also support other project-type features, such as setting a version number on all files in a project. |
| Repository | The master storage of all the files under version (or source) control, also known as the database. |
| Revision | A committed change in the history of a file or set of files. This is the numerical reference supplied by the VCS to track the different editions it is holding of the file. |
| Sandbox | Folder where you check files out to work on them, also referred to as the Working Folder. |
| SCC | Source Code Control, a software interface standard defined by Microsoft® that allows an editing application to interface to a version control system. Supports actions such as launching the VCS, checking files out, checking changed files in, logging information about the change and examining the revision history. |
| SVN | Subversion, an open source version control system. Altium Designer has a direct SVN interface, allowing you to track and access revisions directly from its Storage Manager panel, making it very easy to compare different revisions of schematic and PCB files. |
| Update | The act of checking for and 'pulling' changes from the copy in the repository into your working copy of the file (the compliment of Commit, or Check-in). The process of merging in any differences requires a Merge tool, or manual updating. |
| VCS | Version Control System, a generic term applied to any tool that is capable of managing file version history and file retrieval. |
| Version | The term version is normally used to refer to the external reference number allocated by a human to the controlled files, or their output (e.g., in the case of source code). |
| Working copy | Your copy of the file that you actually make your changes in. |
| Working folder | Folder where you check files out to work on them, also referred to as the Sandbox. |