SVN EA Integration

[nickd]

We are 7.0 customers considering an upgrade to 7.5, but we've found several issues with the 7.0 handling of SVN support. We set up access like this:

• Checked out our source tree
• Created a directory in svn for our model, the structure looks like this:

  software/trunk/
                      packages/source_dir/
                      misc/uml/

• Imported our source tree in to Enterprise Architect
• Created a number of nested packages for different components of our source tree, for example UI, framework etc...
• Checked in the model files via the Package Control menu.
• Another user checked out the model files by using the package control menu, effectively each user has their own EAP file.

Once we had done this we discovered the following issues.

• It appears that each package must be checked out individually in order to see the locked packages above it.
• Checking out a lower level package does not check out nested packages.
• Source paths appear to be hard coded in the XPI files in SVN.
• Renaming source files in SVN is not picked up by the model, even if we re-sync with code.
• Other users cannot see the source files from inside Enterprise Architect even if they have them on the same path as the user who originally checked them in.

Are any of these things fixed in 7.5, have we simply got our model of how this is supposed to work in 7.0 wrong or are these bugs?

[Martin Terreni]

I find it a litle unclrear when are you reffering to importing code files under SVN and when are you reffering to having you packages contorolled, but since we work with EA and SVN a lot, know that checking each package in and out is done for the specific package and even in 7.5 you can not check out the whole branch (though you can check it in), we developped some plug in for it, but still testing on 7.5)
Take in account though that 7.5 does not check file status through SVn but assumes you chack in and out always and only from within EA, so fixing things like locks through VC is inmpossible. Also the red sign marking that the package is missconfigured does not apear any more (for the same reason that EA doe not check pacages configuration and status with SVN), so make sure your users are really strick with the use of controlled packages or you'll find your self in trouble in no time.
Even though 7.5 has the capability to create a report checking that the configuration of all files is correct.

Also could you tell me how many users you have with EA and SVN and if you had some problems (and your configuration)?

We work with VisualSVN server (but think of moving to Colabnet) and Collabnet as client (+Tortoise for configuration).
We have our users on DBs (a few docens each DB and about ten DBs) and each DB has its own SVN repository. We expirience a lot of performance issues and also some time data loss.

I would apritiate your imput.

[nickd]

I find it a litle unclrear when are you reffering to importing code files under SVN and when are you reffering to having you packages contorolled

We imported our code once using the Code Engineering import source menu, everything after that refers to the Packages inside EA.

but since we work with EA and SVN a lot, know that checking each package in and out is done for the specific package and even in 7.5 you can not check out the whole branch (though you can check it in), we developped some plug in for it, but still testing on 7.5)

That's a real shame, we start by checking out the package through the Package Control -> Get Package menu. This results in the user having the root package locked and any packages above that are also locked and they are not able to expand them. the child packages must then be checked and the check out canceled in order for them to see sub packages. This is a bit of a faff.

Take in account though that 7.5 does not check file status through SVn but assumes you chack in and out always and only from within EA, so fixing things like locks through VC is inmpossible. Also the red sign marking that the package is missconfigured does not apear any more (for the same reason that EA doe not check pacages configuration and status with SVN), so make sure your users are really strick with the use of controlled packages or you'll find your self in trouble in no time.
Even though 7.5 has the capability to create a report checking that the configuration of all files is correct.

We do not use anything but EA to check stuff in and out of the folder.

Also could you tell me how many users you have with EA and SVN and if you had some problems (and your configuration)?
We work with VisualSVN server (but think of moving to Colabnet) and Collabnet as client (+Tortoise for configuration).
We have our users on DBs (a few docens each DB and about ten DBs) and each DB has its own SVN repository. We expirience a lot of performance issues and also some time data loss.
I would apritiate your imput.

We're using the open source version of SVN server running on debian stable + tortoise and collabnet Binaries on win32. We only have the professional edition so we can't store the .EAP file in a database and have no real need as we only have two or three simultaneous users.

[Martin Terreni]

Have you tryed to use "get all latest"?

[nickd]

Our packages are not private so "get all latest" is grayed out.

[Martin Terreni]

It should work also for shared.

[nickd]

Incorrect, I quote from the 7.0 help file.

Get All Latest
 Retrieves the latest revision of the all version controlled packages in the project. Only retrieves packages that are checked in.

Available only on Private Models.
 

[Martin Terreni]

Well so might be written, but all of our model are shared and it works. Actually we do suffer from users accidentally using it and then stacking the whole DB.

[RoyC]

Martin has been regularly updating his releases of EA, and knows that Get All Latest is not restricted to Private models. It was restricted in earlier releases, but has not been since at least release 7.1.

If Nickd is unable to download the latest release of EA, perhaps he could check through the updated Version Control topics on the web site:

(http://www.sparxsystems.com/uml_tool_guide/version_control/versioncontrol.html)

We have made many changes to the documentation, and a lot of the changes were to improve the basic information on Version Control regardless of release.

[nickd]

Martin has been regularly updating his releases of EA, and knows that Get All Latest is not restricted to Private models. It was restricted in earlier releases, but has not been since at least release 7.1.

I did mention explicitly that we are running 7.0 and considering renewing our subscription, it was in my original post!

 

If Nickd is unable to download the latest release of EA, perhaps he could check through the updated Version Control topics on the web site:

 I cannot update because we do not have a current subscription. I am unwilling to consider updating if the shared model support for SVN is still completely broken. I have read the documentation multiple times and see nothing that addresses even a single issue I have raised so far. Can anyone suggest how I make sure that code remains available for multiple users from inside EA and how I can resync the models and classes if someone renames a file?

[Graham_Moir]

Couldn't you download the 7.5 30 day trial version ?

http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/products/ea/trial.html

[nickd]

Our keys don't work with the trial, you can't install it along side 7.0 and we're reluctant to break a working development work station to answer the question. We've bought the update and are asking Sparx Systems for help directly, I'll update the thread with details of the resolution if any.

[Graham_Moir]

I wasn't aware you needed any licence keys with the trial version.

With regard to running different versions side by side, from previous posts on the forum this is possible but requires some manual manipulation - pretty sure the steps would be available if you searched the forum,  but as you've acquired a 7.5 licence anyway looks as though the issue has gone away.

[nickd]

Except that we have identical issues with the 7.5 version, we can now 'get all latest' but that only makes it less irritating to work with and doesn't solve our code synchronization problems.

[Graham_Moir]

Oh dear