INFO: Readme.wri: Section 2, General Notes and Tips

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows, version 4.0
• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows NT, version 4.0
• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for MS-DOS, version 4.0
• Standard, Professional, and Enterprise Editions of Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows, 16-bit and 32-bit, version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article holds Section 2, General Notes and Tips, of the Visual SourceSafe Version4.0 Readme.wri file found in the main Visual SourceSafe directory (Vssafe). For more information about other sections of the Readme.wri file, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q139358
   TITLE     : Readme.wri: Section 1, Software Installation Information

   ARTICLE-ID: Q139361
   TITLE     : Readme.wri: Section 3, Issues and Considerations

   ARTICLE-ID: Q139360
   TITLE     : Readme.wri: Section 4, Documentation Notes

   ARTICLE-ID: Q139362
   TITLE     : Readme.wri: Section 5, New Features of Visual SourceSafe

MORE INFORMATION

Back Up Your Visual SourceSafe Database

Before installing an upgrade to Visual SourceSafe, back up your previous Visual SourceSafe database. The upgrade process involves a major data conversion, which is irreversible in case of problems.

Once Visual SourceSafe is installed, you should still back up your database on a very regular basis.

Database corruption is uncommon, but could occur. The Analyze.exe program detects any problems in the database. A backup will help you recover gracefully should you need to recreate your database. If you receive any errors after running the Analyze program, please contact Microsoft Support. For information on the Analyze.exe program, please see Appendix C in the Microsoft Visual SourceSafe User's Guide or Help file for the Admin program.

Visual SourceSafe 32-Bit and Visual SourceSafe 16-Bit

There are two versions of Visual SourceSafe for Windows: 32-bit and 16-bit.

Users of MS-DOS should use Visual SourceSafe for MS-DOS, a command-line only product.

Users of Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Microsoft Windows for Workgroups should use the 16-bit version of Visual SourceSafe for Windows.

Users of Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 95 should use the 32-bit version of Visual SourceSafe for Windows.

Notes for Users of Previous Versions of SourceSafe

Users of SourceSafe 3.x will note a number of major changes to the product. New features are listed separately below, but some of the important miscellaneous changes include:

1. The SourceSafe directory structure has changed, and the SourceSafe program files have different names. For example, if you have an icon pointing to R:\Vss\Winnt\Ssnt.Exe, that directory and file no longer exist. The new location is R:\Vss\Win32\Ssexp.Exe. The client Setup program creates new program manager icons that point to the appropriate executables.

2. The SourceSafe text-based interface for MS-DOS (SS.EXE) is not supported in 4.0 or future versions of Visual SourceSafe.

3. Several SourceSafe commands have been renamed. The most prominent are:

      Update     -->  Check In
      Uncheckout -->  Undo Checkout
      Separate   -->  Branch
      Remove     -->  Delete
      Scan       -->  Find in Files
      Merge      -->  Merge Branches
   
   

4. The PIN command is new. It replaces the SHARE command in the History of File dialog box and allows you to "stick a pin" through a specific version of a file, freezing it at that specific version. The PIN command's complement, the UNPIN command, allows you to "unstick" a file that has been pinned.

Design Restriction in Visual Basic Integration

When you are working in Visual Basic with projects under source code control, Visual Basic launches a new version of itself under the following conditions: you open a project under source code control, use the Show History command on a file associated with Visual Basic, and then click View in the History dialog box. This is normal behavior also found when working with a Visual Basic form from the File Manager in Windows NT and the Explorer in Windows 95.

Need to Specify a Makefile Extension for Visual Basic Integration

In Windows 95, a Visual Basic project can have a make file with no extension, or with an extension other than .vbp or .mak. However, the source code control (SCC) Add-in has to have some way to recognize make files from other files, and the extension is often the only way. In other words, for you to use SCC successfully with a project, the make file name must end in .vbp or .mak. The most likely situation where a make file has no extension is when the Windows 95 Explorer is set to hide file extensions. Then, when you save a make file, Visual Basic doesn't automatically add the .vbp extension. The solution to this situation is to set the Windows 95 Explorer view option to show file extensions, and ensure that that all Visual Basic make files have a .vbp or .mak file extension.

Installing Two or More Visual SourceSafe Databases on One Computer

The Visual SourceSafe installation was designed for one installation per computer. There might be occasions when you want to have two or more copies of Visual SourceSafe installed on your computer, such as in the following cases:

Case 1. You are an administrator who wants both a server and a client installation on your computer. To accomplish this, you run Setup from your Visual SourceSafe compact disc, and then use the Netsetup program from the directory in which you installed the Visual SourceSafe server option.

Case 2. You need to have separate databases for testing, application development, and maintaining product specifications. You want to have different locations on your computer that point to different network locations you can access. To accomplish this, use the Regedit program in Windows NT or Windows 95. Go to the HK_LOCAL_MACHINE key, then to SOFTWARE, then to MS SETUP (ACME), then to TABLE FILES. You see two entries for Visual SourceSafe: Ssadmin.exe file, for the server installation from the compact disc, and Ssexp.exe for the network client setup. Delete one of these two entries, and then run Setup again. Note that you can have only one Visual SourceSafe installation at a time integrated with Visual Basic on a local hard disk.

When you work with two separate network installations, only one can be integrated with an IDE at a time. For example, say you want to switch from database1, which is currently active, to database2. To switch between Visual SourceSafe databases and maintain IDE integration, go to the \Win or \Win32 directory under the directory in which you installed Visual SourceSafe on your local hard disk, and run the Ssint program. The Ssint program's dialog box contains the check box, Update Vb.ini, that allows you switch to the version of Visual SourceSafe you want to use by choosing to update Vb.ini or not.