HOWTO: Use a Template for Comments When Checking In Files

• Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 16-bit and 32-bit, for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0

SUMMARY

Each time a developer checks in a file, some SourceSafe administrators would like a template for comments to appear. They can then prompt for information that Keyword Expansion can't handle, such as what bug number does this change fix? This article describes how to use a template for comments. It should be noted that the template used appears anytime Visual SourceSafe prompts for a comment, not just on Check Ins.

MORE INFORMATION

The Comment template functionality acts slightly different on the Command line versus the interface, as explained below:

In the Interface

The Comment template will appear in the Comment box of dialogs. To implement this behavior, follow the steps below:

1. Create and save a text file with the information that will be used as the template. This is the file that will be displayed for developers to fill out when they check in the file.

2. Add "Comment_Template= <Path and Filename >" to the Srcsafe.ini file. This lets Visual SourceSafe know which file is the template for comments.

On the Command Line

The template appears in an editor that the user specifies. To implement this behavior, follow the steps below:

1. Create and save a text file with the information to be used as the template. This is the file that will be displayed to the developers for them to fill out when they check in the file.

2. Add "Comment_Template= <Path and Filename>" to the Srcsafe.ini file. This lets Visual SourceSafe know which file is the template for comments. Make sure this file can be opened by the Comment_Editor executable.

3. Add Comment_Editor= <Path and Executable Name> to the Srcsafe.ini file. This lets Visual SourceSafe know what editor to use to open the file indicated by the Comment_Template= INI setting. If users would like to use a different editor, they can set it in their Tools menu, Options... option, Command Line Options tab, Use editor to prompt for comments, and the Editor field.

4. Add Comment_Editor_Prompt= <Yes|No> to the Srcsafe.ini file. If this is not set, it is assumed to be Yes. This indicates whether the following text should be displayed as the first line of the template:

         "Enter a comment for <File Name>; then save and exit."
   

         For example:
   

         Comment_Template= f:\vss\prompt.txt
         Comment_Editor=f:\windows\notepad.exe
         Comment_Editor_Prompt=Yes
   

General Notes for Either Configuration

1. The string 'Enter a comment for <File Name>; then save and exit.' will not be saved along with the comment. Any text in the Comment Template will be saved.

2. If you want it to apply to all developers, these settings can be in the SrcSafe.ini. If you want it to apply to a specific developer, they should be in the SS.ini file. In addition, these settings can apply to all projects by putting them in the INI file before all section headers, [ ], or apply to just one project by putting them after a section header.

   [$/MyProject] Comment_Template= f:\vss\prompt.txt Comment_Editor=f:\windows\notepad.exe Comment_Editor_Prompt=Yes

3. If there has been no change to the file and the Update_No_Change INI setting is set to 'Uncheckout', it will not prompt you for a comment.

4. Adding, 'Checkout_Comment= -' to the INI file can be used to prevent SourceSafe from prompting for a comment when a user checks out a file. See the help file for more information on this setting.