Home >> Articles

Using a Revision Control Management Tool

Have you ever thought, "I wish I could go back to that version of this file I had 3 days ago"? If so, trust me you are not alone. However, many IT professionals who do not regularly participate in software development activities do not know how easy it is to remedy this problem: use a revision control management tool. Revision control (or version control) is simply what the name implies; it keeps track of your documents, and any changes you make to them. This way, you can revert your file to what a particular version looked like 3 days ago, in just a single button click. No more cryptic naming conventions for your files based on version number or date. And while these systems are mainly used by groups of people working on a shared project, they are also quite valuable for individuals working alone. Below, you will get up to speed on version control concepts, and explain how it can help you become more productive as an individual IT professional.

Two of the most popular version control software tools in use today are CVS and Subversion. Both provide a related set of functionality that requires some specific terminology that I will cover next. A Baseline is an approved starting version of a document from which subsequent changes will be made. Changes are made to a document, and a set of changes across many documents submitted together form a Change List. You can Checkout a file to your local machine, which you then edit, and Commit back into the version control tool when you are done. All files are stored in a Repository, which keeps track of the current version, or Revision, of each document under its control. Version control tools support many other features for collaborative development, but these concepts should suffice for individuals working alone.

If you want to use version control, you must have a local client installed that can interact with the appropriate version control server. There are many sites that will host your files for free on their version control servers, but often it is just as easy to find a free CVS or Subversion server for your own platform to download and install. This provides additional benefits, such as availability even when your internet connection is down, and added security since you are in full control of your files at all times.

I personally use version control on all my documents, including text document files such as this, resumes, and any other flat, plaintext files that may change over time. I hope this document will encourage you to learn more about version control, and to use it in your everyday lives.

About Countrywide Training:

Countrywide Training is an all-around training source. Countrywide offers free tutorials, informational articles, instructor-led classes, computer based training and much more. Countrywide also specifically offers training on programming with our Microsoft Certified Professional Developer classes which will certify students in version 4.0 in July 2010.

Links:

Revision Control Information
CVS - Concurrent Versions System
MCPD Programming Boot Camps