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vpuml_user_guide Chapter 13 - Team Collaboration with VP Teamwork Server

Chapter 13 - Team Collaboration with VP Teamwork Server

Visual Paradigm Teamwork Server is easy to use version control and collaboration platform. With VP-UML VP Teamwork Server integration you can record and keep history of all changes in your design in your VP Teamwork Server. Other people who may need to only view your designs just need to use the free Viewer to have a look at the project. Please be reminded VP Teamwork Server integration is only available in Modeler Edition or above.

In this chapter:

Starting up the Server

Before you can manage projects in VP Teamwork Server, you have to start the server first.
You can select the StartTeamworkServer.exe icon in the "bin" folder inside the Teamwork Server installation directory.
Figure 13.1 - Select StartTeamworkServer.exe

Starting the Teamwork Client Dialog Box

The Teamwork Client dialog box is the access point for all Teamwork functions, such as operating projects, reviewing and comparing projects and using branches and tags. There are three ways you can start Teamwork Client.
To start using main menu, you can select Tools > Teamwork > Open Teamwork Client... .
Figure 13.2 - Open Teamwork Client using main menu

If not, you may use the tool bar to open Teamwork Client dialog box.
Figure 13.3 - Open Teamwork Client using the toolbar

You can also right click on the project node of different panes and select Teamwork > Open Teamwork Client... .
Figure 13.4 - Open Teamwork Client with project node

By using any one of these methods, the Login to the Teamwork Server dialog box is displayed.

Figure 13.5 - Login to the Teamwork Server dialog box


Then, configure the details of server connection. Then click OK to confirm.
Figure 13.6 - Configure details of server conncetion

Teamwork Client dialog box is opened.

Figure 13.7 - Teamwork Client dialog box



Name
 Function

Logout
 Logout from the server.

Checkout
Checkout projects from the server.
Open
 Open the selected project.
Refresh projects Refresh the projects to get the latest status of them.
Tag... Create a tag for the selected project.
Branch... Create a branch for the selected project.
Switch... Switch your location in the project.
Delete branch... Delete a branch.

Checking out Project

If you have already imported a project to server or selected a project to manage, you can checkout the project from the repository.
When you have just selected a project in the Projects list, the status is 'Not checked out'.
 Figure 13.8 - Project not checked out

When you click Open Project, you can checkout the project and open it immediately.
Figure 13.9 - Select Open Project

Alternatively, you can choose to checkout the project without opening it. Checkout Project is quite different from Open Project. After checking out the project, your will stay in the Teamwork Dialog for further actions. For example, creating branch, Merge change from branch. If you select Open Project, you will open the project for viewing and modification.
To checkout the project, click Checkout in Teamwork Client dialog box.
 Figure 13.10 - Checkout the project

The status of the project is changed and you have checkout the project successfully.
 Figure 13.11 - Project checked out

Committing Project

After you have modified the project, you can share your local changes with other team member by committing the project to server.
You may commit project in the toolbar.
 Figure 13.12 - Commit project

A Commit Project dialog box will show you the progress of commit.
 Figure 13.13 - Commit project dialog box

A dialog box will be displayed and you may enter a description of the changes. Then, click OK.
 Figure 13.14 - Enter description of commit change

A Commit Model(s) dialog box shows the models you have modified. You can click OK to commit.
 Figure 13.15 - Commit Model(s) dialog box

Sometimes, you may encounter conflict when committing models.

Figure 13.16 - Commit with conflict

You can choose to revert or overwrite to solve. For more details, please refer to the section 'Resolving Conflict'.
Figure 13.17 - Select overwrite or revert

Updating Project

Apart from committing the project you have changed to the server, you can also get other teammates' changes in the server to local by updating project.
To update project, you can click the icon for update in toolbar.

 Figure 13.18 - Update project

Update Model(s) dialog box is displayed. The models changed by others are shown. You can click OK to update the models.
 Figure 13.19 - Update Model(s) dialog box

Reverting Project

You may encounter the situation that you have made a lot of changes in the project just to find there are a lot of mistakes. In this case, you may want to rollback all the changes and redo the whole project.
Here, you can revert all local changes by clicking the Revert button.
 Figure 13.20 - Revert project

A dialog box will show and ask if you want to revert. Click Yes to confirm and the project is reverted.
 Figure 13.21 - Confirm revert project

Checking for Update

If the project you are managing is not up-to-date, the status in Teamwork Client dialog box will change.
Figure 13.22 - Status changed

Alternatively, you can check if the local project has a newer version in teamwork server repository by clicking the Check for Update button.
Figure 13.23 - Select Check for Update

A message will tell you what the latest revision is. You can then select Update to get the modification from the server. For more details, please refer to the section 'Updating project'.
Figure 13.24 - Message showing the latest version


Resolving Conflict

Sometimes, you may modify the same model as your teammate with different changes. In this way, the server may not know which revision should be preserved and it shows conflict.
Conflicts can happen when you commit the project.
Figure 13.25 - Conflict found in merging

Conflict may also happen when you update your project.
Figure 13.26 - Conflict found in updating

When you face conflict, you can solve it by selecting the conflict model and clicking Overwrite or Revert.
Overwrite is to keep local changes while Revert is to accept changes from server.
Figure 13.27 - Solving conflict


Viewing Revision History

From time to time, there may be a lot of changes made by you and your teammates. In VP-UML, you can view back the previous revisions of the project.
To view the history of committed changes, open the Teamwork Client dialog box and select Revisions tag.
 Figure 13.28 - Select Revisions

You can see the different revisions of the project.
 Figure 13.29 - Different revisions of the project

You can see the model, diagram and diagram elements modified in that version. You can also see the checkin description in that version.
 Figure 13.30 - Changes of different revisions

Checking Out Old Revision

You can checkout the old revision of project and make changes in it. Afterwards, you can commit your changes to the server.
To check out a revision of a project, you can select a revision and click Open Project.
Figure 13.31 - Check out old revision

Comparing Between Revisions

You may want to see the differences between different revisions here in VP-UML.
To achieve, first you may select a revision.
Figure 13.32 - Select one revision

Then, you may press Ctrl and click on the revision you want to compare with.
Figure 13.33- Select another revision

Afterwards, click Compare Project to compare.
Figure 13.34 - Select Compare Project

A Compare Projects from revision dialog box appears and shows you the differences between your selected revisions.
Figure 13.35 - Compare Project dialog box

Branch and Tag Project

Branch is a technique to separate the development of project from trunk. You can modify the project in branch while keep the most stable version design in trunk.
In this way, you can perform some research or time-taking task in branch and merge the changes to trunk only when the branch is proven to be stable.
Tag provides a convenient technique to manage and label a stable version. You can go back to check the stable version by switching to Tag.

Creating a Branch

You can create a branch by clicking the icon for branch in toolbar.
Figure 13.36 - Select branch

Create Branch dialog box is displayed and you can enter the name of branch you want to create.
Figure 13.37 - Create Branch dialog box

Then, select a status of branch from the drop-down menu.
Figure 13.38 - Select from drop-down menu

Then, click OK to confirm creating branch.
Figure 13.39 - Confirm creating branch

Managing a Branch

In VP Teamwork Server, you can manage a branch by switching to that branch.
To switch, you can select the Switch... icon in the toolbar.
Figure 13.40 - Select Switch...

Swtich to dialog box is opened. You can select a branch to switch.
Figure 13.41 - Select a branch to switch

Afterwards, click OK to switch.
Figure 13.42 - Confirm switch

Creating a Tag

You can label the stable version of project by creating a tag there.
To create a tag, select Tag... in the toolbar.
Figure 13.43 - Select Tag...

Then, you can enter tag name in the Create Tag dialog box.
Figure 13.44 - Create Tag dialog box

Afterwards, you can select your location after creating tag.
Figure 13.45 - Select location after creating tag

Tag is created.
Figure 13.46 - Tag created

Managing a Tag

Similar to managing a branch, you can manage a branch by switching to that branch.
To switch, you can select the Switch... icon in the toolbar.
Figure 13.47 - Select Switch...

Swtich to dialog box is opened. You can select a branch to switch.
Figure 13.48 - Select a branch to switch

Afterwards, click OK to switch.
Figure 13.49 - Confirm switch

Usage of Merge

When you have modified your project in branch, you can merge the changes you made to trunk.
To merge, you can select the icon for merging in the toolbar.
Figure 13.50 - Icon for merging

Merge dialog box is displayed. You can select the URL you want to merge from by typing in the text box or select ... . You can also select the revision which take part in the merging.
Figure 13.51 - Merge dialog box

The progress of merging is shown.
Figure 13.52 - Progress of merging

Then, a dialog box tells you what models and diagrams are going to be merged. You can click OK to confirm merging.
 
 Figure 13.53 - Models and diagrams which are going to merge

Suggested Branch Usage

This section will show you the suggested usage of the Branch with VP Teamwork Server integration.
Here, you will learn how to create a single branch called "supportWebService". However, you can choose to have multiple branch running at the same time.
Figure 13.54 - Suggested branch usage
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