3. The File Browser

The File Browser is AccuRev’s primary GUI tool for working with files in AccuRev streams and workspaces. You can use the File Browser to perform the daily tasks typically associated with software development, such as viewing and editing files, sharing your work with others, and updating your workspaces with changes from others on your team. The File Browser provides focused views of your workspaces to help you accomplish these and other tasks.

File Browser Modes

The File Browser provides different modes for viewing the files and directories in AccuRev streams and workspaces. Note that not all modes are available in both workspace and stream File Browsers.

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Explorer Mode -- The Explorer mode displays all the files and directories that are in the current workspace or stream. This can include files and directories that are known to AccuRev, and, for workspaces only, files and directories that are not yet under AccuRev control. The Explorer mode is the default for both the stream and workspace File Browser. See Explorer Mode for more information.

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Outgoing Changes Mode -- The Outgoing Changes mode displays only those files and directories that have been added to, changed in, or removed from the current workspace or stream. Use the Outgoing Changes mode to save your work, share your work with others, and more. See Outgoing Changes Mode for more information.

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Incoming Changes Mode -- The Incoming Changes mode provides a preview of any files and directories that will be changed in, added to, or removed from your workspace when you update your workspace to refresh its contents. You can use the Incoming Changes mode to diff the content in the backing stream against the workspace version since your last update, take a look at the current workspace or stream’s parent stream, and more. See Incoming Changes Mode for more information.

Note: The Incoming Changes mode is available only for the workspace File Browser -- changes in a parent stream are automatically inherited by all child streams.

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Conflicts Mode -- The Conflicts mode displays the files in the current workspace or stream whose changes conflict with the changes in another version of the same file, either in the parent stream (called an overlap) or elsewhere in the stream hierarchy (a deep overlap). You can use the Conflicts mode to compare these versions to understand the source of the conflict and merge changes when it makes sense to do so. See Conflicts Mode for more information.

Changing File Browser Modes

To change a File Browser mode, just click the mode button. File Browser modes can only be displayed one at a time: you cannot display both incoming changes and outgoing changes at the same time, for example.

The following sections describe each of these modes in more detail.

Displaying External Files

In AccuRev, files and directories that are not yet under AccuRev control have a status of (external). You can instruct AccuRev to ignore all external files, in which case external objects are not visible in any File Browser mode. See Controlling the Display of External Objects for more information. If you prefer, you can simply hide external files from the File Browser display. See Using the Status Filter Toolbar for more information.

File Browser Types

AccuRev uses separate File Browsers for workspaces and streams (including snapshot and pass-through streams). Workspace and stream File Browsers share basic layout and functionality, but each has a specialized set of features. The Incoming Changes mode in the workspace File Browser, for example, shows the changes others have made to shared files that you will get the next time you update your workspace. (Since streams inherit changes automatically, the stream File Browser does not have the Incoming Changes mode.)

AccuRev also supports a data structure similar to a workspace called a reference tree. You cannot open a File Browser for a reference tree. To view the reference trees created for a particular depot, choose Admin > Reference Trees from the AccuRev menu. See The Reference Trees Tab for more information.

The remainder of this section describes general File Browser features.