We understand subversion a bit more, we see the benefits and now we’ve learned how to create a repository. In this section of the tutorial we’ll learn how to actually start using Subversion for our design projects.

Using Subversion

• 1. Subversion is just a server, we downloaded the client so that we could connect to that server. To do this, launch your client. I’m using ZigVersion. When you launch ZigVersion (skip past the License stuff for now) it will ask you to connect to a Subversion server. Here we’ll enter the path to our file which should look something like this: file:///Users/YourUserName/Subversion/YouFileName

  

  You may note that instead of “1″ I’m now using “Test” for the name of my directory. This isn’t a big deal, this folder can be named whatever you’d like it to be named.

• 2. The client will connect to the server and display an empty directory. We’re ready to start adding files. I added a Wordpress theme I’m working on called “Appfrica”. We can add whatever we want here, Photoshop files, Illustrator files, Web Design projects, Documents. Whatever we want to work on.

  

• 3. You’ll notice a few things. When you add stuff to your repository it is being “Checked In” to the server. In order to work on items, you need to “Check Them Out” first. This allows Subversion to tell you when things are being worked on and who downloaded them.
• 4. If you right click on the item and select “Revision Viewer” you’ll see an example of this. My particular folder has been checked in and out a few times so it’s built up a short history that you’ll see below:

  

• 5. After editing your files, click the Check In button in the toolbar to update the changes.
• 6. Review the changes and add a comments in the Review and Check In window so you can remember what you were doing. The revision history is available at any time by clicking on the Revision View button.

This is essentially our work flow, we check files out to work on them and we check files back in when we’re done. Designers can create folder with their latest products and as work progresses they update files on the server. If more than one person is working on a design at the same time, just make sure to leave notes and pay special attention to the “Author” area as it will tell you who updated the file last.

Tags: designers, subversion, svn, workflow

JonGos in Design | on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 4:26 pm.
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