How to Use Netbeans CVS

CVS (Concurrent Versions System) is an open source tool for Source Configuration Management (SCM). It helps a team of multiple developers working on one programming project by keeping a record of master copy of the source code that is checked out by each programmer and turned in (or committed) after all the changes have been made. CVS keeps a history of all changes made in order to make it easier for programmers to backtrack if a mistake is made. It is a powerful and important tool for development teams, and Netbeans integrates it directly into its integrated development environment (IDE).

Things You'll Need

• Existing CVS Repository

Instructions

1. Click "Team," "CVS," "Checkout."

2. Type your user name, the domain name of your CVS repository and the path to the root directory. You can obtain this information from your project leader or your CVS repository hosting service. The information should be entered on the "CVS Root" line with the following format:

   :pserver:username@hostname:/path

   For example, if your username is "kwalker," your CVS host is at "www.myproject.com," and the path to the CVS root is "/cvs/projectName," then you would enter this on the CVS root line:

   :pserver:[e-mail]:/cvs/projectname

   If you have a password, enter that as well in the password box.

   Click "Next."

3. Click "Browse." Select a module within the project you would like to check out from the server. Alternatively, if you wish to check out the entire project, leave the Module field blank.

4. Specify the folder you would like to download the project to. Netbeans will use the "NetBeansProjects" folder in your home directory by default. No matter where you choose to place it, it will be added to your list of open projects in the Netbeans Projects tab.

   Click "Finish." The project will be downloaded. This may take a while, depending on the size of the project.

5. Make any modifications to the code in the project as you normally would in Netbeans. Go on to Step 6 after you have made some changes.

6. Click "Team," "CVS," "Commit."

   Under commit message, type a description of your changes. For example, "Added x feature" or "Fixed bug report #123."

Tips & Warnings

• If you were not given a user name, chances are the CVS server allows anonymous logins. Replace the user name with "anonymous."

• If you have a project stored locally that would like to put on the CVS repository for the first time, double-click it to open that project in Netbeans and click "Team," "CVS," "Import Into Repository." Fill out the information about your CVS repository as you would in Step 2.

References

• NonGNU: About CVS