How To Include Specific File Revisions in a Project Label (139298)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows 4.0
  • Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows 5.0
  • Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q139298

SUMMARY

By using project labeling, development teams can label a project, work on it, and later compile specific revisions of the project that have been labeled. However, when a project is labeled, it only includes by default the most recent version of the files. You can override this default behavior and include a specific file in a project label by using the PIN and the LABEL features.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the interface and the command line to label and pin specific files. PIN is a new command that shares a specific version of a file with the current project. This feature provides more flexibility to development teams because previous versions of SourceSafe did not allow you to work on files that were individually labeled. The following example shows you how to include these specific file revisions in a project label.

Step-by-Step Example

  1. Once a file is considered completed, label the file with a descriptive label such as Final.
  2. As other files reach completion, label them with the same description. You do not have to label files that use the most current revision.
  3. When the project is complete, type the following command at the command line for the main project and for each subproject: 
          SS PIN <Project Path/Filename> "-vl Final"
  4. Once you have called the PIN command for all the necessary files, continue the labeling process for the files. 
          SS LABEL <Project Path/Filename>
  5. Finish the process by Unpinning the revisions so that the files may be checked out again. Pinned files cannot be checked out from Visual SourceSafe. This operation must also be completed on all subprojects. 
          SS UNPIN <Project Path/Filename> *.*
  6. As an optional step, remove the Final label from all the files. This step is included so that you may reuse the same label at a later time without accidentally including the incorrect revision. If you want to keep different file labels for each build, you may skip this step. 
          SS LABEL <Project Path/Filename> "-vl Final" "-l "
The previous steps use the PIN command to lock a specific file revision in a project. When you label the project, the label is associated with the version of the files that exists in the project, not the newest version. Once the project is labeled, you use the LABEL command to remove the label if necessary. The UNPIN command then tells SourceSafe to use the latest copy in the project.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:3/14/2005
Keywords:kbFAQ kbhowto KB139298
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