The Stream Browser

Opening a Stream Browser Tab

Stream Browser Tab Layout

Graphical Stream Browser Display

Tabular Stream Browser Display

Workflow Stream Browser Display

Working in the Stream Browser

Controlling the Display

Streams, Snapshots, and Workspaces

Expanding and Collapsing Subtrees

Historical View of the Stream Hierarchy

Viewing a Stream's Current Development Activity

Viewing Activity By Element

Viewing Activity By Transaction

Viewing Activity By Issue Record

Promote Operations and Workflow Transitions

Using Workflow Mode

Drag-and-Drop Operations in Workflow Mode

Connecting Workflow Transitions to Promote Operations

Reparenting Streams and Workspaces

Reconfiguring a Stream

Setting or Changing a Stream's Basis Time

Creating New Streams, Snapshots, and Workspaces

Commands Available in a Stream Browser Tab

AccuRev's unique Stream Browser enables graphical control over the entire configuration management environment, in a way that is simple, flexible, and powerful. Using the Stream Browser, you can view and manipulate all the streams in a depot, including workspace streams The private stream that is built into a workspace. All new versions of elements are originally created in workspaces; AccuRev records these versions in workspace streams. and snapshots A immutable ('frozen', 'static') stream that captures the configuration of another stream at a particular time. A snapshot cannot be renamed or modified in any way..

Opening a Stream Browser Tab

You can open a Stream Browser tab to display the streams of the current depot CLI: the depot associated with the workspace that contains current working directory. GUI: the depot whose data appears in the currently visible GUI tab. The current depot's name is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the GUI window. in any of these ways:

If there is no current depot, AccuRev prompts you to select one.

Stream Browser Tab Layout

You can use the Stream Browser in any of the following display modes, which you select using buttons on the Stream Browser toolbar:

You can have any number of Stream Browser tabs open at the same time, each for a different depot. You can also open multiple Stream Browser tabs on the same depot, by invoking the Clone Tab command on the context menu of the tab control.

 

Graphical Stream Browser Display

The graphical display of a depot's stream hierarchy is organized as follows:

 

dynamic A stream whose configuration changes over time, and which can inherit versions from its parent stream. ("normal") stream

time-based A stream that has a "basis time", affecting which versions it inherits from its parent stream. See basis time, parent stream. dynamic stream

workspace stream The private stream that is built into a workspace. All new versions of elements are originally created in workspaces; AccuRev records these versions in workspace streams.

snapshot A immutable ('frozen', 'static') stream that captures the configuration of another stream at a particular time. A snapshot cannot be renamed or modified in any way. (static stream)

pass-through When a version is nominally promoted to pass-through stream X, the version automatically 'passes through' X: it is actually promoted to X’s parent stream. stream

Tabular Stream Browser Display

In tabular display mode, the Stream Browser tab contains a table listing some or all of the current depot’s streams (including snapshots and workspaces). If you have used the global stream filter to restrict the display, only the stream paths A subset of the stream hierarchy that starts at the root stream and ends at the stream being referenced. and children (if any) for the selected streams appear in the table.

The checkboxes and list box at the bottom of the tab work the same way as in graphical mode to control which streams are included in the table. The Stream Browser’s tabular mode offers the same commands (toolbar and context menus) as the graphical mode.

See also:

AccuRev's standard table-manipulation operations

Workflow Stream Browser Display

In workflow display mode, the Stream Browser tab is split into two panes: the top pane contains the graphical display of a depot's stream hierarchy; the bottom pane displays the workflow for the depot's issue database (AccuWork) A set of issue records, each of which implements a bug report, feature description, etc. Each depot can have its own issue database. Each issue database has its own schema..

A special control below each workflow stage opens a subwindow that the displays the issue records in that stage. Drag-and-drop operations make it easy to transition issue records through the workflow. See Using Workflow Mode.

Working in the Stream Browser

The following sections describe working in the Stream Browser. Note that many of these operations can be performed only in the graphical display, not in the tabular display.

Controlling the Display

Initially, the Stream Browser displays all of the depot's currently active dynamic streams, along with workspaces for the current user. It does not display any snapshots, nor any item that you have deactivated with the Remove command.

Note: If you have set a Stream Filter, only a subset of the streams in the depot appear.

Filtering Streams and Users/Groups

The main AccuRev toolbar contains two controls that can affect the Stream Browser display. The result of these filters will be applied to the data displayed in the Stream Browser before adjustments made via the controls within the Stream Browser.

Streams, Snapshots, and Workspaces

You can adjust the numbers and types of streams shown by using the controls at the bottom of the Stream Browser tab:

Include hidden streams

This checkbox is a toggle switch: it reveals/hides the data structures that have been Remove'd. (The Remove command doesn't actually delete anything from the depot; the data structure just becomes invisible and inactive.)

Snapshots

This drop-down list controls how many snapshots are visible in the Stream Browser. It contains the choices No Snapshots (the default), All Snapshots, Past week, Past 2 weeks, and Past 4 weeks. (Check the Include hidden streams checkbox if you want to see snapshots that have been Remove'd.) No matter what the setting, a snapshot remains visible if there are any workspaces or streams below it.

Workspaces

This drop-down list controls which of the depot's workspaces are visible in the Stream Browser. It contains the choices All Workspaces, No Workspaces, Current User (the default), Unassigned, and the name of each registered AccuRev user and group. (Check the Include hidden streams checkbox if you want to see workspaces that have been Remove'd.) To control which users and groups appear in this list, use the Tools > Filter > Users/Groups command.

Only stream paths to workspaces

This checkbox is a toggle switch. Select it to filter the streams so that only the stream path A subset of the stream hierarchy that starts at the root stream and ends at the stream being referenced.s A subset of the stream hierarchy that starts at the root stream and ends at the stream being referenced. BCA to workspaces -- the streams directly connecting the root stream to the workspace -- are visible in the Stream Browser. Unselect it to remove the filter. Use the Workspaces list to control which workspaces are shown.

Expanding and Collapsing Subtrees

In the graphical display mode, each stream that has "children" (workspaces and/or snapshots) is displayed with an expand/collapse control. Collapsing causes the entire hierarchy below the stream to disappear from the screen. This affects the Stream Browser display only. It does not affect the operation of the stream in any way.

Historical View of the Stream Hierarchy

If the Enable Stream Browser History preference is checked (Tools > Preferences command), a set of history controls are added to the toolbar. This enables you to view the stream hierarchy as it existed at any point in the past.

 

Viewing a Stream's Current Development Activity

The Stream Browser can show the development activity An element is said to be active in a workspace or stream if a new version of the element has been created there, and that version has not been either (1) promoted to the parent stream or (2) purged from the workspace or stream. See default group, backed, passive. currently taking place in each stream or workspace. A control below the stream or workspace opens or closes a subwindow that displays the details of the development activity. The activity details can appear in several ways -- by element, by transaction, or by issue record.

Use the development-activity mode controls at the right side of the Stream Browser toolbar to determine how the activity details will be displayed. (The icons on the controls below the streams and workspace change accordingly.) You can change modes either before or after opening an activity subwindow.

Viewing Activity By Element

When displaying activity by element, the subwindow displays:

Click here for more information on the relationship (and differences) between these two searches.

You can select one or more of the element versions and invoke commands on them, using the subwindow's toolbar. The commands available are the same as in the File Browser.

You can also perform these drag-and-drop operations:

Viewing Activity By Transaction

When displaying a stream's activity by element, the subwindow displays the transactions A record in the AccuRev repository database that indicates a particular change: promoting of a set of versions, changing the name of a stream, modification to an issue record, etc. Each transaction has an integer transaction number, which is unique within the depot. that created the versions that are currently active in the stream. This display is the same as that in the Summary pane of an Active Transactions tab. You can select one or more transactions and perform commands on them, just as in the Active Transactions tab.

Viewing Activity By Issue Record

When displaying a stream's activity by issue record, the subwindow displays the issue records A data record, consisting of values of data fields, stored in a Dispatch issue database. that are in a particular stream. This display is the same as that in the Issues pane of a Stream Issues tab. You can select one or more issue records and perform commands on them, just as in the Stream Issues tab.

You can also perform this drag-and-drop operation:

Promote Operations and Workflow Transitions

If you are using AccuWorkflow, a Promote operation you invoke in a Stream Browser stream activity subwindow (or by other means) can have the "side effect" of performing a workflow transition An arrow in an AccuWork workflow, pointing to a particular workflow stage. This represents one step that an issue record can take through the workflow. A transition has two components: a transition action (such as 'Finish Dvt') and a workflow stage (such as 'Implemented') that is the arrow's destination. Each workflow transition can be configured to start from any number of stages.. For example, you might have configured AccuWorkflow so that promoting versions from the cup_dvt stream to the cup_tst stream can transition one or more issue records from workflow stage A node in an AccuWork workflow, representing one of the steps in the 'lifetime' of an issue record. See workflow, workflow transition.Implemented to stage In Test.

Using Workflow Mode

In the workflow pane, each workflow stage has a special control that works similarly to the graphical pane controls on streams: clicking a stage's control opens or closes a subwindow that displays issue records that are currently in that stage:

At any given time, your organization probably has several (or many) active development efforts. In the upper pane, you must focus the workflow's issue-record display on a particular development effort by designating one stream as the "current project". Its name is displayed as a title in the lower pane, and also in each issue-record subwindow:

So the contents of a workflow-mode subwindow is the set of issue records that are:

AccuWorkflow selects the issue records by performing a query, in which the "current project" stream is tested against the value of a particular issue-record field -- for example, Target Release. The field used in this workflow query is configurable; see Issue Record Fields Used in a Workflow Query.

Drag-and-Drop Operations in Workflow Mode

You can drag-and-drop the special control for a workflow stage onto any of the workflow transitions An arrow in an AccuWork workflow, pointing to a particular workflow stage. This represents one step that an issue record can take through the workflow. A transition has two components: a transition action (such as "Finish Dvt") and a workflow stage (such as "Implemented") that is the arrow's destination. Each workflow transition can be configured to start from any number of stages. defined for that stage.

This performs the transition for all the issue records in that stage. For example, dragging the control to the Finish Dvt transition causes issue records #5 and #9 to transition to the Implemented stage:

Drag-and-drop operations are not defined for individual issue records -- only for a the special control, which represents all the issue records in a stage.

Connecting Workflow Transitions to Promote Operations

Each transition in a workflow can be linked to a particular dynamic stream: invoke the command Create Stream Link from the context menu of a workflow transition, then click on a dynamic stream in the upper pane. This creates a two-way link between the workflow transition (T) and the stream (S):

Reparenting Streams and Workspaces

AccuRev lets you change the backing stream (parent stream) of any dynamic stream or workspace. The Stream Browser makes it simple: you just drag-and-drop a stream or workspace from its current location in the hierarchy to its new parent.

The entire subhierarchy moves to the new location. Changing a data structure's location in the stream hierarchy is called reparenting. If the Stream Browser display contains many streams or the stream structure is very complex, an alternative method of reparenting a stream is to select Reparent from the context menu of the stream or workspace, then navigate to and click the new parent stream. You are asked to confirm the operation.

Important

After you change the location of a workspace, be sure to Update it. This ensures that the workspace contains the correct set of versions, many of which it will inherit from its new parent. Likewise, after changing the location of a stream, all workspaces in the subhierarchy below that stream should be Update'd.

Notes (click to view):

Reconfiguring a Stream

The drag-and-drop operation changes one property of a stream: its parent. You can also change a stream's properties using the Change Stream command on its context menu.

Although you can give a new name to an existing stream, you cannot proceed to create a new stream with the old name. The old name remains associated with its stream. The only way to reuse a stream name is to completely remove the stream's depot from the AccuRev repository, using the AccuRev administration utility, maintain.

Setting or Changing a Stream's Basis Time

By default, a stream inherits all versions from its parent, no matter when those versions were created. If you assign a basis time A date-timestamp setting for a stream, affecting which versions the stream inherits from its parent stream: for each element, the version inherited is the one that was in the parent stream at the basis time. See snapshot. to a stream, it inherits only those versions created before the specified point in time. (The File Browser's include/exclude facility provides another way to restrict which versions get inherited from the parent stream.)

Creating New Streams, Snapshots, and Workspaces

The context menu of any data structure in the Stream Browser includes commands for creating new structures at that point in the hierarchy. New Stream and New Snapshot display dialogs similar to that of Change Stream. The New Workspace command invokes a wizard that steps you through the process of defining a new workspace: you specify a name and a location on disk; you can also make some optional settings, such as controlling how line endings in text files are to be handled.

Commands Available in a Stream Browser Tab

Open

Using a File Browser tab, display the entire contents of the selected stream, snapshot, or workspace.

New Stream

Create a new dynamic stream or pass-through stream, based on (that is, as a child of) the selected stream or snapshot. A Stream Configuration dialog appears.

New Workspace

Create a new workspace, based on (that is, as a child of) the selected stream or snapshot. A New Workspace wizard helps you to configure the workspace.

New Snapshot

Create a new snapshot, based on (that is, as a child of) the selected stream  A New Snapshot dialog appears.

Change Stream

Modify the configuration of the selected dynamic stream or pass-through stream. A Stream Configuration dialog appears.

Reparent

Change the backing stream (parent stream) of the selected dynamic stream or workspace.

Remove

After confirmation, hide the selected stream, snapshot, or workspace. This removes the object from the Stream Browser display.

Removal affects how the object can be used:

Notes (click to view):

Reactivate

Undo a Remove command for the selected stream, snapshot, or workspace.

Locks ... (Lock/Unlock Stream)

(Dynamic stream only) Lock a stream, to disable various operations that modify the stream. If a stream is already locked, a lock icon appears in the Stream Browser graphical display, and in the Locks column of the tabular display. A Lock dialog appears.

WIP (Work in Progress)

Open a WIP tab, displaying the active elements in workspaces and/or streams related to the selected stream.

Search for Stream

Find the stream(s) whose name includes a specified character string. A Search for Stream dialog appears.

Show All Overlaps

(Workspace only) Using an Overlaps tab: for active file elements (those in the workspace's default group), display all overlaps involving versions in the workspace's entire backing chain (higher-level streams) -- not just overlaps between the workspace and its immediate parent stream.

Show Active ...

There are three commands to display the stream's development activity, using the appropriate tool for the current development-activity mode:

The way the three commands appear on a stream's context menu varies with the development-activity mode: the command for the current mode appears at the top-level of the context menu; the commands for the other two modes are in a submenu. [example]

This example shows how the menu choices appear if the Stream Browser is currently displaying activity by issue record.

 
 
 
 

 

 

Show History

Using a History Browser, display the transactions that created versions in the selected stream.

Show Diff By Files

Using a Diff Streams window, show the element-by-element differences between the selected stream and another stream (which AccuRev prompts you to specify).

Show Diff By Issues

Using a Stream Issues window, show the differences between the selected stream and another stream (which AccuRev prompts you to specify). The differences are shown in terms of change packages instead of individual elements.

Send to Change Palette

Send the active elements for the selected stream to the Change Palette.

Show Patch List

Using a Patch List tab, list all the individual versions whose changes are in the selected stream, but are not in another stream (which AccuRev prompts you to specify).

Stream as Project

(AccuWorkflow only) Set the selected stream as the current project for AccuWorkflow.

Add to Stream Filter / Remove from Stream Filter

If the selected stream is not in the stream filter A subset of streams whose stream paths and children are visible in the AccuRev GUI., add it and immediately apply the filter. If the selected stream is in the stream filter, remove it and immediately update the filter. See Filtering Streams for more information on editing and using the stream filter.

Graphical Display

Display the depot's stream hierarchy as a tree.

Tabular Display

Display the depot's stream hierarchy as a table.

Graphical/Tabular Display

Display the depot's stream hierarchy as a tree in one pane, and as a table in another pane.

Graphical/Workflow Display

(AccuWorkflow only) Display the depot's stream hierarchy as a tree in one pane, and display the depot's workflow in another pane.