How do I automate a checkout process using Serena PVCS Version Manager?

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josephb's picture
josephb asked on May 4, 2012 - 4:12am | Replies (4).

I am attempting to automate a checkout process of a large group of files using Serena PVCS Version Manager version 8.2.10 en_US (build 150). Each of these files' names are unique, and using the Filename pattern option doesnt allow us to selct the exact list of the multiple files we need to check out, there is nothing common about these.

Currently we have a project database with a project that contains over 2000 files each with an average of 5 to 10 revisions per file. In a few months time, my CM team will be getting requests to check out (then check in) of over 200 to 500 of these files (or more) for a major update of code that needs to happen.

Is there ANY way to use a script, for example, to check out all files that match a list of these files that correspond with a version label (or latest revision), then use this script to add a comment to this large list of checked out files as well?

I noticed there is a > Tool Configuration option under the Admin menu option. Can this let us check out and comment locked revisions en-masse, or is there another alternative??

If anyone can reply within the next few days, this will help us heaps of time at work, and save us having to check out hundreds of files, 10 to 20 files at a time and comment them manually. Please help! :(

Tags: 
configuration management

4 Answers

Drew Benson's picture

1) get a list of the files you want to checkout:
i) At worst you would need to type this :-(
ii) You might be able to use the VM History command with Labels, or Dates or Author etc (repeatedly for several sub-sets)

2) (Depending on how you got the list) Strip out exteraneous garbage - (ddd.yyy-arc) etc etc)

3) Load into excel (or other string manipulation) and build pcli get syntax on a per-file basis.

4) Save the individual get syntax into a text file.

5) Run the PCLI command specifying the text file as input to the command.....

Bob is your mothers sisters husband.... ;-)

josephb's picture
josephb replied on May 31, 2012 - 11:37am.

Thanks heaps for your reply. The first few parts of the instruction seem easy enough, we usually as a team reconcile the stored procs we need in Excel anyway.

The PCLI commands I'm not too sure about though. Do you know of any posts on this formum/others that show a step by step as to how to do this? I guess I'm more of a Version Manager newb than I thought.

Thanks heaps in advance.

Drew Benson's picture

Hi
Sorry I don't have a VM/PCLI manual with me but the syntax for a checkout is pretty simple.

PCLI has a few odd parameters and isn't the most intuitive, but if you scan the Command Line Manual you should be able to work it out.

If you don't have easy access to the pdf/manuals I think you could run PCLI get -help from the command line and pipe the output to a text file.

Then try to build up the command syntax at the command line bit by bit.

Once you have a single file working from the command line just replicate the parms etc within excel (by concatenating the various bits).

You could also scan through the Serena discussion forums and/or Serena knowledge base.

sergio_cm's picture
sergio_cm replied on September 11, 2012 - 7:44pm.

Hi!
Did you figure out how to do multiple get?

I've got a pCLI script( platform-independent) from Serena(it is posted in forums) that does that and my own ksh (Unix/Linus) script that collects arguments for the PCLI script and runs it.

You can build the something similar.

As to comments - what are you commenting exactly? Adding comment to the file names?

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