When you check out a file and a newer version exists on the server, the SCC system copies that version to your computer. It is then unlocked so you can edit the VI.
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Caution If you modify the VI before checking it out, the version of the VI on your local disk will be different than the version in the SCC system. Your changes will not be applied to the source code and you will lose your changes when you retrieve the SCC version from the server. |
While you have the file checked out, nobody else can check out the file or modify it. This helps to ensure that only one developer at a time modifies a VI.
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Tip To see which developer has ownership of an SCC document, consult the file list in the Source Code Control window, available by selecting Tools»Source Code Control»Launch SCC Provider. |
Complete the following steps to check out a file from an SCC project.
When you check out a file, it is checked out for all projects to which it belongs. When you check the file back in, the new version is available for all projects that contain the file.
In general, you should avoid checking out files for long periods of time. Instead, you should try to make incremental changes to your files. When you check in a file, make sure you have tested it thoroughly so you do not cause problems for other developers. If you need to modify other VIs before you can check in a specific VI, check out the other VIs, make the changes, and test them before checking in any of the VIs.
If you need to make several changes to a VI, consider checking in the file between modifications and then checking the file back out to start the next modification. Not only does this allow other developers access to your changes, but it also gives you a checkpoint you can return to if you later decide that your subsequent changes were incorrect.