Join us for a one-hour webinar with Jeff Amfahr, director of product management, and Paula Rome, senior TestTrack product manager, and see what’s new in the upcoming Seapine ALM 2011 release. Pick the time that works best for you, and register today!

September 14, 2010	14 September, 2010	15 September, 2010
1pm EDT (North America)	1pm WET (Europe)	10am AWST (Australia)

During each of these sessions, Jeff and Paula will be describing and demonstrating the major changes to the suite, including:

• The new Seapine ALM Reporting Platform.
• Improved integration between TestTrack, Surround SCM, and QA Wizard Pro.
• New Surround SCM features, including merging changes to any branch by line, file, changelist or even TestTrack defect, support for moving files and repositories, a graphical history browser, and more.
• New TestTrack features, including ranking items in folders, inline editing, ehanced history and change notifications, and more.
• New QA Wizard Pro features, including recently-released load testing, enhanced TestTrack integration, improved error handling, and more.

Server merges

Server merges are always performed by the Surround SCM Server on the server machine. There are two different utilities that Surround SCM can use for this purpose. By default, Surround SCM uses the GNU diff3 utility. Diff3 is OK to handle text files with simple merge scenarios. For more complex merging scenarios and to handle files with Unicode, you must enable Guiffy, which is a commercial tool that is packaged with Surround SCM, for server-side merging.

I recommend using Guiffy, even if you do not have any Unicode files, because it is better at resolving merge conflicts. Because Guiffy is a Java application, you will need to make sure your administrator chose to install the JRE with Surround SCM, or that one is installed on the server.

To enable Guiffy for server-side merges, go to Tools > Administration > Server Options.

Local merges

Local merges, which can also be referred to as ‘manual’ merges, are performed on the client. They are often peformed by the user using his or her configured merge utility. However, there are a few instances where a local merge can be done by Surround SCM automatically. This will largely depend on what you are using for your local merges and the operating system.

If you use Guiffy and your are NOT running the client on a Mac, then you can have Surround SCM attempt local merges for you first. If the auto merge fails, you will be prompted to perform a manual merge.

If you use any other merge tool or are running the client on a Mac, then all local merges will be manual merges. The following screenshot shows the Get Files dialog on a Mac client. Notice the Merge should first attempt auto-merge option is unavailable.

This one-day event, near Redstone Arsenal, will focus on software solutions that help resolve the change management and collaboration issues facing IT and software development teams. You’ll hear how Seapine customers have handled some of the same issues you may be facing. Seapine experts will also be on hand to discuss development, testing, and project management.

• Improve quality, monitor compliance, reduce risk, and deliver projects on time
• Manage traceability and compliance across requirements, development, and testing with Seapine’s integrated suite of ALM tools
• Use an integrated lightweight approach to project management to become more agile throughout the application lifecycle
• Measure development lifecycle efficiency with enterprise reporting

You’ll also learn what’s new in upcoming releases of Seapine’s TestTrack and Surround SCM.

This is a free event, but space is limited. Register Now!

P.S. We’re planning more stops for early 2011, leave a comment if you’d like to see us come to your city!

To activate this feature:
1) Launch the Surround SCM GUI Client
2) Open the User Options dialog (Tools -> User Options)
3) Select “View/Edit File” in the pane on the left side.
4) Select “All other text files” (“View”) and click the “Edit…” button.
5) Select “Associated Application” from the “Open files with:” combo box.
6) Click “OK”.
7) Repeat 4-6 for the remaining file types.

Now try it out. Select a file from the source view window, right-click (CTRL-click),  and select “View File” or “Edit File”. The default application for the selected file should launch.

Surround SCM uses the .MySCMServerInfo file, which is included in each working directory, to quickly determine file status. I have blogged about this file before.

What Does Each Status Mean?

The status may be one of the following:

Current - The local file is in sync with the latest version on the server.

Modified - The local file has been modified and the changes have not been checked in yet.

Old - The local file is outdated. The server version has been updated and the local version had not been updated.

Old, Modified - The local file has been modified and the changes have not been checked in. The file on the server has also been modified and this change is not in the local file.  A likely scenario for this is when more than one user works on the same file at the same time.

Missing - The local file is not in the local working directory.

Unknown - Surround SCM cannot determine the status. Usually this is because the .MySCMServerInfo file is not found in the local directory or is corrupt.

Working Directory Conflict - Occurs when a working directory for one branch or repository is being assigned to another branch or repository.

Why is my Status Incorrect?

This is a question that comes up every once in a while. The file status in Surround SCM is modified but, when you view differences between the server and the local version, it does not show any changes. The likely cause is a user setting in the Surround SCM client.  Under Tools > User Options, select the General category.  There you will find a File Comparison setting, which defaults to by timestamp.

This works most of the time, but not always.  Some applications change the modified date of a file when it closes it even if the file has not been modified. Because the local file timestamp is different from what Surround SCM has, it thinks the file has been modified and reflects this in the status.  For a more stringent comparison, change the setting to by timestamp and CRC. After Surround SCM sees the discrepancy in the dates, it would go on to check the CRC.  In our scenario, this would be the same and the status would remain Current.

Download video in mp4 format

Q&A

1. Anything new for Dreamweaver integration or plans for it?

There is a bug in CS5 that prevents smooth integration. If you have an existing project that was migrated from CS4 you should have no problems. If you are creating a new project with CS5 there is a workaround.

You need to add a string to this registry location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Seapine Software\Surround SCM\SCM Client\

The registry value should be called ‘SCCDWSite_SITENAME’ (where SITENAME is the name of the site) and the string is the user’s working directory path.

Then the site definition file needs this snippet for Dreamweaver to call into Surround SCM’s DLL:

<serverlist>
<server servermodel=”" servertype=”remoteServer” weburl=”http://localhost/” connectionsmigrated=”FALSE” serverobjectsversion=”1″ defaultdoctype=”HTML”    accesstype=”sourcecontrol” name=”Remote%20Server” maintainSyncInfo=”TRUE” autoUpload=”FALSE” enablecheckin=”TRUE” checkoutname=”administrator” checkoutwhenopen=”TRUE” emailaddress=”" scstype=”Surround%20SCM”/>
</serverlist>

2. Do you support Web Services via SOAP?

We do not currently offer a SOAP web service. However we do offer a .NET and Java API and it would be relatively easy to create your own SOAP API using ASP (with the .NET API) or JSP (with the Java API).

3. What is the turnaround time for adding features to the API? Is this linked to the Surround SCM development cycle?

Yes, it is an actively managed and developed API. New features are added to the API based on customer feedback and as new features are added to Surround SCM.

1. Create users through the Seapine License Server.
2. Integrate your LDAP server with the Seapine License Server.
3. Add users in the Surround SCM client.

Download video in mp4 format

For a complete walk-through, watch the video. The following steps provide a brief overview of adding users.

Important notes:

• Initially, the default administrator is the only user  that can access Surround SCM.
• Make sure the Surround SCM Server and the Seapine License Server are running prior to following these steps.

Adding Users

1. Log in to Surround SCM as the default administrator. Username:  Administrator. Leave the password field empty.
2. Choose View > Users.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter the user’s name, username, password, and email address. Tip: You must enter an email address if you want to use notifications.
5. Click the Groups tab and assign the user to a security group.
6. Click the License tab and assign a license to the user.
7. Click OK and you’re all set.

Adding Users via LDAP

If you want to try out the LDAP integration, follow the instructions for connecting to your LDAP server through the License Server admin utility. Once the connection is working, click the Add LDAP User button on the License Server admin utility Global Users dialog to retrieve users from the LDAP database.

After you have added the users to the Seapine License Server:

1. Log in to Surround SCM as the default administrator. Username:  Administrator. Leave the password field empty.
2. Choose View > Users.
3. Click Retrieve Global User…
4. Select the users you want to add.
5. Edit each new user.
6. Click the Groups tab and assign the user to a security group.
7. Click the License tab and assign a license to the user.

A little more upfront work if you go through LDAP, but once it’s set up all of the user information syncs with your LDAP system so future maintenance is reduced.

Surround SCM Installation Walk Through (PDF)

download video in mp4 format

• Ways to script and automate repetitive tasks through the Surround SCM API
• How to simplify complex tasks, such as build creation and code review, with custom client menus
• Tips for Xcode, Microsoft Visual Studio, and Eclipse integrations

If you’re looking for the time-saving benefits of increased automation and seamless IDE integration, you can’t afford to miss this event. Register now!

I have re-written this tool with two major differences:

• I used the Surround SCM API instead of the CLI.
• The tool is designed to be launched by a custom menu in the Surround SCM client, giving you a more native feel.

There are other minor enhancements as well:

• Choose whether to do a case sensitive search or not.
• Choose whether to search recursively or not.
• Choose whether to save your password or not (in plain text).

Other than that, the basic functionality is the same.  Specify a directory where the tool will get the latest version of the files in the “Current” repository and branch.  The tool will search the file contents and return in sscm:// format if  it contain the specified text.  Click on the Go To File to see the file in the Surround SCM client.

As with the original tool, it will only search those files of type “text”, “UTF-8″ and “UTF-16″.

You can download the file here.  I have included a sample XML file that you can use to configure the plug in in your Surround SCM client.

Using the tool

Once you set up the plugin file and place it in the \Surround SCM\plugins directory, and use the icon provided, you should be able to access the tool like this:

Repository Context Menu

When the tools open for the very first time, or when a configuration file is not found, you will be prompted to enter information needed to connect to Surround SCM using the API:

Initial Window

The following information is needed:

Temporary Folder Location: Specify a local folder on your machine where the tool can get the files to do the search.  Make sure that this is not your working directory and that it is not under some directory where permissions might be an issue.  After the tool search is finished, it deletes the files.

Surround SCM Server Address: Enter the IP address or host name of your Surround SCM server.

Surround SCM Server Port: Enter the port number of your Surround SCM server.

User Name: Specify the user name to use for the tool to log in using the Surround SCM API.  You can use your user name, however, you may want to talk to your Administrator about creating an API-only user.

Password: The password for the user specified. If you check the box below to save the username, it will be saved in clear text.

Searching for file content

Once the connection information is configured you can start searching for file content.  Following are all the fields and options:

Branch: Read only field, populated by the tool when it loads.  Contains the currently selected branch.

Repository: Read only field, populated by the tool when it loads. Contains the currently selected repository.

Text to search: Enter the text to search for in the contents of files.  By default the search will not be case sensitive.  Wildcards and regular expressions are not currently supported.

Search Options

Case Sensitive: Check the “Case Sensitive” box if you wish to do a case sensitive search.

Recursive: Check the “Recursive” box if you wish your search to also include all child repositories.

Find: Once you have entered the text to search and optionally checked any of the search options, click on this button to start the search.

Results: Window that displays the files found to contain the specified text.

Go To File: Uses the sscm:// protocol to show the file in Surround SCM. This opens a new Surround SCM Source Tree Window.

Note: This is a tool that I created on my own and it is not an official Seapine Software release. If you have any questions please send them to me or just leave a comment.