Subversion tortoise
Author: s | 2025-04-24
To start, download Subversion and Tortoise SVN. Install Subversion, and then install Tortoise SVN. If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49.00) or What Is Tortoise SVN? Tortoise SVN is a free, easy to use, open source Windows shell extension for the Apache Subversion version control system. Subversion provides a
How to install Tortoise Subversion
Locking files for other users. Instead, you simply work on your code, and when you’re done you can check in all changes using Tortoise SVN. Not having source control inside of Visual Studio may sound like blasphemy if you’ve used Visual SourceSafe, Vault, or another integrated source code control provider. I was skeptical about lacking Visual Studio integration when I started out, but I find I really don’t miss the integration with Visual Studio. More importantly, I don’t miss the problems that go with integrated source control in Visual Studio, where the provider manager often gets confused, especially in complex Visual Studio solutions and shared project scenarios. Using Subversion has simplified many irritating scenarios that formerly required constant fiddling with Visual Studio and the source providers.Subversion is based on a file system tracking mechanism, so it is essentially tool agnostic. In fact, I now use Subversion with both .NET projects and my old FoxPro projects?the process is identical, which helps with consistency. Subversion also allows storage of all sorts of files, from documentation to support files, that otherwise wouldn’t be part of a Visual Studio project.Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the July/August 2008 issue of CoDe Magazine, and is reprinted here by permission.InstallationTo start, download Subversion and Tortoise SVN. Install Subversion, and then install Tortoise SVN. If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49.00) or the free Ankh tool.Tortoise works as a front-end UI to Subversion. They are version-dependent, so you should always install the latest version of each.VisualSVN integrates with Visual Studio, but uses Tortoise for most of its UI.I’ll walk you through the process of creating a new repository and adding a Visual Studio Solution with a couple of projects to it.If you are not setting up a new repository and just need to create a local copy from Subversion repository, just skip ahead to the Creating a Local Copy section.Configuration for Tortoise SVNBefore doing anything else, I suggest you make one small configuration change in Tortoise SVN?change the name of the local SVN repositories from .svn to _svn. Visual Studio has issues with folders that start with a period so it’s best to use the _svn prefix, especially if you decide later on to use a tool that integrates with Visual Studio.?Figure 1. Tortoise SVN Settings General Tab: It’s a good idea to set up Tortoise SVN to use _svn instead of Ource control is an important aspect in software development even if you are not doing team development. It can help you manage your application more efficiently and make sure that your project is backed up and can be rolled back to any state on the file or project level. I recently got acquainted with the open source Subversion and Tortoise SVN tools, and?for the first time?feel that this is source control that I can live with comfortably. This article describes all you need to know to get started with Subversion and Tortoise SVN for Visual Studio projects.You’ll see how to install and configure the Subversion source control tool and a walkthrough of the basic steps required to set up local Visual Studio projects using Tortoise SVN. Note that this article isn’t meant to be a comprehensive tutorial on Subversion; it’s a quick, what-you-need-to-know, step-by-step installation guide.What Is Subversion?Subversion is an open source control repository tool. It is widely used by many open source projects and increasingly by many large development teams in general. It’s fast and efficient, small and easy to install. and because it’s open source?it’s also free. Subversion is file based and keeps its repository in a simple directory structure that you can copy and back up easily.You can graphically access Subversion via Tortoise SVN, which is an Explorer Shell Extension that provides access to most of Subversion’s command-line interface through Explorer Context menus and overlay icons for files under source control. This is very powerful as it lets you use a familiar Explorer interface as your source code browser and, more importantly, because it very easily lets you see source control files in relation to the actual directory structure and what is and isn’t under source control.Subversion subscribes to the Copy-Modify-Merge philosophy of source control, which means that files are never locked and nobody ever “owns” a file. Instead, Subversion manages changes by merging source files with any changes made, and notifies you of conflicts only if there are changes that cannot be merged (such as conflicting changes to the same line of code).Tortoise SVN is a GUI front to Subversion that runs as an Explorer shell extension.Coming from a background of using integrated security in Visual Studio, the merge approach seemed doubtful at first; however, it turns out that it smooths the development process considerably, because you don’t have to worry about constant check-out/check-in scenarios andHow to install Tortoise Subversion (TortoiseSVN)
.svn, because Visual Studio has issues with directories that start with a period.Make sure you’ve installed Tortoise SVN. Go into Explorer and right-click anywhere on a file or folder. On the shortcut menu, choose TortoiseSVN, then choose Settings and check the “Use ‘_svn’ instead of ‘.svn'” check box on the General tab as shown in Figure 1.Create a New Repository with Tortoise SVNNow you’re ready to create a new repository. The repository is a storage location on disk where Tortoise SVN stores all the versioned data. You can store the repository on your local machine or a remote server where users can access it either through the Subversion Daemon service or through HTTP via an Apache module (a separate install). The key is that you need to create the repository on that machine.To create a repository, create a main folder for your main Subversion repository. I prefer to use a top-level folder so it’s easy to find and back up. So choose something like d:subversion and do the following:Create the folder d:subversion.Right-click TortoiseSVN and choose “Create repository here.”Set up permissions for this repository.To set up permissions, you need to configure d:subversionconfsvnserve.conf and set a password.In SvnServe.conf: [general] # anon-access = read auth-access = write password-db = passwd realm = SummaLpThis configuration enables only authenticated access to the repository, provides write access for authenticated users, and no access for anonymous users.Next, edit the password file (password with no extension) and add any names you want to allow as key value pairs. For example: [users] ricks = wonkiewind billp = haggardSetting Up to Run Subversion as a ServiceWith the repository created, the next step is to make it accessible remotely. Subversion comes with a built-in Daemon server that can serve your repository data over a TCP/IP connection (port 3690 by default). Alternatively, you can use Apache and an Apache module to connect to the repository over HTTP. The TCP/IP service is native to Subversion and is easiest to set up. It’s also faster than the HTTP integration. However, the HTTP integration runs through Apache and offers better security and authentication, as well as access through port 80. This article describes only how to use the TCP/IP Daemon service.The file BIN directory of the Subversion installation provides the service. While you can run the .exe file explicitly to start the server you’ll definitely want to install it as a service instead. To do. To start, download Subversion and Tortoise SVN. Install Subversion, and then install Tortoise SVN. If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49.00) orA Subversion server for windows (SVN) for Tortoise Client
Best TortoiseSVN Alternatives for MacAre you still using TortoiseSVN? Let's compare it to the best other options below. Maybe one of these TortoiseSVN alternatives will work on your device, too.SmartSVNFreemiumMacWindowsLinuxSmartSVN is a graphical client for the Open Source version control system Subversion (SVN). SmartSVN targets professionals who demand a reliable, efficient and...Features:PortableVersion and Source controlVersionsCommercialMacVersions provides a pleasant way to work with Subversion on your Mac. Whether you’re a hardcore Subversion user or new to version control systems, Versions will help...CornerstoneCommercialMacCornerstone is a version control app built on Subversion that makes serious version control easier than ever. With full support for all of Subversion's rich...RapidSVNFreeOpen SourceMacWindowsLinuxRapidSVN is a cross-platform GUI front-end for the Subversion revision system written in C++ using the wxWidgets framework. This project also includes a Subversion...XversionCommercialMacSuper easy enterprise class version control. Packed with features, blazing fast and beautifully designed. Xversion makes Subversion simple and intuitive with the...SnailSVNCommercialMacSimilar to Tortoise SVN for Windows but integrated into Finder.Features:Developer ToolsMac AppsVersion and Source control Integration with Tortoise SVN directly from within Visual Studio (see Figure 14). VisualSVN works with your existing Subversion folders, so it doesn’t use the Visual Studio version control provider (SCC). Instead, it talks to the Tortoise SVN APIs and gets its data directly from the file store.VisualSVN gives you access to most of Tortoise’s functionality directly from Visual Studio, and you’ll see Tortoise dialogs pop up for most of its operations. What’s nice about the integration is that VisualSVN knows about Visual Studio .NET file types, and automatically adds project files to source control. That saves an extra step, and lets you use standard Visual Studio project workflow to manipulate project items. One thing that’s definitely easier is creation of new projects; you just select Add to Subversion and VisualSVN takes care of creating the branch and checking out the files for you.Although I’ve been using VisualSVN for a while now, I still find myself working in Explorer with the shell integration frequently?it’s often faster. It’s definitely nice to see file status right in the IDE, and it’s also convenient if you frequently add new files to the system, because VisualSVN also understands Visual Studio file associations, and automatically adds all related files.VisualSVN isn’t free?it costs $49.00 per user?but it’s well worth the price if you need the Visual Studio integration.There are several other Visual Studio Subversion add-ins available, including a free tool called Ankh, but I had a number of issues with it so I didn’t try it for long. Development on Ankh seems to have ceased a long while ago, so it may be an abandoned product.Subversive DevelopmentSubversion has been a great boon for me. How can it not be with such a subversive name? I’ve teetered back and forth between using source control and not using it in the past, because I’ve had my share of problems with various Visual Studio source control providers. I’ve used several different tools on projects and in my own work, but most of the problems seem to originate not with the tools but within Visual Studio itself. The end result was that I’d use source control for a while, and then give up, because it got in the way.However, since I started working with Subversion, I’ve had no complaints about problems or compatibility in projects?even when using projects across multiple source control repositories; and that’s as it should be. I nowSetting Up and Running Subversion and Tortoise SVN with
Use source control on every project, even if it’s purely local and for myself. Source control should be an unobtrusive tool that helps you be more productive, not get in your way. Subversion fits that bill nicely.In this article, I’ve covered only the basics to get up and running. Subversion supports all the advanced features you’d expect of a top-notch source control system. If you need that functionality, it’s there for you. But if you’re just getting started, stick with the basics until you get familiar with Subversion and how it works?even the basic features take you a long way towards source code security and proper sharing between multiple developers.There’s much more functionality to cover. To find out more, read through the comprehensive and very readable Subversion and Tortoise documentation. Check it out?and get subversive yourself. Related Posts How to Bind Only Filtered Values to a Dropdown in AngularAMD acquires ZT Systems for $4.9 billionExtract All Numbers from a String in SQLDivide Two Positive Integers and Round UpConditional Catch Blocks in C#Setting up and running Subversion and Tortoise SVN
Microsoft had for it was in 2005 and it just hasn’t been getting attention from Microsoft since then. They are really pushing their Team Foundation Server solution, so we didn’t want to invest a lot of time in it. Team Foundation Server has a SQL Server backend, so it’s much more robust and powerful, as is SubVersion.When developing SQL Source Control, we didn’t want to invest too much time in SourceSafe because we’re still trying to understand the future plans of users who were still on Visual SourceSafe, especially with Microsoft ending mainstream support next year. We wanted to really make sure that there was a business case for investing in it. It is also more technically a challenge to integrate with because it doesn’t have a nice API for us to access. Simple Talk: So is there no support at all for Visual SourceSafe in the tool? Stephanie: Now we only support SubVersion and Team Foundation Server. Visual SourceSafe is probably the next most requested source control system we get, but… Simple Talk: But if it’s only for a year it seems hardly worthwhile. David: Yes, given it will take about three months or so to actually write the code to support it. The product is deprecated. Simple Talk: And once you’ve done that, testing the Visual SourceSafe integration is surely going to be a nightmare. Stephanie: Yeah, I think it’s April 2011 that support ends for Visual SourceSafe, according to the Microsoft website, so it’s even less than a year now. We do support two source control systems and the idea is to keep monitoring the source control popularity and, if there is a business case, to add more in the future: But V1.0 is restricted to just those two source control systems. Simple Talk: It would be rather cool to use the TortoiseSVN tool for settings. Stephanie: We do use your Tortoise repositories, so if you have browsed something in the repo browser, we use your Tortoise credentials, so we try to use that first and then if it’s not in Tortoise we’ll prompt you for the credentials to your Source Control system, and then we actually send that back to Tortoise’s SVN credentials cache.If you then use Tortoise to look at the history, which is also something we haven’t talked about yet, you know it’s remembered in Tortoise so you can easily access the repository. Simple Talk: That’s very convenient. So that if you were already a SubVersion user and you’ve set up Tortoise then you don’t have to set anything up in SQL Source Control? David: It will just pick up your username and password automatically and yeah, the ‘create‘ and ‘Add link’ dialogue will. To start, download Subversion and Tortoise SVN. Install Subversion, and then install Tortoise SVN. If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49.00) or What Is Tortoise SVN? Tortoise SVN is a free, easy to use, open source Windows shell extension for the Apache Subversion version control system. Subversion provides atortoisesvn - Tortoise subversion server v1.14 very slow
The repository against your local copy and run a comparison. There are two useful options: “Check for Modifications” and “Diff,” both of which let you know that things have changed.The “Check for Modifications” option shows you all files that differ between the local and remote versions. In a list view you can click on a file, which then brings up a Diff viewer. The built-in Diff tool shown in Figure 13 shows a side-by-side view of the differences between your local copy and the server copy.?Figure 13. Side-by-Side Changes: The built-in Diff tool lets you quickly see changes between your local copy and any version in the repository, and lets you update your copy.The tool shown in Figure 13 is the default Diff tool, but you can also specify a custom Diff tool, such as Beyond Compare.Subversion and Visual StudioThere’s really not much to say about Visual Studio support, because Subversion and Tortoise don’t work inside of Visual Studio. This also means that neither Subversion nor Tortoise SVN understand anything about Visual Studio file relationships (such as that between .aspx and aspx.cs files). Every file is treated as a single entity, so you need to manage any file relationships on your own, by checking in and updating all files explicitly.When you’re dealing with projects and solutions you also want to carefully consider whether project and solution settings affect other users. For example, you may have local settings for connecting to a local copy of SQL Server that has a different server name than for other users; or the Web virtual path you created locally is different than that in the main application; or your local paths may not be the same as the projects in the repository.You may have to check out the project and solution files, modify them, and then leave them checked out permanently on your end to avoid updating your locally specific changes back to the global repository. It’s best to have settings configured in such a way that they work for all developers on the team, but that’s not always possible. Documenting which parts of .config files need to be managed explicitly can be extremely helpful in getting new developers up to speed as quickly as possible.Visual SVN?Figure 14. VS Integration: VisualSVN integrates Tortoise SVN directly into Visual Studio.If you prefer to have Visual Studio integration for source control, you can check out VisualSVN, which providesComments
Locking files for other users. Instead, you simply work on your code, and when you’re done you can check in all changes using Tortoise SVN. Not having source control inside of Visual Studio may sound like blasphemy if you’ve used Visual SourceSafe, Vault, or another integrated source code control provider. I was skeptical about lacking Visual Studio integration when I started out, but I find I really don’t miss the integration with Visual Studio. More importantly, I don’t miss the problems that go with integrated source control in Visual Studio, where the provider manager often gets confused, especially in complex Visual Studio solutions and shared project scenarios. Using Subversion has simplified many irritating scenarios that formerly required constant fiddling with Visual Studio and the source providers.Subversion is based on a file system tracking mechanism, so it is essentially tool agnostic. In fact, I now use Subversion with both .NET projects and my old FoxPro projects?the process is identical, which helps with consistency. Subversion also allows storage of all sorts of files, from documentation to support files, that otherwise wouldn’t be part of a Visual Studio project.Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the July/August 2008 issue of CoDe Magazine, and is reprinted here by permission.InstallationTo start, download Subversion and Tortoise SVN. Install Subversion, and then install Tortoise SVN. If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49.00) or the free Ankh tool.Tortoise works as a front-end UI to Subversion. They are version-dependent, so you should always install the latest version of each.VisualSVN integrates with Visual Studio, but uses Tortoise for most of its UI.I’ll walk you through the process of creating a new repository and adding a Visual Studio Solution with a couple of projects to it.If you are not setting up a new repository and just need to create a local copy from Subversion repository, just skip ahead to the Creating a Local Copy section.Configuration for Tortoise SVNBefore doing anything else, I suggest you make one small configuration change in Tortoise SVN?change the name of the local SVN repositories from .svn to _svn. Visual Studio has issues with folders that start with a period so it’s best to use the _svn prefix, especially if you decide later on to use a tool that integrates with Visual Studio.?Figure 1. Tortoise SVN Settings General Tab: It’s a good idea to set up Tortoise SVN to use _svn instead of
2025-03-31Ource control is an important aspect in software development even if you are not doing team development. It can help you manage your application more efficiently and make sure that your project is backed up and can be rolled back to any state on the file or project level. I recently got acquainted with the open source Subversion and Tortoise SVN tools, and?for the first time?feel that this is source control that I can live with comfortably. This article describes all you need to know to get started with Subversion and Tortoise SVN for Visual Studio projects.You’ll see how to install and configure the Subversion source control tool and a walkthrough of the basic steps required to set up local Visual Studio projects using Tortoise SVN. Note that this article isn’t meant to be a comprehensive tutorial on Subversion; it’s a quick, what-you-need-to-know, step-by-step installation guide.What Is Subversion?Subversion is an open source control repository tool. It is widely used by many open source projects and increasingly by many large development teams in general. It’s fast and efficient, small and easy to install. and because it’s open source?it’s also free. Subversion is file based and keeps its repository in a simple directory structure that you can copy and back up easily.You can graphically access Subversion via Tortoise SVN, which is an Explorer Shell Extension that provides access to most of Subversion’s command-line interface through Explorer Context menus and overlay icons for files under source control. This is very powerful as it lets you use a familiar Explorer interface as your source code browser and, more importantly, because it very easily lets you see source control files in relation to the actual directory structure and what is and isn’t under source control.Subversion subscribes to the Copy-Modify-Merge philosophy of source control, which means that files are never locked and nobody ever “owns” a file. Instead, Subversion manages changes by merging source files with any changes made, and notifies you of conflicts only if there are changes that cannot be merged (such as conflicting changes to the same line of code).Tortoise SVN is a GUI front to Subversion that runs as an Explorer shell extension.Coming from a background of using integrated security in Visual Studio, the merge approach seemed doubtful at first; however, it turns out that it smooths the development process considerably, because you don’t have to worry about constant check-out/check-in scenarios and
2025-04-08.svn, because Visual Studio has issues with directories that start with a period.Make sure you’ve installed Tortoise SVN. Go into Explorer and right-click anywhere on a file or folder. On the shortcut menu, choose TortoiseSVN, then choose Settings and check the “Use ‘_svn’ instead of ‘.svn'” check box on the General tab as shown in Figure 1.Create a New Repository with Tortoise SVNNow you’re ready to create a new repository. The repository is a storage location on disk where Tortoise SVN stores all the versioned data. You can store the repository on your local machine or a remote server where users can access it either through the Subversion Daemon service or through HTTP via an Apache module (a separate install). The key is that you need to create the repository on that machine.To create a repository, create a main folder for your main Subversion repository. I prefer to use a top-level folder so it’s easy to find and back up. So choose something like d:subversion and do the following:Create the folder d:subversion.Right-click TortoiseSVN and choose “Create repository here.”Set up permissions for this repository.To set up permissions, you need to configure d:subversionconfsvnserve.conf and set a password.In SvnServe.conf: [general] # anon-access = read auth-access = write password-db = passwd realm = SummaLpThis configuration enables only authenticated access to the repository, provides write access for authenticated users, and no access for anonymous users.Next, edit the password file (password with no extension) and add any names you want to allow as key value pairs. For example: [users] ricks = wonkiewind billp = haggardSetting Up to Run Subversion as a ServiceWith the repository created, the next step is to make it accessible remotely. Subversion comes with a built-in Daemon server that can serve your repository data over a TCP/IP connection (port 3690 by default). Alternatively, you can use Apache and an Apache module to connect to the repository over HTTP. The TCP/IP service is native to Subversion and is easiest to set up. It’s also faster than the HTTP integration. However, the HTTP integration runs through Apache and offers better security and authentication, as well as access through port 80. This article describes only how to use the TCP/IP Daemon service.The file BIN directory of the Subversion installation provides the service. While you can run the .exe file explicitly to start the server you’ll definitely want to install it as a service instead. To do
2025-03-29Best TortoiseSVN Alternatives for MacAre you still using TortoiseSVN? Let's compare it to the best other options below. Maybe one of these TortoiseSVN alternatives will work on your device, too.SmartSVNFreemiumMacWindowsLinuxSmartSVN is a graphical client for the Open Source version control system Subversion (SVN). SmartSVN targets professionals who demand a reliable, efficient and...Features:PortableVersion and Source controlVersionsCommercialMacVersions provides a pleasant way to work with Subversion on your Mac. Whether you’re a hardcore Subversion user or new to version control systems, Versions will help...CornerstoneCommercialMacCornerstone is a version control app built on Subversion that makes serious version control easier than ever. With full support for all of Subversion's rich...RapidSVNFreeOpen SourceMacWindowsLinuxRapidSVN is a cross-platform GUI front-end for the Subversion revision system written in C++ using the wxWidgets framework. This project also includes a Subversion...XversionCommercialMacSuper easy enterprise class version control. Packed with features, blazing fast and beautifully designed. Xversion makes Subversion simple and intuitive with the...SnailSVNCommercialMacSimilar to Tortoise SVN for Windows but integrated into Finder.Features:Developer ToolsMac AppsVersion and Source control
2025-04-11Integration with Tortoise SVN directly from within Visual Studio (see Figure 14). VisualSVN works with your existing Subversion folders, so it doesn’t use the Visual Studio version control provider (SCC). Instead, it talks to the Tortoise SVN APIs and gets its data directly from the file store.VisualSVN gives you access to most of Tortoise’s functionality directly from Visual Studio, and you’ll see Tortoise dialogs pop up for most of its operations. What’s nice about the integration is that VisualSVN knows about Visual Studio .NET file types, and automatically adds project files to source control. That saves an extra step, and lets you use standard Visual Studio project workflow to manipulate project items. One thing that’s definitely easier is creation of new projects; you just select Add to Subversion and VisualSVN takes care of creating the branch and checking out the files for you.Although I’ve been using VisualSVN for a while now, I still find myself working in Explorer with the shell integration frequently?it’s often faster. It’s definitely nice to see file status right in the IDE, and it’s also convenient if you frequently add new files to the system, because VisualSVN also understands Visual Studio file associations, and automatically adds all related files.VisualSVN isn’t free?it costs $49.00 per user?but it’s well worth the price if you need the Visual Studio integration.There are several other Visual Studio Subversion add-ins available, including a free tool called Ankh, but I had a number of issues with it so I didn’t try it for long. Development on Ankh seems to have ceased a long while ago, so it may be an abandoned product.Subversive DevelopmentSubversion has been a great boon for me. How can it not be with such a subversive name? I’ve teetered back and forth between using source control and not using it in the past, because I’ve had my share of problems with various Visual Studio source control providers. I’ve used several different tools on projects and in my own work, but most of the problems seem to originate not with the tools but within Visual Studio itself. The end result was that I’d use source control for a while, and then give up, because it got in the way.However, since I started working with Subversion, I’ve had no complaints about problems or compatibility in projects?even when using projects across multiple source control repositories; and that’s as it should be. I now
2025-04-22Use source control on every project, even if it’s purely local and for myself. Source control should be an unobtrusive tool that helps you be more productive, not get in your way. Subversion fits that bill nicely.In this article, I’ve covered only the basics to get up and running. Subversion supports all the advanced features you’d expect of a top-notch source control system. If you need that functionality, it’s there for you. But if you’re just getting started, stick with the basics until you get familiar with Subversion and how it works?even the basic features take you a long way towards source code security and proper sharing between multiple developers.There’s much more functionality to cover. To find out more, read through the comprehensive and very readable Subversion and Tortoise documentation. Check it out?and get subversive yourself. Related Posts How to Bind Only Filtered Values to a Dropdown in AngularAMD acquires ZT Systems for $4.9 billionExtract All Numbers from a String in SQLDivide Two Positive Integers and Round UpConditional Catch Blocks in C#
2025-04-12