CVS Synchronization View

Modes

There are three different viewing modes (filters) that you can use in this view to make the synchronization process easier:

Incoming

In this mode, only resources which have been changed in the repository since they were last loaded or synchronized with those in the Workbench (incoming changes) are visible. If you have incoming changes when you synchronize, you will start off in this mode.

Outgoing

In this mode, only resources which have been modified in the Workbench (outgoing changes) are visible. If you do not have incoming changes when you synchronize, you will start in this mode.

Incoming/Outgoing

In this mode both incoming and outgoing changes are shown, and you can both update and commit. You will remain in this mode with future synchronizations until you close the view.  The advantage to using this dual mode is you can do either task as you choose. The disadvantage is that performing a simultaneous bi-directional merge is often complicated. In addition, you risk accidentally committing a conflict when you meant to update to it. You can choose to always use Incoming/Outgoing mode on the Workbench preferences page (Window> Preferences > CVS).

Modes not only filter the set of visible changes but also restrict the set of operations available. You can switch modes using the toolbar of the Synchronization view.

The advantages to modes are:

• they support and encourage the ideal work flow
• they reduce the amount of information you are faced with at any one time
• they provide a degree of safety restricting you to those operations appropriate to that mode. For example, you can't accidentally commit a conflict when in incoming mode.

Regardless of the mode that you select, you will always see any conflicts that exist. You can filter out other outgoing and incoming changes by clicking the Show Only Conflicts button.  You can also choose to Compare File Contents (and show only those resources whose contents differ), Ignore Whitespace differences or Refresh From Repository from the dropdown menu of this view.

Important: It is preferable to update resources in the Workbench first, resolve any conflicts that exist by merging, then commit Workbench resources to the repository.