Comments on: Poor man’s code repository and versioning with Dropbox http://stevenbenner.com/2010/02/poor-mans-source-code-repository-and-versioning-with-dropbox/ Random articles about programming, computing and the internet. Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:54:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tim http://stevenbenner.com/2010/02/poor-mans-source-code-repository-and-versioning-with-dropbox/#comment-2123 Tim Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:50:11 +0000 http://stevenbenner.com/?p=185#comment-2123 After much soul-searching and far too much digging into SVN documentation, I finally decided to give Dropbox a try for a poor man's repository. I've been using it previously for a while now to sync and move files to and from work, but using it as a repository seems to be great so far as well. There are problems with SVN that just don't seem to be gracefully solved as a Flash developer (primarily); specifically: handling the needed .fla binary files, some of which can grow to ~8-10MB in size depending on how much assets are in the library (all code is in separate source files); and also handling the additional external assets (XML files, images, etc) needed locally to recreate the server environment during building/debugging. I've got my "repository" set up just like you would with a real repository -- trunk/branches/tags folders within each /client/project/ folder -- as well as a simple 'history.txt' file in the tags folder to track changes for each new 'tag' I add. All on-going work is done in the trunk folder; all stable releases are frozen as duped copies in the tags folder, and tests etc are done as branches. Sure, there's no merging, locking, or clearer history tools, but as a mostly-lone developer with very little overlap this is just fine. The best part is that so long as I keep my structure tidy, I should have very little problem moving to SVN in the future shall the need arise. Right now it's overkill by a large margin, so Dropbox is just perfect in the meantime. Anyway, [ramble ramble ramble], thanks for the post. After much soul-searching and far too much digging into SVN documentation, I finally decided to give Dropbox a try for a poor man’s repository. I’ve been using it previously for a while now to sync and move files to and from work, but using it as a repository seems to be great so far as well.

There are problems with SVN that just don’t seem to be gracefully solved as a Flash developer (primarily); specifically: handling the needed .fla binary files, some of which can grow to ~8-10MB in size depending on how much assets are in the library (all code is in separate source files); and also handling the additional external assets (XML files, images, etc) needed locally to recreate the server environment during building/debugging.

I’ve got my “repository” set up just like you would with a real repository — trunk/branches/tags folders within each /client/project/ folder — as well as a simple ‘history.txt’ file in the tags folder to track changes for each new ‘tag’ I add.

All on-going work is done in the trunk folder; all stable releases are frozen as duped copies in the tags folder, and tests etc are done as branches. Sure, there’s no merging, locking, or clearer history tools, but as a mostly-lone developer with very little overlap this is just fine.

The best part is that so long as I keep my structure tidy, I should have very little problem moving to SVN in the future shall the need arise. Right now it’s overkill by a large margin, so Dropbox is just perfect in the meantime.

Anyway, [ramble ramble ramble], thanks for the post.

]]> By: Steven Benner http://stevenbenner.com/2010/02/poor-mans-source-code-repository-and-versioning-with-dropbox/#comment-414 Steven Benner Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:45:00 +0000 http://stevenbenner.com/?p=185#comment-414 Personally, I do all of my work out of the DropBox folder, that way I can just work and forget about the syncs happening in the background. I've never had any issues, DropBox updates are just so fast, it syncs small files in a second or less after saving. Files that I have been editing do build of a large history fairly quickly. But since the free version only keeps this history for 30 days it isn't a big deal to me. If I had a subscription version of DropBox I might consider doing a check-in/check-out kind of system, but it probably wouldn't be worth the effort (for me). It's easy to spot a bunch of minor updates in a file's history, because they usually happen over the course of a couple minutes. The files with the most updates are also the files that you care the least about, objects, pdb's, dll's and executable files. I can see the history on these becoming huge but you will probably not find much use for the history of those files. This system is one of the "just works" tools for me. I set it up and forget about it. I just wish they would give out permanent history with the free version. :) Personally, I do all of my work out of the DropBox folder, that way I can just work and forget about the syncs happening in the background. I’ve never had any issues, DropBox updates are just so fast, it syncs small files in a second or less after saving. Files that I have been editing do build of a large history fairly quickly. But since the free version only keeps this history for 30 days it isn’t a big deal to me.

If I had a subscription version of DropBox I might consider doing a check-in/check-out kind of system, but it probably wouldn’t be worth the effort (for me). It’s easy to spot a bunch of minor updates in a file’s history, because they usually happen over the course of a couple minutes.

The files with the most updates are also the files that you care the least about, objects, pdb’s, dll’s and executable files. I can see the history on these becoming huge but you will probably not find much use for the history of those files.

This system is one of the “just works” tools for me. I set it up and forget about it. I just wish they would give out permanent history with the free version. :)

]]> By: Mike Wilson http://stevenbenner.com/2010/02/poor-mans-source-code-repository-and-versioning-with-dropbox/#comment-403 Mike Wilson Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:19:08 +0000 http://stevenbenner.com/?p=185#comment-403 Great article, I love DropBox myself too :) Quick question: Do you work on your solution files within the DropBox folder or do you copy (as a backup/check in) to your DropBox folder after working from a different local folder? The reason I ask is that during the course of normal software development you will be saving minor changes to a whole array of files (minor like adding or removing whitespace) each time you run or compile your project that DropBox may get confused (does it?) and/or you end up with a rather huge history of files. Thanks :) Mike Great article, I love DropBox myself too :)

Quick question: Do you work on your solution files within the DropBox folder or do you copy (as a backup/check in) to your DropBox folder after working from a different local folder?

The reason I ask is that during the course of normal software development you will be saving minor changes to a whole array of files (minor like adding or removing whitespace) each time you run or compile your project that DropBox may get confused (does it?) and/or you end up with a rather huge history of files.

Thanks :)

Mike

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