Team software development with ClearCase

DevOps Code ClearCase® provides configuration management services that make it easy for development teams to work with resources in a shared repository. With the ClearTeam® Explorer, developers can access DevOps Code ClearCase from a variety of network connections, including broadband (WAN) and traditional local area networks (LANs). The ClearTeam Explorer also supports WAN access to Rational® ClearQuest® user databases.

DevOps Code ClearCase provides a secure repository and integrated configuration management tools that enable a variety of operations on repository contents. The ClearTeam Explorer provides developers with access to DevOps Code ClearCase repositories and configuration management services supported by a DevOps Code ClearCase server called the CCRC WAN server. The ClearTeam Explorer also provides access to Rational ClearQuest user databases supported by a Rational ClearQuest server.

The ClearTeam Explorer is powered by Eclipse technology. Eclipse is an open source platform for the construction of powerful software development tools and rich desktop applications. For more information about Eclipse, see the Eclipse Web site at https://www.eclipse.org

The ClearTeam Explorer and ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse

The ClearTeam Explorer is available in two forms:

  • The ClearTeam Explorer, which is designed for use outside of the Eclipse integrated development environment, and includes:
    • Viewers, such as the ClearTeam Navigator view and ClearTeam Details view, that provide access to resources loaded into DevOps Code ClearCase views and the ability to browse the contents of remote DevOps Code ClearCase repositories.
    • Dialog boxes that implement operations such as check out and check in.
    • Wizards that automate tasks such as joining a UCM project and creating ClearCase views
    • Toolbars and context menus that provide access to the windows and wizards
  • The ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse, which integrates the ClearTeam Explorer with the software development environments provided by Eclipse. When you install the ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse into an Eclipse environment, all ClearTeam Explorer viewers are available in the ClearCase Explorer perspective and can also be added to other Eclipse perspectives. Dialog boxes and wizards are accessible from DevOps Code ClearCase toolbars (which can be added to any Eclipse perspective that supports a team provider) and also from the Eclipse Team context menu.
Most Help topics for the ClearTeam Explorer also apply to the ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse. When a ClearCase operation behaves differently in the Eclipse environment than it does in a standalone environment, the differences are noted when the behaviors are described.

DevOps Code ClearCase development models

DevOps Code ClearCase supports two development models:

  • Unified Change Management (UCM), which is a pre-configured, activity-based change management process.
  • Base ClearCase, which is a set of tools that you can use to create a configuration management process tailored to your specific needs.

Your project manager determines which development model your team uses.

Both the ClearTeam Explorer and ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse support UCM and base ClearCase. To get started, see Using the ClearTeam Explorer or Using the ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse.

Documentation

In addition to the Help available with the ClearTeam Explorer, you can find detailed information about developing software using either base ClearCase or UCM in the DevOps Code ClearCase documentation.

Context-sensitive Help

Every view and dialog box in the ClearTeam Explorer provides context-sensitive Help. To get Help for the ClearTeam Explorer interface that has the current focus, press the platform-specific help key (such as F1 on Windows).

Accessibility features

Accessibility features help users who have a physical disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use information technology products successfully.

Note: The accessibility features mentioned here apply to the Windows operating system. Some of these features also work on Linux, but are not officially supported at this time.

These accessibility features support the following things:

  • Keyboard-only operation
  • Interfaces that are commonly used by screen readers

For example, to set up a key binding to be able to move from the ClearCase Navigator view to the ClearTeam Details view in the ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse, select Window -> Preferences -> General ->Keys -> Show View (View: ClearTeam Details). You can associate any binding to this command (such as Alt+Shift+Q , D) as long as there is no conflict with an existing binding.

Screen resolution

For Linux and Unix installations, the minimum recommended screen resolution is 1280x1024. If a lower resolution is used, some dialogs might be truncated or incomplete. In the event that lower screen resolutions are used and truncation occurs, a workaround is to resize the dialog manually.