About checking out directories

Directories and files are under HCL VersionVault source control. Having versions of directories can be helpful if, for example, you rename a source file used in a particular release and then modify your makefile to reflect this change. If you need to rebuild a previous release, you can set up your view to select the version of the directory that contains the file under its previous name.

On Linux and UNIX® systems

To add a file or subdirectory to HCL VersionVault control, you must first check out the parent directory. It is a common mistake that, after checking out a parent directory and adding elements to it, users forget to check in the directory. If you check out a directory, you can see its modified contents from your view, but other users cannot see the modifications until you check it in. For more information, see the checkout reference page.

On Windows® systems

You rarely need to check out a directory explicitly. The parent directory of a file is checked out and checked in when you add the file to source control. In a directory under version control, a new version of the directory is created when you add or rename a file element under source control.

Tip: When you issue commands from a command-line interface (CLI) such as an MS-DOS command prompt, directories are not checked out automatically. When using a CLI to change a directory element, you must check out the directory explicitly. For more information about checking out files and directories from a CLI, see the checkout reference page.