Python and version control

[Carl]

Dear friends,

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working in a
Windows environment?

When you work on a Visual C++ project then it's easy, use Visual Source Safe
for your source code! But when it comes to large Python projects and no
universal Python IDE with version control integration is available,
checking in and out files is not as simple. I am a keen user of Emacs, but
version control, which is very simple when you are in a Linux environment,
for example, is not a straightforward in Windows.

What is the most common adopted approach among Python developers working in
a Windows environment?

Carl

 

[Steve Holden]

Dear friends,

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working in a
Windows environment?

When you work on a Visual C++ project then it's easy, use Visual Source Safe
for your source code! But when it comes to large Python projects and no
universal Python IDE with version control integration is available,
checking in and out files is not as simple. I am a keen user of Emacs, but
version control, which is very simple when you are in a Linux environment,
for example, is not a straightforward in Windows.

What is the most common adopted approach among Python developers working in
a Windows environment?

Carl

You can integrate PythonWin and version control if you know the
appropriate incantation. Vss used to work fine, but I upgraded and
couldn't be bothered to go through the installation steps again.

regards
Steve

 

[Sergei Organov]

[...]

I am a keen user of Emacs, but version control, which is very simple
when you are in a Linux environment, for example, is not a
straightforward in Windows.

Emacs + CVS (or CVSNT) should work just fine in Windows either.

 

[Peter Hansen]

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working in a
Windows environment?

What is the most common adopted approach among Python developers working in
a Windows environment?

I never liked coupling the two together like that. Instead
I use tools like TortoiseCVS or (now) TortoiseSVN with a
Subversion repository. These things let you access revision
control features from context (right-button) menus right in
Windows Explorer, as you browse the file system.

The best part is that they work regardless of which editor or
other tool you have to work with, and you aren't at the mercy
of a greedy corporation that decides it's time for you to
upgrade so you can give them more money. You can also use
the command line tools when appropriate, of course.

--

BTW, as a general caution: while Visual Source Safe may be
"easy", it's also dangerous and has been known to corrupt
many a code base, mine included. I wouldn't touch the product
with a virtual ten-foot pole, and I strongly recommend to anyone
who is stuck using it -- *especially in a multi-programmer
environment* -- that they immediately abandon it in favour
of something more stable. (Google can fill in background detail
for anyone interested.)

-Peter

 

[Joe Francia]

Dear friends,

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working in a
Windows environment?

When you work on a Visual C++ project then it's easy, use Visual Source Safe
for your source code! But when it comes to large Python projects and no
universal Python IDE with version control integration is available,
checking in and out files is not as simple. I am a keen user of Emacs, but
version control, which is very simple when you are in a Linux environment,
for example, is not a straightforward in Windows.

What is the most common adopted approach among Python developers working in
a Windows environment?

Carl

I don't know that you'll find a common approach. I use Subversion for
version control. For larger projects, I use Eclipse with the Pydev
plugin for editing, and the Subclipse plugin for talking to Subversion.
For smaller things, I usually just edit with SciTE and use the
TortoiseSVN Explorer extension or the command-line utilities for
checkins and updates.

Peace,
Joe

 

[Chris]

I don't know that you'll find a common approach. I use Subversion for
version control. For larger projects, I use Eclipse with the Pydev
plugin for editing, and the Subclipse plugin for talking to Subversion.
For smaller things, I usually just edit with SciTE and use the
TortoiseSVN Explorer extension or the command-line utilities for
checkins and updates.

Peace,
Joe

Hi Joe,

I'm curious. Why do you only use Eclipse for big projects?

 

[Timo Virkkala]

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working in a
Windows environment?

I would very much recommend Subversion. It's in no way specific to either
Windows or Python, but it's a wonderful tool. If you've ever used CVS, you'll
feel right at home. Or after 10 minutes of learning the commands, that is.

And as someone already suggested, TortoiseSVN is a great front-end for SVN. It
integrates with the Windows shell very nicely.

http://subversion.tigris.org/
http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/

 

[Tom Willis]

I'll throw in my reccomendation for svn as well. It just works.

 

[Joe Francia]

Hi Joe,

I'm curious. Why do you only use Eclipse for big projects?

Habit, mainly; plus it's easier for one-offs and single-file scripts to
just right-click a file in Explorer and "Edit with ScITE" and work from
there. And to further complicate matters, when in FreeBSD or Linux,
Eric3 and Kate fill the same roles as Eclipse and SciTE in Windows-land.

Peace,
Joe

 

[Caleb Hattingh]

Carl

What is the ultimate version control tool for Python if you are working
in a
Windows environment?

We use JEDI VCS (open source, free). To be fair, JEDI VCS actually
integrates into the Delphi IDE, which is what we use mostly. However, the
standard installation also installs a standalone client (as opposed to the
IDE client) that you can use for anything. Actually, we use the
standalone client for latex documentation, so I know it works well for
non-Delphi stuff.

The JEDI VCS server download (now) contains an embedded firebird database,
which makes setting up the whole server thing a total breeze. I just did
it a few days ago, took all of 2 minutes to set up the server and start
the service (and send a mail out to everyone asking them to install the
new client). Firebird is based on Interbase, if that means anything to
you.

You get full access controls (check-in/check-out), version history,
rollbacks, milestones, integrated diff, check-in requests, per-file
check-in/check-out comments, automated database backup, and so on. I
cannot recommend it highly enough actually Though we use it all the
time, we hardly think about it much, which is a really great feature for
this type of thing.

Of course, I have only used JEDI VCS, so I have nothing to compare it to:
ymmv.

keep well
Caleb

 

[Nick Craig-Wood]

[...]

I am a keen user of Emacs, but version control, which is very simple
when you are in a Linux environment, for example, is not a
straightforward in Windows.

Emacs + CVS (or CVSNT) should work just fine in Windows either.

When I have to edit stuff on windows I use emacs. Cvs works fine on
windows too. I haven't tried cvs in emacs on windows, but I suspect
it will work fine as all emacs does is shell out to the cvs binaries.

 

[Christos TZOTZIOY Georgiou]

BTW, as a general caution: while Visual Source Safe may be
"easy", it's also dangerous and has been known to corrupt
many a code base, mine included. I wouldn't touch the product
with a virtual ten-foot pole

Are you sure you got the acronym right?-) It seems that VSS provides viRTual
source-safety...

 

[Alan Kennedy]

[Peter Hansen]
[Christos TZOTZIOY Georgiou]

Are you sure you got the acronym right?-) It seems that VSS provides viRTual
source-safety...

In my circles, VSS is most often referred to as Visual Source Unsafe.

 

[Simon Brunning]

In my circles, VSS is most often referred to as Visual Source Unsafe.

I always find it amusing that VSS's icon is a safe - with the door wide open.