Revision control

Revision control provides developers and administrators with a means of reverting to a previous version of a file or form. If during the process of creating or modifying forms you find an error, revision control returns a working version of your file or form.

Revision control allows a developer to:

• Create a snapshot of a record
• Add SCR information and comments to the snapshot
• Replace the current version of the record with a working version of the record at any time.

Use revision control in conjunction with the development auditing to track, record, and save changes to your system. The development auditing utility provides a record of the changes to ensure that you load the correct version when you move to production, whereas revision control documents these changes and enables you to create working snapshots.

Service Manager handles revisions as part of the Document Engine. Revisions are available in all utilities that use the Document Engine as base code, including Database Manager, Format Control, Link Editor, Forms Designer, the RAD Editor, and others.

The system stores revisions in a separate file whose name is specified in either the object record for the file or in the datadict record. The system creates this revision file via an option on the Data Policy or the object screen. Administrators specify the maximum number of revisions to store for each record in a file. If you do not specify a number, an unlimited number is stored.

Administrators need to determine in advance in which files to track revisions and then do a minor setup to establish them. Administrators also need to purge revisions prior to migrating to a production system.

Create revisions

The revisions option for Data Policy creates a revision database dictionary record, whose name is specified on the Engine Specifications tab. You can create revisions either for an entire set of records or for a single form or record. You must be at the start panel of the application you are working with to create baseline revisions for an entire set of records. For example, you create a baseline revision of all the forms in the Forms Designer from the Forms Designer main menu.

When you create a revision, you create a copy of the record only, not the associated database dictionary record. As a result, any time a field is added to a database dictionary record, you add it to the revision file database dictionary record.

Create a baseline revision

Applies to User Roles:

System Administrator

To create a baseline revision:

1. Open a search screen for a form or file that supports revisions. For example, the Forms Designer application.
2. Click More of the More Actions icon.
3. Click Revision.
4. Click Create Baseline Revision. A dialog box opens.
5. Enter the SCR information or click Ok to begin.
   The system creates a copy of all the records in the application, in this case every form in the Forms Design application.

Create a single revision

Applies to User Roles:

System Administrator

To create a single revision:

1. Open a form or file that supports revisions. For example, a RAD application in the RAD editor.
2. Click More of the More Actions icon.
3. Click Create Revision. The revision tracking panel opens.
4. Type in information relating to the revision. Make comments to help others understand the reason for the revision.
5. Click Save.
   A copy of the revision saves and you return to the main panel.

Revert to a previous revision

Applies to User Roles:

System Administrator

To revert to a previous revision:

1. Open the form you want to use a previous version of.
2. Click More or the More Actions icon.
3. Click Revision.
4. Click Revisions > Find Revisions.
5. Click the revision you want to restore.
6. Click Revert to this Revision from the More Actions menu. The system prompts you as to whether you want to save the current version of the record as a revision. It is recommended you do.

Search for revisions

Applies to User Roles:

System Administrator

To access the wizard creation tool:

1. Open an application that supports revisions. For example, the RAD editor or the Forms Designer.
2. Click More or the More Actions icon..

3. Click Revision > Find Revision.

   You can search for revisions using one or more of up to five of the following search criteria:

   • syslanguage — Search for revisions by language indicator. For example, en for English.
   • name — Search for revisions by name. For example, cc.incquick.
   • Revision Date — Search for revisions by date in the format month/day/year.
   • Operator — Search for revisions by operator name. Enter the name of the operator that created the revision. For example, SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR.
   • SCR# — Search for revisions by SCR number. For example, 42.

Purge revisions

Applies to User Roles:

System Administrator

Purge scripts help administrators with revision maintenance. The sc.revision.purge.hanging script purges all revisions that no longer have a parent record because the parent record was deleted or renamed. The sc.revision.purge script purges all revisions from the system.

There are two options available when purging revisions.

To search for revisions:

• Purge All Revision Records removes all revisions from your system.
• Purge Hanging Revisions removes only hanging revisions from your system. A hanging revision is a revision with no associated file or form. For example, if you create a form, create a revision of the form and then delete the original form, the revision remains on the system but with no associated file or form.

1. Log in as a System Administrator.
2. Click System Administration > Base System Configuration > Miscellaneous > Purge Hanging Revision Records.
3. To remove hanging revisions from your system, click Purge Hanging Revisions Records.
4. To remove all revisions from your system, click Purge All Revision Records.