Set Up A Version Controlled Project Using Beanstalk and Versions
You’ve probably heard, read, or watched clips that talk about the importance of using version control when working collaboratively (as well as personally) on a given project. More likely than not, you have Googled version control and come across one of the big names, Subversion. But, whenever you attempted to deepen your understanding of the subject, you were greeted with either confusing terminal commands or badly designed Subversion clients. That is all about to change thanks to Beanstalk (hosted Subversion) and Versions (Subversion client for the Mac).
Versions is the result of a collaboration between SOFA and PICO, which brings a friendly user interface to the world of version control. In case you haven’t heard, Versions has gone BETA so, now it’s the time to give this cool app and version control a test drive. Versions BETA is free for download until the app is released in June 30.
Beanstalk is “version control with a human face.” In other words, it gives its users a clean and visually appealing representation of their subversion repositories. Beanstalk is free but it also provides other (paid) plans for those who may need more from their repositories.
Before we get started, a few things need to be disclaimed, or rather stated. I am by no means a Subversion expert. A basic knowledge of version control is expected from the reader (you). And last but not least, I have no affiliation with the product and service listed above. But enough of that, let’s get started.
Beanstalk Registration
First things first, let’s go to Beanstalk and create a new free account. Now that you have created your Beanstalk account, log in and create a new repository. Leave all setup options on their default settings, unless you know what they mean and need to change them. Once your repository has been created, copy the repository URL and keep it as we will need it on the next step. That’s about all we need from beanstalk at this point so let’s move on.
Versions BETA
Download Versions BETA from the Versions website and install it on your Mac. Once, this is done you will see a screen that looks something like what you see on the right: Click on the New Repository Bookmark button and under location type (or paste) the repository URL you got from Beanstalk. Also, you will need to enter your Beanstalk username and password as well as a name for the new bookmark. Once the bookmark has been created, select it from the left sidebar and choose to Checkout. Versions will prompt you to select a folder or create a new one, either will do, but I would recommend using an empty folder. The Checkout action will count as the first revision to the project. Now, let’s add our own files.
Add, Delete, Update, and Commit
In general, whenever you put a file in to the folder that contains the initial Subversion Checkout you will need to Add it to the version control. So, insert a simple file into the folder containing the initial checkout, go back to Versions, refresh the folder (upper right hand button) and add the new file by selecting it and clicking the Add button. That’s that for adding, now that the file(s) has been added to the version control you can Commit the changes you have made to the repository. Committing a change to the repository is almost the same as uploading a new version of a given file. Deleting files works basically the same way as adding. Select the file you wish to delete from the revision and press Delete, then commit the changes to the repository. Whenever you commit a change to the repository, you will be prompted to enter a descriptive message, while this is optional, it is very helpful for others (as well as yourself) to read what changed in any given upload. Last but not least, whenever you need the latest copy of a project, Update your bookmark and you will have downloaded the latest revision from the repository.
Back at Beanstalk
If you now go back to your Beanstalk account you will be able to see all the activity in the repository, browse revisions, download files from revision, etc. There are many more things that you can do back in your Beanstalk account, so make sure to experiment.
Version Control, Final Words
As I stated early on in the post, I am not a Subversion expert. The steps and notes that I have written in this post are based on the methods that have proven to work for me. Please feel free to leave your thoughts on other solutions, fixes, or questions in response to this post. Have fun with Versions and Beanstalk!
