Source Control Fundamentals

In This Topic

To choose the Source Control Provider that HelpStudio should use

From the Source Control ribbon tab, click the Choose Provider button.
Choose the Source Control Provider that you use.
Define any additional properties that are required for the chosen provider.

Open a Project from Source Control

If you want to open a project that is added to Source Control using HelpStudio, you can get a local copy and start working with it directly from HelpStudio.

Before you can use Source Control features, you must have chosen your source control provider in the Options editor (click Choose Provider from the Source Control tab).

Click the Ribbon Application button and select Open from Source Control from the displayed Application menu.
On the displayed browse dialog, choose the Source Control folder that contains the project you wish to open and select the location in which to store the local project copy.
Click Ok. A local copy of the project is retrieved from Source Control and the project opens.

You only need to use this process the first time you open a project that is stored in Source Control. Once you have used Open from Source Control to create a local copy of your Source Controlled project, you can use the normal Open command to select and open your project file.

Add a Project to Source Control

You must add a project to Source Control before you can use Source Control functionality for that project.

You should always add your projects to Source Control from within HelpStudio and not from an external Source Control client. Adding a project to Source Control from HelpStudio creates a Source Control mapping file in the project directory which is necessary for HelpStudio to identify the correct Source Control project location.

To add a project to Source Control:

Open the project you want to add to Source Control.
Select Add to Source Control from the Ribbon Application Menu.
Use the displayed dialog to identify the location in Source Control where you would like to save the HelpStudio project.
Click Ok to add the project to the specified Source Control location.

Remove a Project from Source Control

If you no longer wish to use Source Control integration for a given project you must use Save As to save a copy of the project. The new copy is not under Source Control.

From the Ribbon Application Menu, select Save As.
Select the path and filename in which you would like to save the project.
Click OK.

The project is saved in the chosen folder and Source Control features are no longer available.

The Source Control project and the original local copy will not be deleted. Delete the Source Control project manually if required.

Checking Project elements in and out of Source Control

Checking In / Out multiple items

From the Source Control ribbon tab, click the appropriate button (e.g. Check out for Edit, Check In).
The Source Control Operation dialog displays.
Choose Whole Project if you wish to Check In / Out the whole project or choose Some Specific Items to Check In / Out specific items.
Click Ok to execute the Source Control operation.

Checking In / Out a single item

Project Explorer Context Menu

Individual Topics and the Glossary can be checked in or out directly from the context menu on the Project Explorer.

Source Control Banner

Most editors in HelpStudio include a Source Control banner that is shown when you open an item that is not currently checked out from Source Control. You can click the Check Out for Edit button on the banner to immediately check the item out.

Source Control Warning Banner

Set Source Control Integration Preferences

HelpStudio provides several options to fine tune the integration to your preference.

To access the Source Control Integration Options:

From the Tools tab, click the Options button.
On the displayed Options Editor, select Source Control\Integration Preferences from the Page Menu.

Checking In / Out multiple items

Checking In / Out a single item

See Also