Advice on working sets, SVN, Multiple users

Hello. I don't understand how to use working sets etc.

Each project I work on requires a specific folder structure and I want to be able to save my projects within each one. e.g.

C:/work/projectA/wireframes

C:/work/projectB/wireframes

These are commited to Subversion for backup and to allow anyone to access them.

However, here is the problem. I don't fully understand how to do this. I usually try to set the workspace to the root of the folder. e.g. C:/work/projectA/wireframes However, when I do it doesn't detect the project.

Do I need to also SVN the .metadata folder and all of those files as well? It seems that it is those that it detects and not the .project file.

I've noticed you can import a project file to your workspace, which copies the folder to a local workspace folder, but I don't really want to do this as it means I am actually working in a different workspace from the intended workspace and end up having duplicate files which I then need to commit to SVN from a different place.

I really just want to be able to choose switch workspace, point to the root of the folder and for it to find the .project file and show me all the project files etc.

What is the best way to solve this, or what am I doing wrong?

Hi Brek,

It looks like you are making things harder than they have to be. First, let me explain how workspace, projects and working sets relate to each other.

1. Workspace is the place WireframeSketcher stores the information about projects. This information is held in .metadata folder and which should NEVER be shared, nor via SVN nor any other method. Workspace also usually holds projects, one directory per project, although projects can also live outside of workspaces (more on this later).
2. A project is a directory that holds project files and it has a .project file at the top level. This file can and should be added to SVN repository.
3. Working sets are just a way to have different views over projects in Project Explorer view. They let you view only projects what you are working on by hiding the rest. Working sets do not affect how and where projects are stored.
4. Importing projects lets you import existing projects that are not present in current workspace. When importing you should select as "root" the folder that contains the project folder. For example if your structure is c:/work/projectA/.project then you should select c:/work as your root and then select projectA as the project to import.

Now, in your specific case I would suggest approaching things differently. To keep things simple I advise that you use only one workspace. The one created by default in user directory should be enough.

When you create a project, you can specify a location outside of workspace by un-checking "Use default location" checkbox. Un-check it and then specify a location like "C:/work/projectA/wireframes".

Now, if you are working on many projects, you'll have a few of them in Project Explorer view. If you don't plan to work anymore on a project then you can safely delete it from this view. Just press "Delete" and don't check "Delete project contents on disk". You can re-import this project later. Another option is to use working sets to control what projects stay visible and switch between them to change contexts.

Ahhhh. The ability to uncheck the copy files over has made it all work. :)

Now I have a single workspace in the default place. (not what I was wanting, but is ok)

The good thing is that it automatically saves the files into the correct location which is in my SVN.

This means I just check that in and it gets committed to SVN and all is good.

I just need to make sure I never open and edit the SVN location and only work from the workspace which is fairly easy as Wireframe Sketcher opens in the workspace as default.

Thanks for your help :)

Brek, it's great that it worked out for you. I am curious what you use for Subversion? Are you using an Eclipse plugins like Subclipse or do you have a different approach?

I use Tortoise SVN as it integrates nicely into windows. Some people here use Smart SVN, but I found that a bit too fiddly.

Generally I want something that is super simple to do my daily tasks and I can delve into detail if things go wrong. For me, Tortoise does that. I just right click on the files in windows explorer and commit them or add them.