Working with Folders

Create, Add and Delete Folders

Creating Folders

The Create Folder command is used to create a new empty folder within the open repository. If a repository has enabled security rights, the user must have permissions set by the administrator in the Admin Web Client to create folders. The dialog box can be activated in several ways.

  • Click Create Folder from the File menu.

  • Select Create Folder on the Toolbar.

  • Right-click on a folder to bring up the Folder Tree Context Menu, select Create Folder.

  • Select the INSERT key.

If Auto-Commit has been selected (default), the folders will be created in the Fortress repository immediately. If Auto-Commit has not been selected, the folders will be created in the repository as part of the next check in transaction.

Please see Auto-Commit for more information.

Adding Folders

Adding folders uses the same process as adding files. See the Adding Files section for more information.

Deleting Folders

The Delete command deletes the selected folder and all of its contents, recursively, from the repository. If a repository has enabled security rights, the user must have permissions set by the administrator in the Admin Web Client to delete folders. To activate the Delete dialog box, click Delete Folders from the File menu.

Note

The Delete command is non-destructive. The items still exists in the history of the repository and can be recovered by clicking the Undelete command found in the Folder Properties dialog box.

The Fortress client does not allow operations which destroy history. To destroy history, use the Obliterate command available in the FortressAdmin Web Client.

Delete a Pinned Folder

A folder with a primary pin can be deleted.

A folder with a secondary pin cannot be deleted (except as part of a deletion on the pinned ancestor). For example, if $/foo/bar is pinned, then the delete operation will succeed at $/foo and $/foo/bar but will fail on any subfolder or file within $/foo/bar. An error message will be displayed if a delete on a secondary pin is attempted. Please see Pin Folders for more information.

Commit Delete

If Auto-Commit has been selected (default), the folders will be deleted in the Fortress repository immediately. If Auto-Commit has not been selected, the folders will be deleted in the repository as part of the next check in transaction.

Please see Auto-Commit for more information.

Check Out and Check In Folders

Checking Out Folders

The Check Out command allows you to retrieve the latest version of the folder and set the working copy to read-write. Select the item to be checked out and do one of the following:

If a working folder is not set for the item, the Set Working Folder dialog box will appear. After successfully setting the working folder, the check out procedure will continue.

The Check Out on a folder is a multiple (possibly recursive) file checkout. It does not lock the folder and still allows other users to add or delete files from the folder. Use of check out on a folder is discouraged since in most cases an entire directory of files need not be checked out together.

Checking In Folders

The Check In/Commit dialog box allows a user to check in all pending files. Select the item to be checked in and do one of the following:

  1. On the Source menu, click Check In.

  2. On the Toolbar, click Check In.

  3. Right-click on the selected folder to bring up the Folder Tree Context Menu, click Check in.

  4. Ctrl+I.

  5. On the Pending Change Set tab, click the Commit button or select an item and hit Ctrl+M.

Check In comments can be added in the Comment field of the Check In/Commit dialog box. Additional Check In options that can be selected on the dialog box include: Keep Checked Out and Remove Local Copy. See the Check In Options to set additional options.

When checking in a folder, only items within that folder that are also in the Pending Change Set will be listed in the Check In dialog for inclusion for the transaction.

Rename and Move Folders

Renaming Folders

The Rename command allows the names of files and folders to be changed. To activate the dialog box:

  • Click Rename from the File menu.

  • Right-click on the selected item to bring up the Folder Tree Context Menu, click Rename.

  • On the keyboard, use the F2 key.

Checked Out Folders

A folder can be renamed at any time except if it is pinned or if any files are checked out in that folder or subfolder.

Working Folders

If the working folder is inherited, the rename will alter the current working folder and the rename will act as if you changed the working folder. This means that all the files in the selected folder will have their status changed to Unknown or Missing. If you specify a working folder for the folder that is renamed, the working folder and the status of all the files in the folder will not change. See Rename and Working Folders for an example.

Commit Rename

If Auto-Commit has been selected (default), the files and folders will be renamed in the Fortress repository immediately. If Auto-Commit has not been selected, the files and folders will be renamed in the repository as part of the next check in transaction.

Please see Auto-Commit more information.

Moving Folders

The Move command allows you to move folders from one folder to another. To activate the dialog box, click Move from the File menu.

Moving a folder will lose any associations with working folders that currently exist. If there are explicit rights assigned to the selected folder, they will move with the folder. However, inherited rights from parent folders will not.

Commit Move

If Auto-Commit has been selected (default), the files and folders will be moved in the Fortress repository immediately. If Auto-Commit has not been selected, the files and folders will be moved in the repository as part of the next check in transaction.

Please see Auto-Commit for more information.

Pin Folders

Folder pins allow you to pin an entire folder at the current version or an earlier version of the folder (primary pin), secondarily pinning all of its files and subfolders (secondary pin). This prevents you from adding, deleting or performing any operation on any file or folder within the pinned folder. To activate or deactivate, click on Pin/Unpin on the Action menu on the History Explorer menu.

The folder primary pin takes precedence over the subfolder or file primary pin. You cannot pin a file or folder that currently has a secondary pin on it, even if it also has a primary pin. Since pinning increments version numbers of folders, you can safely pin a folder that currently has a file or subfolder with a primary pin.

If a folder is pinned to a previous version, the folder will appear in your folder and file list exactly as it did in the previous version. Files that existed but have since been deleted will be displayed. Items that did not exist at that version are not displayed.

Status

If a folder is pinned at a previous version, the pin status of every file is reverted to its pin status at the version the folder was pinned. Unpinning the folder reverts back to the current pin status of the files. For example, if a file is pinned in folder version 8 but not in folder version 5, and the folder is pinned to version 5, the file appears unpinned in the newly pinned folder. Unpinning the folder will revert the file to pinned (its current state). Once the folder is pinned you cannot pin or unpin any files within the folder.

After a folder pin, the tree state gets refreshed, but no files themselves are retrieved, so the status of the files will be newer if you pin a folder to a previous version. Unpinning the folder will again refresh the tree state, but not re-get anything. If you pin a folder to a previous version, do a Get Latest, unpin it, then files that have changed since that version will have a status of Old after the unpin.

Shares

Pinning a folder at a previous version causes all shares within the folder to be temporarily broken until the folder is unpinned. This is true regardless of whether the file was shared in the current version or in the version being pinned.

Commit Pin

You can Pin the current version of a file or folder from the main window's context menu, or you can Pin a historical version from the History Explorer. Pin and Unpin operations from the History Explorer are placed in their own change set (which is independent of any other pending changes) and always happen immediately, regardless of the Auto-Commit option. Pin operations from the main window will obey the Auto-Commit option.

Cloak Folders

The Cloak command allows you to specify that a folder should be ignored during other operations. Right-click the selected folder and click on Cloak/Uncloak.