Changes between Version 8 and Version 9 of TracChangeset

Timestamp:

Jan 20, 2006, 12:06:06 PM (18 years ago)

Author:

Christian Boos

Comment:

Integrated documentation for the TracDiff features

TracChangeset

@@ -4 +4 @@
 Trac has a built-in functionality for visualizing “diffs” - changes to files.
 
-When viewing a repository check-in, such as when following a
-changeset [wiki:TracLinks link] or a changeset event in the 
-[wiki:TracTimeline timeline], Trac will display the exact changes
-made by the check-in.
+There are different kinds of ''change sets''. 
+Some can correspond to revisions made in the repositories,
+others can aggregate changes made in several revisions, 
+but in the end, any kind of differences could be shown.
 
-The changeset view consists of two parts, the ''header'' and the ''diff views''.
+The changeset view consists of two parts, the ''header'' 
+and the ''diff views''.
 
 == Changeset Header ==
@@ -20 +21 @@
  * Message -- A brief description from the author (the commit log message)
  * Files -- A list of files affected by this changeset
+
+If more than one revision is involved in the set of changes being
+displayed, the ''Timestamp'', ''Author'' and ''Message'' fields 
+won't be shown.
 
 In front of each listed file, you'll find  a colored rectangle. The color
@@ -43 +48 @@
  * You can toggle whether blank lines, case changes and white space changes are ignored, thereby letting you find the functional changes more quickly
 
+
+== The Different Ways to Get a Diff ==
+
+=== Examining a Changeset ===
+
+When viewing a repository check-in, such as when following a
+changeset [wiki:TracLinks link] or a changeset event in the 
+[wiki:TracTimeline timeline], Trac will display the exact changes
+made by the check-in.
+
+There will be also navigation links to the ''Previous Changeset''
+to and ''Next Changeset''.
+
+=== Examining Differences Between Revisions ===
+
+A very frequent need is to look at changes made on a file 
+or on a directory spanning multiple revisions. 
+The easiest way to get there is from the TracRevisionLog, 
+where one can select the '''old''' and the '''new''' revisions
+of the path being examined, and then click the ''View changes''
+button.
+
+=== Examining Arbitrary Differences ===
+
+One of the main feature of source configuration management
+systems is the possibility to work simultaneously on alternate
+''Lines of Developments'', or ''branches''. 
+The evolution of branches are often made in parallel, making it
+sometimes difficult to understand the exact set of differences 
+between alternative versions.
+
+This is where Trac comes to the rescue: 
+the '''View changes ...''' button in the TracBrowser
+leads to a form permitting the selection of arbitrary
+''From:'' and ''To:'' path/revision pairs.
+
+The resulting set of differences consist in the changes 
+that should be applied to the ''From:'' content in order
+to make it look like the ''To:'' content.
+
+For convenience, it is possible to invert the roles
+of the '''old''' and the '''new''' path/revision pairs
+by clicking the ''Reverse Diff'' link on the changeset page.
+
+=== Checking the Last Change ===
+
+The last possibility for looking at changes is 
+to have a quick look on the ''Last Change'' while
+browsing a file or a directory. 
+
+This shows the last change that happened on that path.
+The links ''Previous Changeset'' and ''Next Changeset''
+are replace by links to ''Previous Change'' and ''Next Change'',
+which makes it really convenient to traverse the change history
+of a specific file or directory.
+This view of a changeset, restricted to a specific path,
+is called ''restricted changeset''.
+
+Of course, if one is doing that on the root of the
+repository, there will be no path restriction
+and the full changeset will be shown.
+
+
 ----
 See also: TracGuide, TracBrowser