IBIS-ID SourceForge repository
- See also: mediaIBIS
The Key to Nature EU project participants have decided to create a public open source software repository under the name "IBIS-ID". IBIS stands for Interactive Biodiversity Identification Software. The name IBIS-ID was chosen because "IBIS" is already occupied on source forge, and the full name is too long for source forge. The term "Identification" appears twice in IBIS-ID, smart ideas to justify this are welcome :-).
The project start page is https://sourceforge.net/projects/ibis-id/
We will mostly be using the subversion repository software (not CVS). With this tool you can check out a folder structure from the SourceForge server to your local hard disk, where you can modify it without requiring a network connection. You then regularly upload your changes to the server and synchronize changes by other participants with your repository. For further information see "Using Subversion" below.
Contents |
1 Structure of the repository
The main folders are:
- branches - (currently not used, to be used if variants with separate code base are created).
- releases - fixed releases will be copied into this folder structure.
- trunk - the main place for ongoing development
2 Using Subversion
Subversion can be used with a graphical user interface such as TortoiseSVN for Windows, with command line tools obtained when installing subversion itself (e.g. under Ubuntu/Debian: "apt-get install subversion"), or through the embedded functionality available in many software development tools such a eclipse.
The subversion checkout URI is https://ibis-id.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ibis-id
2.1 FlexBuilder
The use of subversion with FlexBuilder running under Eclipse is discussed under: Setting up SVN version control with FlexBuilder.
2.2 Tortoise as a simple tool for Windows
Here we primarily discuss how to use the the Tortoise Windows tool. Accessing the software through subversion with this tool may be useful even without full programming expertise, e. g., to help with translations or improve user interface issues.
Download and install the TortoiseSVN software for Windows. Tortoise is not an integration for a specific IDE (programming tool), but integrates very nicely into the Windows explorer, so you can use it with whatever development tools you like. After installing you do not have to "start" Tortoise to use it, it is just another option in your explorer.
The first time you check out the repository to your local disk you will do a subversion "Checkout". Create a new folder anywhere, e.g. named "ibis-id.sourceforge.net", right-click into the content area of the new folder, and select "SVN Checkout..." from the context menu. Under URL enter https://ibis-id.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ibis-id, the folder should already be the one you have created. Click OK. The folder now contains all the folders and files from the IBIS-ID repository. You will also see small icon overlays on folders or files. Green checkmark indicates that everything is ok.
You can now modify, delete or add files (initially new files are not part of the repository, you have to manually right-click them and select TortoiseSVN/Add to add a file to the repository mechanism; note that the dialog box indicates that the file is registered on your checkout copy now, not uploaded back to subversion). The icons on files and and folders change to reflect the synchronization status.
Synchronization is done in two steps: Select the repository root folder (e.g. ibis-id.sourceforge.net) on your system, right-click and select SVN Update (read from repository) and SVN Commit (write your changes back to the repository).
You do not need a subversion account for reading the files . However, to write changes back (commit) you need a user account there. Please create one by going to https://sourceforge.net/ and create an account by following the link in the upper right corner. The commit process will create a new version in the repository. A dialog box will ask you for a short message hinting the changes made to other users.
Subversion can merge text files that have been edited by several people. Naturally, there are limits and conflicts are possible. To reduce the number of conflicts and the impact of code that has been changed by others on your own development you should often synchronize. As frequently as possible (every day if development is rapid, every week if development is slow with few partners), you should verify that your software is technically functioning (i.e. some functionality may not yet work as expected, but no bugs remain that prevent software execution), update the repository, test again, if necessary fix the problems, and then commit your changes back to the repository. The next morning you would start with updating your code from the repository.
General, relatively technical information about accessing this Subversion repository may be found in our document titled "Subversion (Version Control for Source Code)". Another more user-friendly document is Quickstart Guide to Subversion on SourceForge.
The web download site is http://ibis-id.sourceforge.net/
