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This chapter contains basic background and usage fundamentals for the
ClearCase graphical interface.
Starting xclearcase
The xclearcase command line can include any of the numerous X(1)
command options, but examples in this chapter are all derived from an
interface invoked with:
% xclearcase &
You can start xclearcase with or without a view context. If you are not in a
view, xclearcase first prompts you for a view-tag. Figure 3-1 shows a view-tag
browser.
The view-tag browser lists all registered views. You can set the current view
to any on the list, whether or not it is currently “active.” (An active view
already has an entry in the viewroot directory, /view.)
Click leftMouse over a view-tag to select (highlight) it, and press the Ok
button.
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
File Browser
Figure 3-2 shows the file browser, which appears once you have an active
view. Think of the file browser as your “home base.” A file browser displays
the current directory name and, below it, the directory contents.
The file browser in Figure 3-2 is displaying the contents of a directory under
a VOB mount point. To change to a VOB directory, type the desired
pathname into the directory input box, and press <Return>.
Figure 3-2 The xclearcase File Browser
Note: If the graphical interface has been customized at your site, your screen
display may vary. See Chapter 18, “Customizing the Graphical Interface,”
for more information.
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File Browser
With the main file browser displayed, you are ready to work. Notice that
only some of the toolbar and pull-down menu items are enabled, while
others are “grayed out.” To familiarize yourself with the workings of a
browser:
• Scan through the various pull-down menus.
• Display “pop-up help” for any enabled toolbar item by moving to it and
clicking rightMouse. For pull-down menu items, click on the menu to
“post” it, and press rightMouse on the desired item.
• Try selecting various files, and combinations of files, and watch how the
set of enabled operations changes with your selections.
• Post the pop-up menu by clicking rightMouse in the browser.
• Use the Admin and Metadata menus to look at other browsers.
Here are brief descriptions for the default file browser toolbar items (see also
each item’s “pop-up help”):
Here are brief descriptions for the default file browser toolbar items (see also
each item’s “pop-up help”):
Toggle Graphic Mode — Toggle between iconic and textual display modes
for directory listings. See Figure 3-3.
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
Describe — Describe each selected object (in a read-only text output window).
See Figure 3-8.
Vtree — Start a vtree (version tree) browser on the selected element. See
Figure 3-9.
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Basic Usage Model
Diff — Diff the selected version against its predecessor version. See
Figure 3-10.
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
At any given time, some items are active, or enabled, while others are “grayed
out” (or insensitive). Many operations are defined to remain insensitive until
you select one or more data objects relevant to the operation. For example,
the checkout button is not enabled until you preselect at least one
unchecked-out element.
While xclearcase is displaying a browser prompt, you can start another menu
command. When you have completed the “interrupt”, the original prompt
is still active, waiting for input. When nesting commands, you cannot cancel
a browser started to collect input for a previous command. The command
nesting level limit is ten.
Table 3-1 covers basic pointer actions and keystrokes for all file browsers. (In
general, these actions apply to the other kinds of browsers, as well.).
Basic
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Basic Pointer Actions and Keystrokes
Menu Navigation
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
Keyboard Input
Each browser has an optional keyboard input box as shown in Figure 3-15,
which lets you type in data selections directly. Some commands enable it
automatically, but you can also enable it manually with the toolbar’s
Keyboard input button.
You can use the keyboard input box to type in one or more items. For
browsers that accept pathnames, most commands allow wildcard patterns,
including *, ?, and [] (but not {}). Any selection you make by pointing
replaces the current contents of the input box. The items that appear in the
keyboard input box constitute the current selection. Select a menu item to
operate on them.
Note: The keyboard input box sidesteps many built-in protections against
incorrect input to buttons and menu commands. When the keyboard input
box is enabled, all menu items become active, whether or not they are
applicable. Typed-in data is not validated until the command executes. (The
number of typed-in data items is continually evaluated; if this number
violates the conditions required to enable a menu item, the item becomes
insensitive.)
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The File Menu
The File menu and the menu items in Table 3-2 are common to all browsers.
Show transcript Display the transcript pad. By default, the transcript pad
pops up automatically only to display error and warning
messages. It stays up until dismissed.
Figure 3-16 illustrates the transcript pad, a scrolling text window that
functions as xclearcase’s “standard output” and “standard error” devices.
As you work in the graphical interface, the transcript pad receives error,
status, and warning messages, as well as command output from menu
operations. By default, the transcript pad pops up automatically only in
response to error and status messages. You can manually post the transcript
pad at any time with the menu item File -> Show transcript icon.
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Depending on how a menu operation is defined, its text output can appear
in a variety of places, including:
• the transcript pad
• a list browser
• a read-only display window
• a text editor
Transcript Menu
The menu options for the transcript pad are detailed in Table 3-3.
Scroll to Bottom When set, the transcript pad automatically scrolls to the
bottom to display new output as it arrives. Unset this
toggle button when you are examining a particular section
of text and don’t want to be interrupted by new output.
Browsers
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Browsers
Browser Basics
At any one time, your screen display may include multiple instances of both
“long-lived” and “transient” browsers. If xclearcase requires data from you,
the same prompt may appear in multiple browsers, if more than one is
capable of satisfying the prompt.
PNAME File/Vtree
HYPERLINK Vtree
LIST List
ATTYPE/BRTYPE/ELTYPE/ Attype/Brtype/Eltype/
HLTYPE/LBTYPE/TRTYPE Hltype/Lbtype/Trtype
POOL Pool
STRING String
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
USERNAME Username
VIEWTAG View-tag
VOBTAG VOB-tag
File Browsers
Each of the six type object browsers operates on the corresponding class of
type object. You can start type object browsers explicitly from the file
browser’s Admin and Metatype menus, and with the Version -> Branch ->
Branch type... menu item.
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Browsers
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
List Browsers
List browsers are not started directly. You encounter a list browser only
when a menu command redirects output to one and prompts you to select
data from it. Figure 3-23 shows a sample list browser — the one Help ->
Manual page... uses to prompt you for a topic.
A list browser prompts you to select one or more items (entire lines only, no
partial lines or substrings). Press Ok to submit the selection, or Cancel to
cancel the prompt (and, therefore, the entire command operation). You
cannot edit the contents of a list browser.
For comparison with list browsers, Figure 3-24 shows a sample text output
window, and Figure 3-25 shows a terminal emulation window. Neither prompts
for, or accepts, user input; they are display-only devices.
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Browsers
The text output window was generated by the Describe button and the
terminal window by menu item Report -> Find query -> Whole VOB ->
Versions with Label...
Pool Browsers
A pool browser lists the storage pools and their locations for any registered
VOB. Click the down-arrow next to the text input box to display a list of
currently registered VOBs.
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
String Browsers
String browsers exist only to prompt for text strings and, therefore, are more
like simple dialog boxes than browsers Figure 3-26 shows the text string
browser that results when you choose Help -> Apropos...
A variety of menu command use string browsers to prompt for simple text
string arguments (comments, for example) or for other data strings — any
data that cannot be captured by the more specific data type browsers.
Username Browsers
VOB-tag Browsers
Browse and select VOB-tags. The VOB browser lists the VOB-tags, or mount
points, for all registered VOBs.
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Browsers
View-tag Browsers
Admin -> View... Contrast this with the Version -> Set... command, which
starts a transient, prompting view-tag browser.
Browse and select view-tags. A viewtag browser lists all registered views.
You can set the current view to any on the list, whether or not it is currently
“active.” (An active view already has an entry in the viewroot directory, /view.)
Vtree Browsers
You can start a vtree browser with the vtree toolbar button, or from the
command line with either the cleartool xlsvtree or xlsvtree commands.
Use vtree browsers to scan version trees and to operate on file and directory
versions, branch names, and merge arrows. (On a vtree browser, arrows
show merge hyperlinks.) Figure 3-31 shows a sample vtree browser.
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Chapter 3: Using the ClearCase Graphical User Interface
Toggle All Versions Display — Enable or disable the display of all versions
in the element. If unset, only labeled versions, branch points, and merge
endpoints are displayed. See Figure 3-28.
Toggle All Labels Display — Enable or disable the display of all labels on
all versions. If unset, up to five labels are display for any one version
(followed by “...” if there are more than five). See Figure 3-30.
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Browsers
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