Silicon Chisel

You’re working on a Photoshop template and 7 versions ago you had a layer in it with the client’s logo with just the right shadow effect. But since then you’ve cleaned up all the unused layers and can’t find it anymore.

Or you’re working on a site and your CSS used to work and now it’s broken and you need to roll back. But did you save a complete copy of the site from that time someplace on your drive?

Version control used to be something only software developers used. But with the complexity of web site design, temnplate design, and Flash design, it can be a real boon to anyone who developers for the Web. Fortunately, version control now integrates right into the Windows XP desktop thanks to free programs like Tortoise SVN.

Tortoise SVN is a fully integrated client for the ((Subversion)) version control system. Subversion is what many of the current crop of software development IDE’s use to manage their code. It’s a very robust system which allows for multiple projects, checking files in and out, backtracking to old versions, and reconstituting entire development areas on other disks, or even other PC’s.

The system is pretty easy to use. Easy enough that there’s no excuse not to. For local use, simply designate a folder on a drive to be the Subversion repository and create a folder hierarchy in whatever manner works for the work at hand. One folder per web site or one per client or one per project. Whatever fits. Which is nice because it means the user does not need to change the way they work with their files in order to use version control.

It is also a good idea to set the repository directory to be on a drive other than the main working drive. Doing so basically provides a back-up of the primary drive as well as version control. Another option is to use a service like cvs-dude.com. This is a nice, well run service which provides Subversion space and other services on their servers. The price is reasonable and if off-site data storage is a concern, then this is a way to kill two birds with one stone.

Note that Subversion repositories can be (and on Windows XP, should be) saved in native file format. Which allows the Subversion repository to be synchronized between PC’s (I do so between my desktop PC and my laptop) or archived onto removable media for back-up.

Once Tortoise is installed on user’s PC a new menU (shown here) becomes available to manage the version control. For the most part, the “Check Out,” “Add,” and “Commit” commands will be what gets used most. Desktop icons will have overlays which show the check-in state of each file, so it is easy to see if changes have been commited to Subversion. And, of course, each check-in allows for comments - so if a big Photoshop file is being checked in as “final art” the comment can indicate this, and then be searched for later within the repository if it is needed to be recalled.

The real trick to version control is actually using it. The good thing is that the TortoisSVN menu is so inobtrussive that its very easy to do so. Much easier than creating back-ups which require handing removable media and lengthy wait times while large amounts of data are spooled. By contrast, a Subversion check-in of even large files take only a few seconds. And while not as bullet-proof as backing up to a CD-RW, it is still a back-up.

More than a back-up. The Subversion repository holds a complete history of every file checked in, in whatever level of detail the owner sets for it. So when a client says they want a feature back that a month ago they said they wanted removed, that code is still in the repository. Or if you accidentally delete a layer from a Photoshop file that held the styles needed for a mennu bar; that too is still in the repository.

Version control can be the best friend of a web developer. And best of all: it’s all free.