Announcing the CodePlex Source Control Client
A common theme we've heard from our users is the desire to be able to work offline (in the "edit-merge-commit" style) when working on their CodePlex projects. Six months ago, we started working to write such a client that would integrate with our existing TFS server infrastructure, and today we've released our first beta of the client.
The CodePlex Client is a command line client for Windows, and requires .NET 2.0. The online documentation is available here.
What's left to do?
The basic workflow of the application is in place and usable today. There are, however, a few things coming in future builds over the next few months.
Automated Merging
We have a diff and merge engine in the system that we're finishing up, and will be present in future builds of the client. At the moment, if you have modified a file and, during an update, you get a new version of that file, you will be placed into conflicted mode. You can use the status GUI (and a configured merge tool) to help you resolve the conflicts quickly and easily.
Anonymous Access
We will be enabling anonymous access through the use of our client. This means that, even if you are not a coordinator or developer on a project, you will be able to check out the source code and keep yourself up-to-date even as you modify the code for your own uses. Update: Anonymous access was added, and is available in the June 2007 release of the client.
Patch Support
An important piece of being able to contribute to open source projects is being able to provide patches to the coordinators and developers of the project. We will be adding a patch feature to our client to allow anonymous users to submit patches to the project for evaluation and inclusion. Update: Patch support was added, and is available in the June 2007 release of the client.
We Want Your Feedback
The client is obviously not as full featured as it could be. Please use the CodePlex issue tracker to file bugs and feature requests for the CodePlex Client.
