ViewVC

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ViewVC is an interface to CVS and Subversion version control repositories . Generates HTML templates to present browsable directories, review, and changelog listings. It allows displaying specific versions of files as well as differences between those versions. It provides most of the report-type functionality that you would expect from a version control tool. Account are support for CVS system with file access and subversion repositories, support for path-based authorization, including parsing and honor Subversion authorize configuration files, RSS generation feed for tracking changes to repositories or individual items within repositories.

 

Summary

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  • 1 Features
  • 2 Requirements
  • 3 Validity check
  • 4 Standard operation
  • 5 Install ViewVC
  • 6 Safety
  • 7 Update
  • 8 Sources

characteristics

These are some of the features that the ViewVC wiki has integrated :

  • Support for CVSand Subversion repositories – accessible file system.
  • Support for path-based authorization, including parsing and paying homage to the Subversion authz configuration files.
  • Generation RSS feed to track changes to repositories or individual items within repositories.
  • Support individually configurable virtual host.
  • Based on annotation / fault display line.
  • Review graphics capabilities (via integration with CvsGraph) (CVS only).
  • Syntax highlighting supported.
  • Template-based output generation.
  • Tarball generation (by tag / CVSbranch , by Subversion review).
  • Localization support based on the Accept-Language request header.
  • Ability to function both as a CGIscript or as a standalone server.
  • Based on Regexp file search.
  • INI-like configuration file (as opposed to requiring actual code adjustments).
  • Support for CVS-accessible filesystem and Subversion repositories.
  • Support individually configurable virtual host.
  • Review graphics capabilities ( CVSonly).
  • Syntax highlighting support.
  • Metadata query facilities.
  • Tinted, side-to-side differences.

 

Requirements

The only software requirement to run ViewVC is a suitable version of Python . The details of that, like all other requirements, depend on what you want to do with the tool. As the ones that have changed a bit in recent years, it is best to refer to the installation file for the specific ViewVC version you want to evaluate for your exact needs. Here are some details to take into account when installing.

Software tools and configuration required to run ViewVC and their download URLs :
For CVS Support :

  • Python 1.5.2 or later (sorry, no 3.x support yet) – ( http://www.python.org/).
  • RCS, Revision Control System – ( http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/trinkle/RCS/).
  • GNU-diff to replace diff implementations without the -u – option ( http://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/diffutils.html).
  • Read-only, physical access to a CVS repository – ( http://www.cvshome.org/for more information).

For Subversion support :

  • Python 2.0 or later (sorry, no 3.x support yet) – ( http://www.python.org/).
  • Subversion, Version Control System, 1.3.1 or later – (binary installation and Python bindings ), ( http://subversion.apache.org/ ).

Optional :

  • A web server capable of running CGI programs – (for example, Apache at http://httpd.apache.org/)
  • MySQL 3.22 and MySQLdb 0.9.0 or later to create a commit database – ( http://www.mysql.com/), ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/mysql-python )
  • Pygments 0.9 or later, syntax highlighting engine – ( http://pygments.org)
  • CvsGraph 1.5.0 or later, CVSGraphical Revision Tree Generator – ( http://www.akhphd.au.dk/~bertho/cvsgraph/ )

 

Validity check

If you just want to see what your repository looks like when viewed through ViewVC , type:

$ Bin / standalone.py -r / path / to / SAVERS

This will start a tiny ViewVC server at http: // localhost: 49152 / viewvc /, which you can connect to with your browser.

 

Standard operation

To start the installation immediately (on UNIX ): type “./viewvc-install” in the current directory and respond to the prompts. When finished, edit the viewvc.conf file in the installation directory to tell ViewVC the paths to your CVS and Subversion repositories. Next, configure your web server (in the appropriate way for the browser):

run <VIEWVC_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY> /bin/cgi/viewvc.cgi.

The ViewVC INSTALLATION section below is still recommended for reading.

 

ViewVC Installation

ViewVC download .
You can download at the URL http://download.cnet.com/linux/viewvc/3260-20_4-10230707-1.html .

Installation .
Note: Windows users can refer to Windows / README for specific Windows installation instructions.

  1. To get viewvc.cgi working, make sure you have Pythoninstalled and a web serverthat is capable of running CGI scripts (either based on the .cgi extension, or by placing the script within a specific directory ).

It should be noted that to browse CVS repositories , the viewvc.cgi script needs to have read-only, physical access to the repository (or a copy of it). So rsh / ssh or pserver repository access will not work. And you need to have the RCS utilities installed, specifically “rlog”, “rcsdiff”, and “co”.

  1. Installation is handled by the ./viewvc-install script. Run this script and you will be prompted for an installation root path. The default is / viewvc-VERSION / usr / local, where VERSION is the version of this ViewVC release. The installer sets the installation path in some of the files, and ViewVC cannot be moved to a different path after installation.

Note: while ‘root’ is generally required to create / usr / local / viewvc, ViewVC does not have to be installed as root, nor run as root. It’s just as valid to put ViewVC in a parent directory, too.

Note: if your system uses a restrictive umask, you may need to adjust the permissions of the directory structure that viewvc to install creates so that, for example, the modules in the lib / subdirectory are actually readable by the main programs. the bin / subdirectory.

Note: viewvc-install will create the directories if necessary. It will ask before overwriting files that may have been modified (such as viewvc.conf), so it is safe to install on top of a previous installation. It will always overwrite program files.

  1. Edit <VIEWVC_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY> /viewvc.conf for your specific configuration. In particular, you will examine the following configuration options:
  • cvs_roots (by CVS)
  • svn_roots (for Subversion)
  • root_parents (by CVS or Subversion)
  • default_root
  • root_as_url_component
  • rcs_dir
  • mime_types_files

There are some other options that are usually nice to change. See viewvc.conf for more information. ViewVC offers a job, default look. However, if you want to customize the appearance of ViewVC then edit the files in:
<VIEWVC_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY> / templates. Knowledge of HTML is required to edit templates.

  1. CGIprograms are in <VIEWVC_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY> / bin / cgi /. You can symbolic link to this directory from somewhere on your HTTP server’s published path if your web server is configured to follow symbolic links. You can also copy the installed one:

<VIEWVC_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY> / bin / cgi / * .cgi

scripts after installation (unlike the other files in ViewVC , the underscores bin can be moved).

Note: for security reasons, it is not advisable to install ViewVC directly into your published HTTP directory tree (due to the MySQL passwords in viewvc.conf). That’s it for repository navigation. Instructions for getting the SQL database from job log are below.

 

Security

ViewVC provides a feature that enables version controlled content to serve web browsers just like static web server content. So, if you have a directory full of interrelated HTML files it is in your version control repository. You will see in your web browser what you would see if the files were part of your website , with working references for style sheets and images and links to other pages.

 

Upgrade

The URL ViewVC are stable, and that even when we despise a syntax URL particular, continue to support the management of it (using redirects HTTP pointing browsers to the new form of the URL ). ViewVC URLs are known to get favorites, and no one likes it when their bookmarked URLs suddenly stop working.

 

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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