Using The Path Browser

The Path Browser is the page P4Web shows you when you first connect. It's where you'll spend most of your time in P4Web. You can use it to navigate through path hierarchies and run commands that affect all the files in the current path at once. (Note that if you are using a P4Web Viewer instead of P4Web Helper, only a subset of Path Browser commands are available to you.)

"Show Recent Activity"

The Path Browser's control panel offers menus and shortcut buttons, described below. The "Show Recent Activity" button can be used to turn on a display of the most recent changelists affecting the files in the current path.

The current path is shown just beneath the control panel. Each level in the current path heading is a link to a Path Browser page. Use these links to navigate back up the path hierarchy. Files and subdirectories in that appear beneath the heading are links to File Browser and Path Browser pages for those elements, respectively. Click on those links to navigate down the path hierarchy.

You can browse either depot or workspace paths in the Path Browser. See Depot Browsing vs. Workspace Browsing to find out what the difference is, why each is useful, and how to switch between them.

Note that even though the Path Browser page may display individual files, you can't run commands on individual files from the Path Browser. You must be in the File Browser to run commands on individual files.

Files shown in the Path Browser have state icons showing their current state in the depot and in your workspace; see below for a key to their meanings.

Menus

• The Run menu allows you to work on files in the current path. All Run choices take you to a page that prompts you for more information before doing anything. You control whether commands are run on all or selected files in the current path.
  • Sync... lets you synchronize your workspace files with newer (or older) depot files.
  • Submit default changelist... lets you submit your opened files to the depot.
  • Open files for edit... makes your workspace files writable so you can work on them.
  • Open files for add... is how you add new files to the depot.
  • Open files for delete... is how you delete depot files; it also removes files from your workspace.
  • Change filetype... opens files so they can be submitted to the depot with a different filetype.
  • Remove workspace files... is how you remove files from your workspace without affecting depot files.
  • Integrate... lets you open files so changes from other files can be merged into them. It also lets you branch new files.
  • Resolve... is how you merge changes into your opened files.
  • Lock opened files... can be used to prevent other people from updating depot files before you do.
  • Unlock opened files... releases locks on your opened files.
  • Revert... can be used to throw away your workspace changes and close files without submitting them to the depot.

  Note: If you are in workspace browsing mode, the Path Browser will display all the files in your workspace, including those not managed by Perforce. (You'll recognize the Perforce-managed files by the icons that appear.) With one exception, the commands in the Run menu operate on Perforce-managed files only. The exception is Run->Open files for add... which lets you add new files to Perforce.

• The Show menu displays various information about files in the current path (that is, files at or below the current path level):
  • Path & opened files is the default Path Browser display when you're in depot browsing mode. It shows files present at the current path level, plus any files you have open in subdirectories of the current path. (This display option is not available for workspace browsing.)
  • Path files is the default Path Browser display when you're in workspace browsing mode. It shows files and subdirectories at the current path level; you only see what's actually in your local workspace. (This display option is not available for depot browsing.)
  • Unsynced files - shows your workspace files that are not synced to head revisions.
  • Unresolved files - shows the files that need resolving, either because you have them opened for integrate, or because you re-synced files after opening them for edit.
  • Files missing from workspace - shows files that were synced in your workspace but are missing now. (That is, they were removed by something outside of Perforce's control.)
  • Opened unchanged files - shows files you have opened but have not changed.
  • Changed unopened files - shows files you have changed without having opened them first with Perforce.
  • Files matching... - lets you find files whose names match a pattern you specify
  • Opened files -- all clients - shows files opened in other client workspaces as well as in your own. (To see who has a particular file opened, click on the filename. This takes you to the File Browser page, where file state details are displayed.)
  • Submitted Changelists - lists all submitted changelists affecting files in the current path, with links to more info about them.

• The Go To menu is described here.

• Shows you a preview of what would happen if you were to sync files in the current path to head revisions.

• Sync files in this path to head revisions. This copies updated files from the depot into your workspace.

• Launches the Perforce interactive resolve program on all of your unresolved files at the current directory level and below. (Only resolves files that do not need merging. See Resolve Help for more information.)

• Locks all your opened files in this path.

• Unlocks all your locked files in this path.

• Lets you submit your default changelist. You can select all or some of the files open in the default changelist, enter a change description, and submit the files to the depot.

• Reverts all files you've opened in the current path, but have not changed since opening. (This will not revert any files opened for add or delete, or on which you have done a resolve.)

• Hide files at the current path level -- show subdirectories only. (In depot browsing mode, opened files in the current path and subdirectories are always shown, regardless of this setting.)

• Show files at the current path level. (This is the default behavior.)

• Turns on display of recent activity in the control panel.

• Turns off recent activity display in the control panel.

• Toggles between "entire depot" and "client view of depot" settings. (Available for depot browsing only.)

• Lets you edit your current client spec.

• Green icons denote files that are up-to-date:

  The file in your workspace file is in sync with the head revision of the depot file.

  The file has been deleted in the depot and is not present in your workspace. (You must have "Show deleted files" set to see this state.)

• Orange icons denote files open in your current client workspace:

  The file is open for edit in your workspace.

  The file is open for add in your workspace.

  The file is open for delete in your workspace.

  The file is open for integrate in your workspace.

  The file is open for branch in your workspace.

  The file is locked in your workspace.

• Red icons denote files that you won't be able to submit until you've performed some action on them:

  The file needs to be re-synced before you can submit it.

  The file needs to be resolved with changes either from a later revision of the same file or from the file that's being integrated to it.

• Gray icons show information that is independent of the state of your workspace:

  The file is also open in another client workspace.

  The file has been locked in another client workspace.

  The head revision of the file has been deleted.

  The file lives in a subdirectory below the current path.

  The file is not mapped in your client view. (You must have "Show entire depot view" set to see this state.)

Each file shown in the Path Browser is followed by state details that look like:

#[have]/[head] [filetype]