Using the P4Win Interface

Perforce 2002.1 P4Win Help in Print


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Chapter 1
Using the P4Win Interface

Managing the main window

P4Win's left pane displays the depot and the right pane displays the objects you are managing. The output pane at the bottom of the window displays status messages including the results of operations you perform.

To display objects in the right pane, click the corresponding toolbar button, as follows:


To display...	Click this button
pending changelists
submitted changelists
branch specifications
label specifications
client specifications
users
jobs

To specify the objects displayed in the right pane when you start P4Win, see "Configuring display preferences" on page 15. For details about toolbar shortcuts, see "P4Win shortcuts" on page 18.

To refresh the active pane, click , or press F5, or right-click and choose Refresh Pane.

To configure the changelist, job, and revision history information displayed:

Choose Settings>Options. The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Connection tab.
Specify the maximum number of changelists, jobs, or revision history entries you want P4Win to display.
Click OK.

To configure the file information displayed:

Choose Settings>Options. The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Display tab.
Check the settings you want to enable.
Click OK.

To configure the object to be displayed in the right pane when P4Win starts, specify the -v flag with one of the following options:

b (branch)
c (client)
l (label)
j (job)
u (user)
s (submitted)

For example, to start P4Win with jobs displayed in the right pane, issue the following command:

p4win -v j To configure the option that is used when you launch P4Win using Start>Programs>Perforce>P4Win, modify the command in the Properties panel of the corresponding shortcut.

Managing the output pane

The output pane at the bottom of the display, contains the p4 commands that correspond to the operation you are performing. For details about p4, Perforce's command-line interface, refer to the Perforce User's Guide.

To clear the output pane:

Right-click the output pane. The context menu is displayed.
Choose Clear Pane.

To enable the display of p4 commands:

Choose Settings>Options. The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Display tab.
Check the Show p4 commands in the status pane check box.
Click OK.

Getting information about P4Win forms

P4Win displays various forms to enable you to define users, jobs, and so on. You can obtain information about the information to be entered into the form as follows.

To display information about forms and dialogs: Click Help or FormInfo or choose the Describe menu item.

To display information about fields in forms: Use the mouse to position the cursor in the field. A popup window (called a tooltip) containing information about the field is displayed.

Finding files in the client workspace

To locate copies of files in your client workspace that correspond to files in the depot, use any of the following methods.

To find files in your client workspace:

Right-click the file in the left (depot) pane.
Choose Properties... from the context menu. The Client Path field displays the location of the file in your client workspace.

To enable the display of client file location:

Choose Settings>Options... The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Display tab.
Check Show local path for depot files.

When you position the mouse over a file in the left pane, the status bar shows its location in the client workspace.

Finding files in the depot

You can locate files in the depot as follows.

To specify which files are displayed in the left pane:

To display all files in the depot, choose View>Entire Depot.
To display only the files mapped by your client view, choose View>Client View of Depot.
To filter the files displayed in the depot pane, choose View>Filter Depot...

To find a file using the clipboard:

In Windows Explorer, click the file and type CTRL-C.
In P4Win, choose Edit>Find Item in Clipboard.

To find files using a filename pattern:

Choose Edit>Find File Matching Pattern... The Find in Depot dialog box appears.
Enter the file specification for the files you want to locate. You can use wildcards such as "*". (You cannot use UNC notation, for example \\myserver\myroot, to specify a file pattern.)
Click OK. A list of matches is displayed.
To find the desired file in the depot, double-click its filename in the list of matches.

To display depot files sorted by extension: choose View>Sort Depot Files by Extension.

Note that sorting a large number of files can take a long time. You can specify a maximum number of files to be sorted. If the maximum is exceeded, files are displayed in alphabetic order. For details, see "Configuring P4Win performance" on page 32.

To find a changelist file in the depot:

Select a file in a pending changelist.
Choose Edit>Find Selected File in Depot.

To filter the files displayed in the depot pane:

Choose View>Filter Depot... The Filter Depot View dialog is displayed.
Select the desired display option:
- To display files opened by all users, click the All Opened Files radio button
- To display files opened by you, click the My Opened Files radio button
- To filter the displayed files, click the All Files matching these patterns and enter the desired file patterns. You can specify wildcards in the file patterns.

To find deleted files, choose View>Show Deleted Depot Files.

To display files outside your client view, choose View>Entire Depot.

To select a file in the left pane, type the first letter of the filename.

To select a folder in the left pane, type a space followed by the first letter of the folder name.

To view the contents of a file in the depot, select the file and choose File>Browse File...

To copy a file's path to the clipboard:

Depot path: select the file in the depot pane and type CTRL-C
Local path: select the file in the depot pane and type Shift-CTRL-C

Managing bookmarks

Bookmarks enable you to quickly locate files and folders in the depot. When you bookmark a file or folder, it is added to the View>Bookmarks submenu. The first ten bookmarks (including bookmarks in submenus) are assigned Alt keys (1-9, then 0). When you type the assigned Alt key combination, the file or folder is located.

Bookmarks are not depot-specific. If you switch settings to access another depot, the bookmarks are retained, although they do not apply to files in the new depot. To distinguish bookmarks for different depots, create submenus that are named to indicate the depot where the files reside.

To bookmark a selected file, choose View>Bookmarks>Add Bookmark.

To locate a bookmarked file or folder, scroll to the desired file in the View>Bookmarks submenu or type its Alt key combination. The file or folder is displayed and selected in the depot pane

To specify whether a bookmarked folder is to be opened when you locate it:

Choose View>Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks... The Bookmarks dialog is displayed.
Click the folder you want to change, then click Change. The Change dialog is displayed.
In the Name of Menu Item field, modify the folder name as follows:
- To open the folder when you locate it, remove the trailing slash from the folder name, then click OK.
  (Example: //depot/main/bin)
- To keep the folder closed when you locate it, place a slash after the folder name, then click OK.
  (Example: //depot/main/bin/)
Click OK to dismiss the Change dialog.

To add a submenu to the list of bookmarks:

Choose View>Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks... The Bookmarks dialog is displayed.
Click Add Submenu. The Add Bookmark Submenu dialog is displayed.
Type the name of the submenu you want to add and click OK to dismiss the dialog.

Submenus are displayed at the end of the list of bookmarks. When you bookmark files or folders, they are added above the submenus. You cannot nest submenus.

To add bookmarked files or folders to submenus:

Choose View>Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks... The Bookmarks dialog is displayed.
Click the file or folder you want to move to a submenu and use the Move Down and Move Up buttons to position it in the desired submenu.

To assign an Alt key combination to a submenu:

Choose View>Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks... The Bookmarks dialog is displayed.
Click the submenu you want to change, then click Change. The Change dialog is displayed.
In the Name of Menu Item field, type an ampersand (&) before the character you want to use in the Alt key combination, then click OK.
Click OK to dismiss the Bookmarks dialog.

When the View>Bookmarks menu is displayed, you can use the Alt key combinations to display the submenu.

About file icons

P4Win uses the following icons to indicate the status of files managed by Perforce:


Binary file Text file	In the depot pane: a file that has not been synced to the client workspace. In a changelist: a file that has been synced to the client workspace. Otherwise, the file icon appears in conjunction with the images described below, which indicate the file's state.
or	A red plus sign to the left of the file icon indicates the file is being added in the current client workspace. A blue plus sign to the right of the icon indicates the file is being added by another client workspace.
or	A red check mark to the left of the file icon indicates that the file has been opened for edit in your client workspace. A blue check mark to the right of the file icon indicates that it has been opened for edit by another client workspace.
or	A red X to the left of the file icon indicates that it has been opened for deletion in your client workspace. A blue X to the right of the file icon indicates that it has been opened for deletion by another client workspace.
	A green dot indicates that your client workspace contains the head revision of the file.
	A green dot on a dotted file icon indicates that the head revision of the file is still contained in your client workspace, but the client view no longer allows you access to this file. You can remove the file from the client workspace, or modify the client view to include access to this file.
	A yellow exclamation point indicates that your client workspace contains an older revision of the file (not the head revision).
or	A black lock to the left of the file icon indicates that the file is locked by the current user. A gray lock to the right of the file indicates that the file is locked by another user.

The following examples illustrate how the icons display file status.


	The file is open for edit in your client workspace.
	The file is open for edit by another user.
	The file is opened for edit in your client workspace and is locked by the user of that workspace. The revision in the client workspace is not the head revision of the file in the depot. If displayed with a file in the pending changelist view this file must be resolved before its associated changelist can be submitted.
	The head revision of the file is opened for delete in your client workspace and is locked. The file is not open in any other client workspace.
	The head revision of the file is opened for edit in your client workspace. However, the same file is also opened for edit and locked in another client workspace.

Configuring display preferences

To configure P4Win display preferences, choose Options>Settings and click the Display tab. You can configure the display as follows:


Option	Description
Show deleted depot files	Enables/disables the display of deleted files in the left pane. When you delete a file using Perforce, its head revision in the depot is marked as deleted. You can still sync to previous versions.
Show Perforce file types in Depot and Changelist panes	Enables/disables the display of the file type in which Perforce stores each file. The file type determines which applications are used to display and diff files.
Show open action in Changelist pane	Enables/disables the display, in the file list of a changelist, of the action for each file in the changelist (add, edit, delete).
Show partial change descriptions in Changelist pane	Enables/disables the display of the first part of the Description field next to the changelist number when changelists are displayed in the right pane.
Always show connect settings in title bar	Enables/disables the display of the client computer, server, and port in the P4Win title bar.
Show p4 commands in the status pane	Enables/disables the display of the `p4` commands corresponding to the operations you perform using P4Win.
Outline depot file under cursor	Enables/disables the display of an outline (or marquee) around a file in the left pane when you move the cursor over it.
Show timestamp for status messages	Enables/disables the display of the time preceding each status message in the output pane at the bottom of the P4Win screen.
Preserve formatting for text fields in all specification dialogs	Specifies whether formatting (such as line-wrapping or tabbing) is preserved in text field, to ensure that scripts that rely upon the format of these fields do not break.
List label files in a dialog box rather than in the status pane	Displays a list of files in a separate dialog with links to files and changelists when you choose Label>List Files at...
Expand pending changelists whenever a file or job is added	Displays all files in a pending changelist when you add a file or job to it.
Enable including integrations when filtering submitted changes	Enable/disable the menu option for Changelist>Filter Submitted Changelists for Selected Files, including integrations.
Enable displaying branching history in the Revision History dialog	Show/hide the Show Branching History check box on the Revision History dialog.

To specify the number of revision history entries displayed:

Choose Options>Settings and click the Connection tab.
In the Revision History Window group, specify the desired display option.

To specify how the depot tree is redisplayed when you change connection settings:

Choose Settings>Options and click the Miscellaneous tab.
In the Depot pane file tree expansion... field, specify how you want the depot tree displayed.

To specify a file or folder to which you want the depot tree to expand, enter the target depot path in the Expand to field. You can obtain a file or folder's depot path by displaying its Properties dialog.

Specifying the form font

Perforce forms are displayed when you create and edit client specifications, user specifications, jobs, and changelists.

To specify the font used to display Perforce forms:

Choose Settings>Options... The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Font tab. Choose the font, style and size you want for Perforce forms.
Click OK to save your changes.

Specifying default actions

You can configure the action that P4Win performs when you double-click a file and when you drag a file from the depot pane to the labels pane.

To configure the double-click action:

Choose Settings>Options. The Perforce Options dialog is displayed.
Click the Double Click Option tab, and click the radio button for the action you want performed.

The following options apply to files in the left (depot) pane only. If you choose one of these options, the default editor is launched when you double-click a file in the right (pending changelist) pane.

View unopened files, Edit opened files (default)
Open for Edit
Open and Edit file using associated editor
View Head Revision using associated editor
Sync to Head Revision

The following options apply to files in the left (depot) and right (pending changelist) pane:

Diff vs Head Revision in both Depot and Changelist panes
Display Properties dialog in both Depot and Changelist panes
Display Revision History in both Depot and Changelist panes

To configure the action that P4Win performs when you drag a file from the depot pane to the labels pane:

With the labels pane displayed, right-click a file or folder in the depot pane and drag it to the labels pane.
Release the right mouse button. The context menu is displayed, listing options.
Choose Default drag and drop option and choose the desired default action from the submenu.

P4Win shortcuts

To display the submitted changelists that affect a file:

Choose Changelist>View Submitted Changelists. The right pane displays submitted changelists.
From the depot pane, drag the file to the right pane. The right pane is refreshed to display only the submitted changelists that include the selected file.

To open files for add or edit from Windows Explorer:

Select the files in Windows Explorer and drag them to the desired pending changelist. The Open Files for Add or Edit dialog is displayed.
Enter options and click OK to open the files.

Note that, if the selected files are not in your client view, they are not added to the changelist.

To add a path to your client view:

Choose View>Entire depot. All depot files are displayed in the left pane, including files that are not in your client view.
Choose ClientSpec>View Client Specs. The client specifications for your server are displayed in the left pane.
From the depot pane, drag the desired folders to your client specification in the right pane. P4Win displays an "Are you sure?" prompt.
Click Yes. The Perforce Client Specification form is displayed, with the newly added path listed in the View field.
Click Update to save the change and dismiss the form.

To add folders or files to your review list:

Choose User>View Users. The users defined for your server are displayed in the left pane.
From the depot pane, drag the desired folders and files to the right pane. P4Win displays the Perforce User Specification form, with the newly added folders and files listed in the Review field.
Click Update to save the change and dismiss the form.

To move files from one pending changelist to another, drag the files from their current pending changelist to the desired changelist.

To copy a file's depot path to the clipboard:

Select (click) the file in the depot pane.
Type CTRL-C. The file's depot path is copied to the clipboard.

(To display a file's client path, right-click the file in the depot and choose Properties from the context menu.)

To update or sync to labels, drag files from the depot pane to the labels pane. P4Win displays a submenu of choices related to labels (unless you've configured a default action. For details, see "Specifying default actions" on page 16.)

To find a string in submitted changelists, labels, branches, clients, users, or jobs:

Display the desired specifications in the right pane by choosing the corresponding menu option or clicking the corresponding toolbar button. (For example, to display user specifications, choose User>View Users.) If you want to start searching from a particular specification, click the specification in the right pane.
Choose Edit>Find String... The Find String dialog is displayed.
Enter the string you want to locate and click Find. In the right pane, P4Win highlights the first specification containing the string. If you selected a specification as the starting place for the search and the specification contains the string, the specification remains selected.

If the string is not found, P4Win beeps and the status line displays "Search string not found".
To locate the next specification that contains the string, choose Edit>Find Next. To locate the previous specification that contains the string, choose Edit>Find Previous.

Only the fields displayed by P4Win are searched. For example the Reviews field in user specifications is not searched.

Toolbar shortcuts: you can drag objects to the P4Win toolbar to perform the following operations. To use this shortcut, click and drag the object to the button. After the right pane displays the corresponding object, drop the object in the right pane to perform the operation.

To fix a job using a changelist:

Display jobs and drag the desired job to the Pending Changelist or Submitted Changelist button. Changelists are displayed in the right pane.
Drop the job on the changelist that fixes it.

To display changelists submitted by a specific user or client:

Display users or clients and drag the desired user or client to the Submitted Changelist button. Submitted changelists are displayed in the right pane.
Drop the client or user in the right pane. The list of submitted changelists is filtered to display only those submitted by the selected client or user.

To add a file or folder to your client view:

Drag the file or folder from the depot pane to the client specification toolbar button. Client specifications are displayed in the right pane.
Drop the file or folder on the right pane. PWin displays a confirmation dialog.
Choose "Yes" to add the file or folder to your client view.

To add a file or folder to a changelist:

Drag the file or folder from the depot pane to the Pending Changelist or Submitted Changelist button. Changelists are displayed in the right pane.
Drop the file or folder on the desired changelist.

To add a file or folder to a label: Drag the file or folder from the depot pane to the label toolbar button. (Note that if you have configured an alternate drag-and-drop action for labels, that action is performed instead.)

To add a file to your review list: Drag the file or folder from the depot pane to the user specification toolbar button.

Perforce 2002.1 P4Win Help in Print


<< Previous Chapter About This Manual	Table of Contents Index Perforce on the Web	Next Chapter >> Configuring P4Win