Using the File Browser

The File Browser allows you to view detailed information about a file, and to work on that file. You get to the File Browser by clicking on the file name portion of any of the files listed in the Path Browser. You can also get to the File Browser by clicking on any of the file links list in the Changelist Description page, the Submit Changelist page, or the Pending Changelist page. (Note that if you are using a P4Web Viewer, some of the information, links and menu items described here won't be visible to you.)

The current file's full depot path and name appear below the control panel. Each component of the path is a link to a directory level in the Path Browser.

Detailed state information follows the current file heading:

• Type, Have, and Head show the file's filetype, the revision you have in your client workspace, and the head revision in the depot, respectively.
• Workspace shows exactly where the file is located in your workspace and gives you a browser link to it. If you click on this link, your browser will open the workspace file, allowing you to view work in progress. Note the following exceptions:
  • The file must be local to the machine running the browser.
  • Some browsers do not support this functionality.
• Additional state information is shown if your workspace file needs to be synced, if you and/or anyone else has the file opened, if you need to resolve the file, and so forth.

The File Browser's Show menu can be used to display information about the file, as well as its content:

• Filelog shows the complete history of the file and provides links to previous file version information and content. (This is the default File Browser display.)
• File state shows Perforce state information for the current file. (This is displayed by default in combination with most other Show options.)
• Depot file in browser lets your browser display the content of the depot file at the head revision, using an associated application if necessary. (See Displaying File Content for more information.)
• Submitted changelists gives a summary list of all changelists submitted to this file, with links to the corresponding Changelist Description pages.

• Annotated file text shows each line of a file's head revision with the line number where it was introduced.
• Fully annotated file text also shows deleted lines and the range of revisions for each line.
• Depot file text shows text of the most recent version of the file in the depot.
• Workspace file text shows the text of the file in your workspace.
• Workspace diffs shows the changes you've made to the file in your workspace.
• Depot diffs shows the diffs between the version you're synced to and the most recent version in the depot.
• All diffs shows the diffs between the file in your workspace and the most recent version in the depot.

The File Browser's Run menu lets you run commands on the current file. The menu choices labelled with "..." will prompt you for more information; the other choices run the command immediately:

• Sync file... sync to any revision of this file.
• Launch editor -- brings up the workspace file in an editor window.
• Submit default changelist... submit just this file if it's open, or all the files in your default changelist.
• Open for edit... open this file for edit, optionally changing its type and putting it in a particular changelist.
• Open for add... open this file for add, optionally specifying its type and putting it in a particular changelist. (Available only if the file is not already opened for add or present in the depot.)
• Open for delete... open this file for delete, optionally putting it in a particular changelist.
• Remove from workspace removes the file from your workspace unless it's currently open.
• Integrate... open this file so changes from another file can be integrated to it.
• Resolve file... merge changes into the current file using a variety of options.
• Lock file if it's opened by you and not locked by someone else.
• Unlock file if it's locked by you.
• Revert if unchanged -- if you opened the file for edit but didn't change it, or if you opened the file for integrate but didn't resolve it, the file will be closed and taken off your pending changelist.
• Revert even though changed -- regardless of what you've done to your workspace file, close it, replace it with a new copy from the depot, and take it off your pending changelist. Warning: this will overwrite any changes you made to your workspace copy of the file.

These shortcut buttons are available on the File Browser page:

• Return to Path Browser.
• Sync the file to the head revision.
• Resolve the file.
• Open for edit in default changelist, with no filetype change.
• Open for delete in default changelist.
• Show all diffs ( the differences between your workspace file and the head revision of the file in the depot).
• Launch editor on workspace file.
• Show text of the head revision of the depot file.
• Show file history
• Show extended file history (includes history of the current file's ancestors).
• Go to the Submit Default Changelist page.
• Lock the file if you have it opened for edit.
• Unlock the file if you have it locked.
• Revert the file if it is unchanged (see above)

With the exception of Run->Open for add... and Run->Launch editor. the commands in the File Browser work with Perforce-managed files only.