Thank you for trying out the beta test version of P4Web, the web-enabled Perforce user interface. During the beta test period, we will be making incremental improvements to P4Web that may change its appearance and behavior.

Please check our Beta Downloads page from time to time to make sure you are testing with the latest version.

Documention

Currently, P4Web is documented in "How to Use P4Web" and in embedded help files. You can browse the embedded help file here.

Requirements

P4Web requires a Perforce 99.2 server.

Installing on Macintosh

(See "How to Use P4Web" for Unix and Windows NT startup information.)

To install and run P4Web on the Macintosh:

• Download the "p4web.sit.hqx" file from our Beta Downloads page and unstuff it. Put the two resulting files ("p4web" and "p4web.README") anywhere you want.
• Read the "p4web.README" file, which will tell you how to set the appropriate values for P4PORT, P4CLIENT, P4USER and (optionally) P4PASSWD.
• Start p4web.

To connect your browser to P4Web, open a browser window and enter the URL "http://localhost:80/".

Since this version of P4Web for Macintosh always listens on local port 80, it not currently possible to run multiple instances of P4Web on the same Macintosh.

Passwords and Authentication

P4Web uses browser authentication to restrict access to a single browser. It prompts the first browser that connects to it for a username and password. If the browser-supplied username matches the P4Web startup username, P4Web binds itself to that browser. No other browser will be able to connect to a P4Web that has already authenticated a browser.

Between the time you start up P4Web and make your first browser connection, P4Web is open to connections from anyone else's browser. If another user enters your username at the browser prompt, your P4Web will bind itself to their browser. You will have to kill your P4Web and restart it in order to use it with your own browser.

Rest assured, however, another user accessing your P4Web will not have access to your client workspace as long as:

• Your Perforce username has a password associated with it, and
• Your client spec has the "locked" option set

Incorrectly entered usernames or passwords can result in these error messages:

This P4Web is already in use by another browser or another user

You have most likely entered a username at your browser prompt that does not match the username P4Web started up with. You will also see this message if you try to connect to a single P4Web from more than one browser.

Perforce password (P4PASSWD) invalid or unset

You've entered the correct username but the wrong password at your browser's prompt, and P4Web is trying to issue Perforce commands with the wrong password.

Once your browser has stored a username/password authentication code for a P4Web running on a particular "hostname:port" address, it will continue to use the same code every time it communicates with that P4Web. The only way to reset the P4Web authentication code for a particular address is to exit and restart your browser.

Currently, you will need to stop and restart your P4Web if you want to:

• Switch to another Perforce username
• Change your Perforce password
• Re-enter a password entered incorrectly at the P4Web browser prompt
• Switch to another Perforce client name
• Switch to another Perforce server (P4PORT) address

Latest Changes

99.2beta/15399

P4Web's "Client mode/depot mode" concept has been replaced with client/depot view preferences available in the Path Browser's "Show" menu. Now you can view mapped files you're not synced to yet. (Same as what you see in P4Win.)

3494 fixed: Offline remote depots prevent viewing top level path.

99.2beta/15106

3426 fixed: "Error: //* - must refer to client 'clientname'"

3399 fixed: No "resolve" page help

3252 new: Support for browse-only P4Web.

3011 fixed: P4Web stops running (or won't start up) if it can't connect to a Perforce server

3438 fixed: No "unlock" help

3378 fixed: Problems with diff output page

3433 fixed: Mangled $Id examples in help pages

Unsupported Operations

The following operations will be supported in a future release:

• Display of file content using browser-selected MIME-type
• Doing single-file or single-directory operations from Path Browser page
• Resolving interactively
• Opening files for integrate
• Showing file history with integration parent history (filelog -i)
• Changing filetypes
• Moving opened files between existing pending changelists
• Diffing non-consecutive file revisions
• Working with jobs, groups, depots, labels, branches
• Launching external programs (text editors, etc.) from within P4Web pages (3273)
• Changing port, client, or user from a P4Web page (2957)
• Improved usability on browsers that support Javascript

Limitations and Known Problems

• Except on Macintosh, P4Web requires you to supply a port address when you start it up. In the future it will supply its own defaults.
• Files that are synced in your workspace but not in mapped in the current client view are displayed with missing or misleading status and links (3297)
• External applications (editors, for example) can't be launched from within P4Web (3273).
• Neither "Revert" button nor "Revert if unchanged" operation work on files opened for branch or add. Revert those files with "Revert even if changed." (3400)
• On Macintosh, using the default memory allocation (1024K), some operations can crash P4Web. Workaround: increase memory allocation. (3421, 3491)

Please Send Us Your Feedback

Your feedback will help us craft a better P4Web. Please email your comments and bug reports to [email protected]. Be prepared to tell us:

• The version ID of the P4Web you were testing with. (Cut and paste this from any P4Web page.)
• Which browser you were using.
• For bug reports, the URL of the P4Web page in question.