Re: Control of version

Ian Goddard wrote: > > Tim Schaefer wrote: > <snip> > > > > As for file-dependency chaining, this is something that I'd handle > > in makefiles, but I learn new things every day. :-) > > > > Make handles the fact that one file depends on another but how do you > make it handle the fact that file2.4gl version 1.4 needs version 1.2 of > file2.4gl and version 1.3 of file3.per? > > Does PVCS do this? In RCS you're simply reduced to putting it in the > version description. > The $(GET) thingy was originally a MAKE built-in to resolve GETting a file from SCCS, or possibly RCS. I've never really used it, so can't comment on it other than say, read the man-page or other book(s) on make. O'reily has a book on it, "Managing Projects with make", ISBN 0-937175-90-0. I think it can provide you with the answers you need... As always, you'll have to play around with make to get it to work the way you want. > Defining the version of the database structure is even trickier. You > could run dbschema after every change and give that a version number - > but in practice migrating from one version to another might involve some > ALTER TABLES and even some UPDATES (ALTERing a table to add a non-null > column isn't a single step process and will involve an UPDATE that > dbschema can't even capture). Such files must be applied to a specific > version of the database. > > I'm currently working on a site which received updates of a 3rd party > application every few weeks. I haven't counted the number of source & > executable files in the system but it runs into thousands! Some of > these releases involve changes to the database structure. Some of the > code releases may include changes already installed at the site as > bug-fixes made in advance of the general code release. This makes me a > bit sensitive to these issues. The software house concerned seems to > have nothing like RCS or SCCS in place at all! > > Ian It is absolutely amazing at how many sites do not have a source code control implementation, or how many programmers out there that do not use make. I know of several shops here in Florida with large amounts of 4GL, and the programmers do not use make, or SCCS/RCS/PVCS. Many defer to that sissy i4gl interface, which should be removed from the system. :-) I know of many who create shell scripts to compile ESQLC! Make is actually quite easy to use, otherwise I wouldn't have my digs for these other methods. There is also Microsofts' nmake for Win95/NT, which is extremely similar to UNIX make, and allows an additional feature of #if #else #endif programming. Jonathan has provided on several occasions his makefile for 4GL, which should be more than adequate for your needs, and is available at the iiug archive. I believe it handles ESQL/C as well, although I haven't used it in a while. You should acquire it and learn from it. I challenge you in a most positive way to develop your own make methods. If you want additional ideas, I've got make_mk, which produces makefiles for 4GL, and ESQL/C--to a limited degree--and grnd_mk, which attempts to produce a makefile for several executables in one makefile, from a flat-file database of executables. They are at my site, are not perfect, but can allow you to set up repeatable, consistent makefiles. As I stated before, MAKE is easy to use. You might be surprised at how little you need in the makefile for a typical 4GL or ESQL/C project. Tim -- Tim Schaefer \\\\|// tschaefe@mindspring.com (6 6) ------------------------oOOo---( )---o00o--------- http://www.inxutil.com