Data Management: Auto Check-out and Check-in
Introduction
Data Management (DM), revision or version control, is used to manage the data and information related to a project. Generally, the project is ongoing and worked on by multiple members of a design team. Only one member of the design team may have write access to modify data files at any given time. To modify data, a member will need to check-out the data before making modifications. After modifications are complete, the member will then check-in the data making it available to all of the other design team members.
The check-in and check-out of data is not a time consuming or tedious task, but does add a couple of extra steps in the editing process that most designers would like to be able to avoid. Automating the check-out and check-in of data has helped to streamline the process making editing of data simpler for design teams.
Triggering Auto Check-out and Auto Check-in
There are several settings that need to be in place to enable auto check-out and auto check-in of data.
Auto Check-out and Check-in Settings
The generic settings for DM are DMToolType, DMServerName, and DMServerPort. They are specified in the DataManage section of the Laker resource file which is called laker.rc. When using CVS, 3ds Enovia DesignSync®, or ClioSoft SOS, set DMToolType to CVS, DesignSync, or SOS, respectively. The 2 variables, DMServerName and DMServerPort, are not required when using DesignSync or SOS.
Example:
[DataManage]
DMToolType = SOS
DMServerName = localhost
DMServerPort = 2647
Figure 1: Options > Preferences > DataManagement
There are three options for auto check-out and auto check-in available under Automation in the DataManagement tab of the Options>Preferences form.
• Check out Cell View: Specifies the way to handle the check-out of a cellview.
o Prompt: Invoke a prompt form asking the user to check out the cellview.
o Always: Always check out the cellview.
o Never: Never check out the cellview.
• Check in Cell View: Specifies the way to handle the check-in of a cellview.
o Prompt: Invoke a prompt form asking the user to check in the cellview. The prompt form will only appear when saving a cellview or exiting Laker.
o Always: Always check in the cellview.
o Never: Never check in the cellview.
• Check out/in Other File: Specifies the way to handle the check-out and check-in of non-Laker data files such as libfile, techfile, etc.
o Prompt: A prompt form is invoked asking the user to check-out or check-in a file.
o Always: Always check-out or check-in the file.
o Never: Never check-out or check-in the file.
To have data always checked-out or checked-in make sure all three options are set to Always.
Laker Auto Check-out and Check-in Scheme
Auto check-out and auto check-in are triggered with all features that open a cellview via dbOpen. Examples are File > Open on the Laker Main Window or the Laker Layout Window. When the opened cellview is closed, auto check-in will be triggered. The Laker auto check-in scheme handles only the cellviews that were opened by the auto check-out scheme. Once a cellview is created via Laker features, such as new cell, copy cell, rename cell, make cell, etc..., the auto check-in scheme will be triggered when the cellview is closed. If the check-out and check-in scheme settings are set to Always, check-out and check-in will be automatic and transparent to the user. An initial checkin will need to be performed on a library before auto check-out and check-in will take effect.
Figure 2: SOS > Checkin Unmanaged Library
The SOS Design Browser does not support auto check-out and auto check-in. You will receive a prompt even if your settings are set to Always.
Laker and SOS compatibility
For auto check-out and auto check-in to work properly the following version combinations of Laker and SOS should be used:
Laker 3.2v3p8 and SOS 6.20.p3
Laker 3.2v3p9 and SOS 6.20.p4
Laker 3.2v3p10 and SOS 6.20.p4
Laker 3.2v4p2 and SOS 6.20.p4
