Checking out files, checking in files, hijacking files, and merging changes

This topic explains some of the things you need to consider when checking files in and out and provides links to instructions for checkout, checkin, hijack, merge, and undo checkout operations.

About this task

Your options for checking out files by using the TSO Client View Files List and File Actions panel depend on how your profile is set up:
  • If your profile includes the ENABLE_MULTIVIEW TRUE parameter, then your environment is set up to support multiple views accessing the same stream or branch. This environment is referred to as multiview. In this environment, multiple users can check out and work on the files in the stream or branch. Only one user can request a reserved checkout. Others must request an unreserved checkout. Any conflicts between the resulting changes must be resolved by using a merge operation.
  • If your profile includes the ENABLE_MULTIVIEW FALSE parameter or does not specify any value for the ENABLE_MULTIVIEW parameter, then your environment is set up to allow only one view to access a stream or branch. This environment is referred to as single view. Unreserved checkouts are not allowed.
For more information about the ENABLE_MULTIVIEW parameter, see Profile parameters.
The View Files List and File Actions panels provide information in the Status field to let you know how each file has been checked out. The following table describes each status and the actions you can take on a file with each status indicator.
Table 1. Checkout status of files in the View Files List and File Actions panels
Checkout status Description Actions you can perform on the file
Check out(R) A reserved checkout. This status is possible in both multiview and single view environments. In a single view environment a reserved checkout is indicated by the status "Check out." You can edit the file and check in your changes if you checked out the file in reserved mode
Check out(U) An unreserved checkout. This status is possible in multiview environments only. You can edit the file if you checked it out in unreserved mode. If a successor version has been checked in, you can merge your changes with the successor version and then check in the file.
The following topics describe how to complete checkout, checkin, hijack, merge, and undo checkout operations.