Artifact check-ins

You can check in design artifacts (libraries, cells, and cell views) and non-design artifacts (property files, category files, and so on) in HCL VersionVault by using the Library Manager user interface or the gdmci command in the command-line interface.

Command-line interface command: gdmci

Usage

gdmci [ –cdslib filename ] [–recurse ] [ –xtra str ] [ –initial ]: [ –description des_str | –dfile file ]; [ –help ] [ –lib lib.cell:view/file ] [–file file ]

Description

Use this command to check in the specified files and to register files that were previously unmanaged. The command provides checked-out and previously unmanaged files to the repository so that files can be shared. Co-managed files in a view are always checked in as a group. Co-managed set behavior applies only when directories or files are specified as library elements; that is, co-managed set behavior applies when the -lib argument is specified.

Options and arguments

-cdslib <filename>: Use this option to specify the library definition file to use for mapping library names to library directories.

-recurse: Use the -recurse option to select an entire directory hierarchy. For example, if a nonlibrary specification is a directory name, by default, the name refers only to the files that are immediately subordinate to the named directory. You use the -recurse option to select the complete hierarchy.

-xtra <str>

Use the -xtra <str> option so that you can specify more arguments that are specific to the design management check-in command. The commands are passed through the gdmci command to the checkin command.

Tip: The -xtra option takes a string as the parameter. If the string includes a space, enclose the string in quotation marks ("").

The following flags, which are specific to HCL VersionVault, are supported as part of the -xtra option. The meanings of these flags are the same as the definitions on the reference page for the cleartool checkin command.

-nwarn
-keep | -rm
-ptime
-identical

The following -xtra parameters are provided for the gdmci -initial command.

-eltype <eltype_name>
-master

For multisited environment check-ins of unmanaged artifacts in HCL VersionVault, you must use the -master parameter. This behavior can be turned off by setting the CCASE_CDS_MASTER environment variable to false. After the behavior is turned off, users can specify the -master parameter as an argument of the -xtra option to the checkin command. If the feature was turned off previously, users can enable it by setting the CCASE_CDS_MASTER environment variable to true.

The following HCL VersionVault arguments are not supported by the gdmci -xtra command and option:

-comment
-nc
-cfile
-atomic
-from

-initial: Checks in all specified files and registers files that were previously unmanaged. If unspecified, new or unmanaged files that are members of a registered co-managed set are checked in. All arguments are case-insensitive and can be shortened to any abbreviation that is unique across all gdm command arguments. Therefore, -initial can be specified as -ini.

-description <des_str>: Cannot be used with -dfile. The string is the comment for the checkin operation.

-dfile <file>: Cannot be used with -description. Use -dfile to enter a multiline description. The content of the file becomes the description for the checkin operation.

-help <file>: Displays information about this command and its arguments.

-lib <lib.cell:view/file>

Library elements to check in. Names listed without -lib or -file are treated as -file.

arguments.

-file <file>: Files and directories (non-library elements) to be checked in. Arguments specified without -lib or -file are treated as -file arguments.

User interface actions for checking in artifacts

In the user interface for the integration, select a file, library, cell, or cellview.
Click Design Manager, and from the menu, click Checkin.
Note: While checking in files, you have the option to do the check-in and label simultaneously. To do this, select the Apply Label Post Checkin checkbox on the Check In dialog box and enter the appropriate values in the Label Operations and the Label Options fields. If the check-in fails, the label operation is ignored and the Check In – Label Failed dialog box is displayed with an error message.
Right-click the file, library, cell, or cellview, and then click Checkin.
In the Check In dialog box, select and deselect the files to check in. You can also select Use Options to specify options that are specific to HCL VersionVault. See the description of the -xtra argument earlier in this topic.
From the Check In dialog box, you can use the Filter option to enter regular expressions for selecting the cell view type.
Click OK. All checked out files are checked in. If any files are unmanaged, they are added to HCL VersionVault source control.

Check-in behavior and options

Atomic check-in support: With atomic check-in operations enabled, versioned object base (VOB) users can specify that if a check-in operation fails for one element that the checkin command specifies, then the command fails for all elements that the command specifies. The cellview member files that constitute a co-managed set are checked in atomically if the VOB is enabled for atomic check-ins. See the protectvob command reference entry for information about ownership and group membership of the files and directories in a VOB.

Automatic check-in: Automatic check-in applies only to the files or designs that were automatically checked out. If a file was checked out manually, you are not prompted to check it in when you end a session.

Check-ins for unmanaged artifacts in a multisite environment: In HCL VersionVault, checking in unmanaged artifacts uses the synchronous request for mastership (SRFM) feature. For replicated VOBs that are SRFM enabled, the check-in operation uses the SRFM option by default to check out the nonmastered parent folders to add subordinate unmanaged artifacts to HCL VersionVault control. This behavior can be turned off by setting the CCASE_CDS_SRFM environment variable to false. To enable this feature if it was turned off, set the CCASE_CDS_SRFM environment variable to true. Nonmastered parent folders that were checked-out during the check-in of unmanaged artifacts can be checked in only after the current replica receives their branch mastership information. However, users can poll the check-in status of these folders to commit them to HCL VersionVault automatically. To enable polling, set the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI environment variable to true. Set the poll interval in seconds in the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_INTERVAL environment variable. You can attempt to check in parent artifacts after every specified interval until succeeds or times out. You must set the poll timeout period in seconds in the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_TIMEOUT environment variable. To disable the polling feature, set the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI environment variable to false. If an invalid value is specified for the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_INTERVAL environment variable, and the polling feature is on, the default value of 30 seconds is used. If an invalid value is specified for the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_TIMEOUT environment variable, the default value of 90 seconds is used. If the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_TIMEOUT variable is specified with less time than the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_INTERVAL variable, the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_TIMEOUT variable value is set to the time value of the CCASE_CDS_POLL_CI_INTERVAL variable.

Check-out cancellation

You can automatically cancel check-outs that will produce identical artifact versions if the artifacts are checked in.

When the CCASE_CDS_CANCEL_IDENTICAL environment value is set to true, a check-in operation prohibits checking out an artifact version that would be identical to its predecessor, if it were checked in. The default value of this environment variable is false.