About version labels in version-extended paths

In addition to affecting the way the element is displayed in views, labeling a version of an element also provides a way to access the version with a version-extended path. Labeling a version effectively adds a new hard link to the version in the extended namespace. For example, if you attach version label R4.1A to version /main/rls4/12 of element lib.c, these paths are equivalent:

lib.c@@/main/rls4/12
lib.c@@/main/rls4/R4.1A 

In addition, a third path is usually equivalent:

lib.c@@/R4.1A 

This version-extended path is valid if it is unambiguous, that is, if no other version of lib.c is currently labeled R4.1A. (This is usually the case because, by default, label types are restricted to being used once per element. See the description of the -pbranch option in the mklbtype reference page in the VersionVault Command Reference.)