Using The Path Browser

The Path Browser is where you'll spend most of your time in P4Web. It lets you navigate through the depot hierarchy and see the state of your opened files at a glance. (Note that if you are using a P4Web Viewer instead of Helper, you won't see some of the information, menus, and links described here.)

The Path Browser is the page P4Web shows you when you first connect. You can also get to it by clicking on any path-level link shown in other P4Web pages. The Path Browser shows information about files and subdirectories in the current path, and lets you run commands that affect all the files in the current path at once.

"Show Recent Activity"

The Path Browser's control panel offers menus and shortcut buttons, described below. The "Show Recent Activity" button can be used to turn on a display of the most recent changelists affecting the files in the path you are browsing.

By default, files at the current path level and files you have open anywhere in the current path will be visible in the Path Browser. (You can change what you see with the Show menu, as described below.) Note that even though the Path Browser page may show you individual files, you can't run commands on individual files from the Path Browser. You must be in the File Browser to run commands on individual files.

Your current path is shown just beneath the control panel. The comment "Showing depot view path" or "Showing client view path" tells you whether you can see the entire depot or just the part you have mapped in your client view. (You can change this with Go to->Settings.)

Each level in the current path heading is a link to a Path Browser page. Use these links to navigate back up the depot hierarchy. Files and subdirectories in that appear beneath the heading are links to File Browser and Path Browser pages for those elements, respectively. Click on those links to navigate down the directory hierarchy. To navigate to the very top of the depot hierarchy, click on the "//" that appears at the begininning of the current path heading.

Files shown in the Path Browser have state icons showing their current state in the depot and in your workspace; see below for a key to their meanings.

Menus

• The Run menu allows you to work on files in the current path. All Run choices take you to a page that prompts you for more information before doing anything. You control whether commands are run on all or selected files in the current path.
  • Sync... lets you synchronize your workspace files with newer (or older) depot files.
  • Submit default changelist... lets you submit your opened files to the depot.
  • Open files for edit... makes your workspace files writable so you can work on them.
  • Open files for add... is how you add new files to the depot.
  • Open files for delete... is how you delete depot files; it also removes files from your workspace.
  • Change filetype... opens files so they can be submitted to the depot with a different filetype.
  • Remove workspace files... is how you remove files from your workspace without affecting depot files.
  • Integrate... lets you open files so changes from other files can be merged into them. It also lets you branch new files.
  • Resolve... is how you merge changes into your opened files.
  • Lock opened files... can be used to prevent other people from updating depot files before you do.
  • Unlock opened files... releases locks on your opened files.
  • Revert... can be used to throw away your workspace changes and close files without submitting them to the depot.

• The Show menu displays various information about files in the current path:
  • Path & opened files is the default Path Browser display. It shows files that live at the current path level, plus any files you have open in subdirectories of the current path.
  • Unsynced files - shows your workspace files that are not synced to head revisions.
  • Unresolved files - shows the files that need resolving, either because you have them opened for integrate, or because you have re-synced files you have opened for edit.
  • Files missing from workspace - shows files that were synced in your workspace but are missing now (because they were removed by something outside of Perforce's control).
  • Opened unchanged files - shows files you have opened but have not changed.
  • Changed unopened files - shows files you have changed without having opened them first with Perforce.
  • Files matching... - allows you to enter a filepattern, and shows the files whose names match that pattern current path.
  • Opened files -- all clients - shows files opened in other workspaces as well as in your own. (Not yet supported.)
  • Submitted Changelists - lists all submitted changelists affecting files in the current path, with links to more info about them.
  • Entire Depot View - redisplays the default Path Browser display showing the entire depot hierarchy
  • Client View of Depot - redisplays the default Path Browser display showing only the files and paths mapped in your client view

• The Go To menu is described here.

• Shows you a preview of what would happen if you were to sync files in the current path to head revisions.

• Sync files in this path to head revisions. This copies updated files from the depot into your workspace.

• Launches the Perforce interactive resolve program on all of your unresolved files at the current directory level and below. (Only resolves files that do not need merging. See Resolve Help for more information.)

• Locks all your opened files in this path.

• Unlocks all your locked files in this path.

• Lets you submit your default changelist. You can select all or some of the files open in the default changelist, enter a change description, and submit the files to the depot.

• Reverts all files you've opened in the current path, but have not changed since opening. (This will not revert any files opened for add or delete, or on which you have done a resolve.)

• Hide unopened files at the current path level -- show only the opened files in the current path and subdirectories.

• Show all files at the current path level as well as showing opened files in current path and subdirectories. (This is the default behavior.)

• Turns on display of "recent activity" (the five most recent changelists affecting the current path or file) in the control panel.

• Turns off recent activity display in the control panel.

• Toggles between "Show entire depot view" and "Show client view only" settings.

• Lets you edit your current client spec.

• Green icons denote files that are up-to-date:

  The file in your workspace file is in sync with the head revision of the depot file.

  The file has been deleted in the depot and is not present in your workspace. (You must have "Show deleted files" set to see this state.)

• Orange icons denote files open in your current client workspace:

  The file is open for edit in your workspace.

  The file is open for add in your workspace.

  The file is open for delete in your workspace.

  The file is open for integrate in your workspace.

  The file is open for branch in your workspace.

  The file is locked in your workspace.

• Red icons denote files that you won't be able to submit until you've performed some action on them:

  The file needs to be re-synced before you can submit it.

  The file needs to be resolved with changes either from a later revision of the same file or from the file that's being integrated to it.

• Gray icons show information that is independent of the state of your workspace:

  The file is also open in another client workspace.

  The file has been locked in another client workspace.

  The head revision of the file has been deleted.

  The file lives in a subdirectory below the current path.

  The file is not mapped in your client view. (You must have "Show entire depot view" set to see this state.)

Each file shown in the Path Browser is followed by state details that look like:

#[have]/[head] [filetype]