Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 14:Using Version
Control
In This Chapter
Introducing Source Control Management (SCM)
Using manual version control
Using snapshots
Introducing SCM with Git
Using Git locally in Xcode
Using Xcode with GitHub
Development isn't always a smooth process, and sometimes it's necessary to abandon code that isn't working and
restore a project to a previous state. It also can be useful to compare older and newer versions and to use tools
that manage development across a team.
Managing code in these ways is known as
version control
or
source control management
(SCM)
.
Several version
control tools are built into Xcode. They're not obligatory, so you can ignore them, but this isn't recommended. At
a minimum, you can manage versions manually in Finder. But you also can use the more powerful tools that are
new to Xcode 4.
Using Manual Version Control
The easiest way to manage versions is to duplicate and rename project folders in Finder, as shown in Figure 14.1.
Each folder should contain stable or nearly stable code with a consistent set of features. The code should build
cleanly.
Create a copy before you begin to add new versions. If it's obvious that the next version must be abandoned, you
can mark it by giving the folder a unique name—perhaps one that includes the word “abandoned”—and starting
again with a new copy.
FIGURE 14.1
Manual version control is simple and easy to use, but limited.