Your Subversion repository in JIRA Studio contains your source code. To work with your repository, you can either access the files directly using the Subversion command-line client or use an IDE (integrated development environment) to interact with the repository.
On this page:
Using the Subversion Command-Line Client
Subversion has a wide range of functions available via its command-line client. The following section describes how to use some of the more commonly used commands in Subversion.
Checking out a Working Copy
Checking out a project is typically the first step in working with your source repository. This will create a local working copy of the project on your machine.
To check out your Subversion project,
- Open a Subversion command-line client.
- Enter the following command:
svn checkout https://<account>.jira.com/svn/<project_key>/trunk
where <account> is the account name that you provided at signup and <project_key> is the key of the project that you defined at project creation.
If you wish, you can check out a particular Subversion directory in your project (e.g. a branch of code), by specifying <project_key>/<directory_name> instead of <project_name>/trunk.
- A confirmation message will be displayed at the end of a successful checkout, e.g. 'Checked out revision 1001'.
Updating your Working Copy
Before you begin making changes to your working copy, it is highly recommended that you update your working copy with changes that other users (with access to the repository) may have committed.
To update your working copy,
- Open a Subversion command-line client.
- Enter the following command:
svn update
- A confirmation message will be displayed at the end of a successful update, e.g. 'Updated to revision 2442.', as well as the list of files updated in your working copy.
Committing Changes to the Repository
Once you have finished making changes to your working copy, you can commit your changes to the repository by using the svn commit command.
To commit changes to your Subversion project,
- Open a Subversion command-line client.
- Enter the following command:
svn commit -m "<commit_message>"
where <commit_message> is the description of your changes for this commit. This description will be recorded against the commit in the repository.
- A confirmation message will be displayed at the end of a successful commit, e.g. 'Committed revision 932'.
Other useful Subversion commands
The table below lists other useful Subversion commands that are commonly used in a basic work cycle.
 | 'svn help'
Help on every command is integrated into Subversion. For further information on the commands below, try entering svn help <command>.
e.g. svn help checkout |
| Command |
Description |
| svn add |
Add a new item (i.e. file or directory) to your repository. |
| svn copy |
Copy an item and add the new copied item to your repository. |
| svn delete |
Delete an item from both your working copy and repository. |
| svn move |
Copy an item and delete the original in your working copy and repository. |
| svn status |
Determine what changes (at the file/directory level) have been made to your working copy. |
| svn diff |
Display what has changed in each file that has been modified (i.e. the 'difference' between your modified file and the original). |
| svn revert |
Revert the working copy, removing all changes. |
Using an IDE
The steps required to configure an IDE with a source repository vary depending on which IDE you are using. You should be asked to provide the following repository details when configuring your IDE:
- Location of your repository — that is, https://<account>.jira.com/svn/, where <account> is the account name that you provided at signup
- The Username and Password that you use to access your source repository — these will be the same details that you use to access JIRA Studio.
Please refer to your IDE documentation for specific instructions on configuring your source repository and working with your source repository.
Many thanks to Collins-Sussman, Fitzpatrick and Pilato whose book 'Version Control with Subversion' (2007) provided much of the content for this page. Adapting material from this book is permitted under the work's license — read the license details.
