Text Mode in ClearCase

Text Mode in ClearCase

 

Text modes in Rational ClearCase views are necessary because lines in text files are terminated differently on different platform types. The text mode of a view determines how lines in text files under Rational ClearCase control are processed, independent of the platform that the view storage, the VOB server, or the client runs on.

 

Linux and the UNIX system and Windows observe different conventions for terminating lines in text files. Typically, Linux and the UNIX system terminate lines with a single <LF> character and Windows systems terminate lines with a two-character sequence <CR><LF>.

 

To better support parallel development in mixed operationg system environments,a text mode setting for views in provided that controls how line terminators are handled when text files are presented to applications.This setting applies only to file elements whose element type is text_file or a subtype of type text_file. You determine a view text mode when you create the view. You can not change the text mode fo a view after the view has been created.

 

Text Modes

transparent (formerly unix) No line terminator processing is done.

insert_cr (formerly msdos) A <CR> character is inserted before every <LF> character.

strip_cr The <CR> character is stripped from every <CR><LF> sequence.

 

Sitewide property and Rational ClearCase user option for text mode on Windows computers

On windows computers, the sitewide property view_interop_text_mode in a Rational ClearCase registry determines the default text mode when you create a view with the GUI. If view_interop_text_mode is set to True, insert_cr text mode is the default. If view_interop_text_mode is set to False, transparent text mode is the default. The cleartool lssite -inquire command lists the current value.

 

On windows computers, in the View Options page in the ClearCase User Options window, you can specify a preference that determines the default text mode when you create a view with the GUI. if you set interop text mode, insert_cr text mode is the default. If you clear interop text mode, transparent text mode is the default. The preference can override the default for the site-wide property view_interop_text_mode.

C:\Program Files\Rational\ClearCase\bin\cleardlg.exe  /options

 

In a snapshot view created in either insert_cr or strip_cr text mode, the <CR> characters are added or removed whenever the view is updated. In a dynamic view, the <CR> characters are added or removed as you open and read files. For both snapshot views and dynamic views, the <CR> manipulation is reversed (<CR> characters being added or removed as appropriate) during the checkin process.

 

If most users are developing software on UNIX systems:

• UNIX clients should use views created in transparent text mode.
• Windows clients should use views created in insert_cr text mode.

If most users are developing software on Windows systems:

• Windows clients should use views created in transparent text mode.
• UNIX clients should use views created in strip_cr text mode.