Git-source-control launches release 2.4.0 with a new basic mode

The Application Services team is pleased to announce the release of git-source-control version 2.4.0, introducing several new features to the open-source project.

For those unfamiliar, git-source-control is an embedded (or "server-side") source control tool for InterSystems products, installed through the InterSystems Package Manager.

Here are the key additions to the 2.4.0 release:

1. Basic Mode

Basic mode presents an overall great simplification to the git workflow, suitable for users with less knowledge of git as a source control tool. The basic mode has been explicitly developed for the feature branch and trunk-based models of development.

In basic mode, the typical flow of staging, committing, pulling and then pushing has been enveloped in a 'Sync' operation. Users need only choose the 'Sync' operation from the menu, and their local changes will automatically be synchronized with the corresponding branch in the remote repository (on GitHub, GitLab, etc.).

To enable basic mode, simply navigate to the 'Settings' page of the git-source-control tool, either through the embedded menu or the web UI, and select the 'Use Basic Mode' option in the user settings at the bottom of the page.

        2. Revamped Workspace UI

The workspace section of the git-source-control Web UI provides an area for users to take actions on changes to their repository.

Previously, it was divided into four segments, a diff view, a working copy view, a commit message view and a staging area.

With the new workspace view, the working copy and staging area have been collapsed into a single list of files with checkboxes, and it's clearer that the commit message is a text field. The diff view has been enhanced, allowing uncommitted files from other IRIS users to be viewed in the diff view, which previously was not supported. We believe these changes make the user interface much more intuitive.

          3. Default Merge Branch

In basic mode, a new setting for the 'default merge branch' allows users to specify a branch whose remote copy will be merged into the current branch before pushing to the remote repository.

This setting was implemented to provide additional built-in support for the trunk-based source control approach. Merging with this option will also automatically resolve a common class of merge conflict that occurs when multiple developers are working on the same IRIS Interoperability production.

Notable Bug Fixes:

            1. Git commands changing local repository files now synchronize with IRIS

Previously, the checkout, merge, rebase, stash and discard operations did not have their changes to the local file tree reflected by IRIS. Now, upon any of these commands being run, IRIS will update to provide file versions that match the local repository, including deleting files that don't exist in the current branch, or adding files that only exist in the current branch. This also compiles the changed files, which is especially important for changes to interoperability productions to reflect in the Production Configuration page.

             2. Deleted files are now shown in the Workspace UI

Previously, files deleted in the repository would not show up as one of the changes in the workspace. This meant that deletions would go unstaged and uncommitted, leaving the deleted files lingering in the repository. In the new UI, not only do all types of file changes (including deletions) show in the workspace, but the files are also listed with the corresponding git action, such as "modified", "added", "deleted" or "renamed."

              3. Users with %Developer are now able to perform all actions though the package without the need for added roles

In some cases, users were unable to perform many of the package's operations with being granted additional SQL privileges. This is no longer the case, simplifying security configuration.

For a full list of features and bug fixes introduced by the 2.4.0 release, please see the changelog.md file in the git-source-control repository on GitHub.

We are always looking for feedback and improvements for the git-source-control tool! Please feel free to create a GitHub issue in the repository if you encounter a bug or think an important feature is missing.