Read-Write Option

[Guest]

When I do a Get on a file there is an option, Read-Write check box, that allows me to make the file writable. This in essence is a local checkout. I can then make changes to that file, copy it to another directory, check out the file from RSC (because it's now available), copy MY version of the file back to my project directory, and then check in the changed file. The changes for whoever had it out before are now gone.

You might think I'm kidding. That no one would EVER do this. But you would be wrong. It has happened to us in SourceSafe and is the real reason we've been looking at RSC. Hopefully there is an user setting that will make this check box unavailable. If not, then the turning the local check out off is useless.

Given this level of user, we really don't want to try the merge changes functionality. I can see only disaster with that.

So, does this turnoff switch exist? Thanks for any help you can give me.

[Gravenstein]

Wow, that's a weird one! So you have someone deliberately circumventing the checkout process? Not nice.

I tested this for myself using RSC. First of all, let me tell you that the "Set Read/Write" box never went away. Here's how the rest of the testing went:

<Scenario One, with no restrictions on local checkouts>
1. User A checked out a file legitimately and made edits.
2. User B did a "get" of the same file, checking the Set Read/Write box.
3. User B then attempted to check out the file from RSC. This failed with a message saying that the file could not be multiply checked out.
4. User B, being persistent, then tried to do a local checkout. This was successful. User B was then able to edit the topic.
5. User B checked in his file.
6. User A checked in his file.
7. Results were different in two separate tests. In one instance, I got a dialog for resolving the differences between the two checkouts. In another instance, both changes were simply integrated into the file. Not sure what caused the difference.
**************************

<Scenario Two, with local checkout permission removed>
1. User A checked out a file legitimately and made edits.
2. User B did a "get" of the same file, checking the Set Read/Write box.
3. User B then attempted to check out the file from RSC. This failed with "...cannot be multiply checked out."
4. User B tried to do a local checkout. RSC denied the request with the message "Error - you have insufficient rights to perform this operation."
5. User A checked in his file normally.
*******************

Admittedly, this was a quick-and-dirty test, but it would suggest that if you removed Local Checkout rights, that it would stop the end-run around multiple checkout restrictions.

HTH,
G

[Guest]

And logically, you would think that removing the local check out rights WOULD stop any one from pulling an editable file down to their hard drive. But we had the local check out permissions turned off and multiple checkouts were not allowed. The Read-Write option is more or less a way to circumvent these settings. You wouldn't think anyone would go so far out of their way to do this but . . . So I'm guessing there's no way to make the Read-Write option unavailable?

[Gravenstein]

I didn't see a way to turn it off. So RSC allowed the local checkout when it had been turned off? It didn't allow me to do so, and the Read/Write option didn't allow me to circumvent the restriction. Well, it would hardly be the first time that the product had surprised me.

Frankly, it would be easier to just slap certain wrists and say "Don't do that!" I suppose that's not an option...

G