Locks
Since Subversion 1.2, explicit file locking is supported. File locking is especially useful when working with binary files, for which merging is not possible.
For each file, its lock state is displayed in the file table column Lock and additionally the Name icon can contain corresponding overlay icons, as shown in Additional File States. For a list of possible lock states, refer to Lock States.
The ‘Self’ state can be filled in by SmartSVN when scanning the local working copy. Please note that this state can change when scanning the repository (see Refresh), as the lock might actually be ‘Stolen’ or ‘Broken’.
Lock States
| (Empty) | The file is not locked. |
| Self | The file is locked for the local working copy. |
| Stolen | The file was locked for the local working copy but in the meanwhile it has been stolen by someone else in the repository. |
| Broken | The file was locked for the local working copy, but in the meanwhile it has been unlocked (by someone else) in the repository. |
| (Username) | The file is currently locked by the named user. |
Refresh
With Locks|Refresh SmartSVN will scan the selected files or all files within the selected directory in the repository for locks. The result is displayed in the file table column Lock. This column is automatically made visible, if necessary.
You can combine scanning the repository for locks with refreshing the Remote State in the Preferences. You can also schedule a repeated refresh of the repository lock information in the Project Settings .
Lock
With Locks|Lock you can lock the selected files in the repository. You can enter a Comment to explain why you are locking these files.
The option Steal locks if necessary will lock the requested files regardless of their current lock state (in the repository). With this option it may happen that you ‘steal’ the lock from another user, which can lead to confusion when the other user continues working on the locked file. Hence you should use this option only if necessary (e.g. if someone is on holiday and has forgotten to unlock important files).
Keep Update to HEAD before selected to perform an update to HEAD. Only the latest revision of a file can be locked.
Unlock
With Locks|Unlock you can unlock the selected files, or all files within the selected directory (recursively) in the repository.
The option Break locks will unlock the requested files even if they are not locked locally. With this option it may happen that you ‘break’ the lock of another users, which can lead to confusion if that other user is still working on the locked file.
Show Info
Locks|Show Info shows information on the lock state (in repository) of the selected file.
State shows the current lock state (see Lock States). Token ID is the SVN Lock Token ID, which is normally not relevant for the user. Owner is the name of the user who currently owns the lock. Created At is the time when the lock has been set. Expires At is the time when the lock will expire. Needs Lock indicates whether this file needs locking, i.e. the ‘Needs Lock ‘ property has been set (see Change ‘Needs Lock’). Comment is the lock comment, as entered by the user at the time of locking.
Change ‘Needs Lock’
With Locks|Change ‘Needs Lock’ files can be marked/unmarked to require locking. This is useful to indicate to users that they should lock the file before working with it. One aspect of this indication is that SmartSVN will set files which require locking (due to this property) to read-only when checking out or updating.