View File Command (Edit Menu)

See Also

Shows the text of the master copy of the file in VSS. To view an earlier version of a file, click the View button in the History of File dialog box on the Tools menu. To view a file before sharing it to your current project, click the View button in the Share dialog box.

Access Rights

You must have the Read access right to use this command.

Remarks

The View File command opens and displays a VSS master copy of a file using the editor associated with that file. You can also select an editor by clicking the Advanced button on the File dialog box.  Viewing a file does not change anything in either the VSS database or your working folder.

The associated editor is selected by one of the following means, in the following order:

1. VSS looks in its initialization files for a line with the extension of the file being viewed.
   
   
2. VSS uses Microsoft Windows Explorer (the registration database and Win.ini) to associate an application with the file extension.
   
   
3. VSS looks for your entry in the File Viewer option on the General tab in the SourceSafe Options dialog box.
   
   
4. If VSS cannot determine a file association after using these methods, VSS displays the file using its own editor.