1 of the same file. VSS uses reverse delta technology to store changes.Levels of permission users are granted by the VSS administrator to use the VSS database. The levels of access rights are Read, Check Out, Add, and Destroy.
Dialog box that contains optional or additional settings. Many VSS dialog boxes have an Advanced button that displays additional settings.
When multiple users have the same file checked out, their changes to the file are merged by VSS during check in.
File whose share link has been broken using the Branch command.
Process of sharing a file with another project and then separating it into two or more branches. Once a branch has been created, two files (the file in the project, and its counterpart in other projects) will have a shared history up to a certain point, and divergent histories after that time.
File stored in the VSS database and unavailable for modification.
File that has been reserved for work by a user. Users check out files to make changes to them. In the default configuration, VSS allows only one user at a time to check out a file. Checking out a file copies its latest version into the user's working folder.
Folder to which a file is checked out in VSS. It is not the working folder. If you check out a file, the file is checked out to your working folder. To another user, the file is in the check-out folder. The check-out folder is displayed in the Check Out Folder column of the file pane; the working folder is displayed under the toolbar.
Preventing a project from being affected by certain commands, for example, Get Latest Version, Check Out, Check In, Undo Check Out, and Project Show Difference.
Formatting option used with keyword expansion within a file. This option (using two colons instead of one in the keyword instructions) tells VSS to align columns of keyword information for a more readable display.
Two or more different changes to the same line of code in a multiple check out situation. VSS recognizes conflicts during a merge operation, and flags them in some way.
Symbol used to designate conflicting changes to a file. These symbols are:
| Symbol | Description |
| <<<<<< | SourceSafe version |
| ====== | Conflict separator |
| >>>>>> | Local version |
VSS places these marks in the file after a conflicting check-in or merge operation, so conflicts can be easily found and resolved.
VSS supports transparent file-compatibility across multiple processors and operating systems.
Project selected in the project pane of the VSS Explorer window.
Version of a file most recently stored in the VSS database. The current version has the highest version number of a file in VSS.
Removes files and projects from a VSS project, and marks them as deleted; the items still exist, however, and can be recovered using the Recover command.
In VSS, a delta is the difference between version x of a file and version x1 of the same file. VSS uses reverse delta technology to store changes.
Permanently removes deleted files and projects from the VSS database. Once destroyed, the items cannot be recovered.
Set of software development tools, presented as a unified environment in which the software developer can efficiently work. Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Visual C++ are examples of such environments.
Combination of features that allows the user to drag an item and drop it onto another item using the mouse. An item can be a source (the item the user drags) or a target (the item on which the user drops a source).
To drag an object, click the object, then while holding down the mouse button, move it to the new location. Release the mouse button to drop the object.
Text at the beginning of a file that contains information, such as the revision number of the file, the author, the date and time of last modification, and so forth. This information usually appears as comments in programming language files so it doesn't interfere with compiling.
List of files in the current project, which can be found in the file pane of the VSS Explorer window.
Right side of the VSS Explorer window. This pane contains the file list, which is a list of all files in the current project.
Record of changes to a file since it was initially added to VSS. With the file history, you can return to any point in the file's history and recover the file as it existed at that point. The History of Project dialog box shows the record of significant events in the current project, such as labeling and deleting or adding files and subprojects.
Inherited effect of variables in VSS initialization files that subprojects receive from their parent projects. Variables in these files can be grouped under headings to specify behavior. If a variable is set before any group heading in the initialization file, the variable affects all projects; the effect is inherited by the subproject variables.
A text file the admin sets up to record any action in VSS that generates a history entry for a file or project. This file is frequently used for auditing purposes.
Specific to VSS. You can use keywords in your text files to automatically create a file header with version-specific information. Use VSS keywords to place information from VSS directly into a text file.
File that contains VSS keyword information.
Process VSS uses to replace a VSS keyword with meaningful header information when you use the Check In and Add Files commands. For example, the string "$Revision: $" tells VSS to expand the Revision keyword automatically with the current file version number.
User-defined name you can attach to a specific version number of a file or project.
Copy of a file stored in your working folder on your local computer. The local copy may differ from the VSS master copy if the local copy has been changed since the last check out, or if the master copy was changed by another user while you were working on the local copy.
System of ensuring that two processes do not affect the same record in a database at the same time. To coordinate record access, VSS applies native locking, which uses native operating system functions. VSS also can be set to use lockfiles, which create temporary files in the LOCKS folder.
Process of entering and verifying a user's name and password to access the VSS database.
Most recently checked-in version of a file stored in the VSS database, as opposed to the local copy of a file in your working folder.
Process of combining differences in two or more changed copies of a file into a new version of the file. A merge involves at least two different files (which can be different versions of the same file or changes made to the same version of the file) and creates a new file made up of the results of the merge. Merging can occur when the user merges two branches or when the Check In or Get Latest Version command is used.
Simultaneous check outs by two or more users. The VSS administrator must enable multiple check out.
The project a file or subproject exists in. For example, the parent of the file $/Project/Abc.txt is $/Project and the parent of the project $/Project is the root ($/).
Text string used as security to verify the identity of a user. A user password is often required to use the VSS database.
Group of related files, typically all the files required to develop a software component. Files can be grouped within a project to create subprojects. Projects can be defined in any way meaningful to the user(s). For example, one project per version, or one project per language. Projects tend to be organized in the same way as file directories.
List of all the projects available in the VSS database; the project list is found in the left pane of the VSS Explorer window.
Left side of the VSS Explorer window. The project pane contains the project list, a list of all available projects in the VSS database.
The more restrictive of the two security systems provided by VSS. By default, it is disabled. When enabled by the admin, this feature allows an admin to set access rights on a per user, per project basis. See Access Rights.
Permanently removes previously deleted files and projects from the VSS database. Once purged, the items cannot be recovered.
File marked as read-only in its file attributes. Such a file can be viewed in an appropriate text editor, but cannot be modified. VSS marks the file as read-only when you use the Check In and Get Latest Version commands.
Operation applied to a project and to all the files and subprojects of that project. For example, you can use the Check Out command recursively to check out all files in the project list simultaneously and avoid selecting each file individually.
Portion of the VSS Explorer window where results from VSS operations are shown. For example, when you check in a file, this pane shows the file name being checked in.
Change-storage technology used by VSS, in which incremental changes to a baseline file are stored, rather than each successive version of the file in its entirety. In VSS, the current version of a file is used as the baseline, and changes from the previous versions are saved. This results in reduced disk storage requirements and faster access times, because only the current version is stored in the database in its entirety.
Default assignment of user-access rights in subprojects based on rights assigned in the parent project. This default assignment can be changed.
The highest-level project with the name $/ in the project list. All projects in a VSS database are subprojects of the root project.
VSS has two levels of security: default security and project security. Default security provides two access rights: read/write and read-only. When project security is enabled, four access rights are available per user, per project: Read, Check Out, Add, and Destroy. Each succeeding right includes all rights preceding it. The Destroy access right provides unlimited access and is equivalent to Read/Write rights under default security.
Central, optional folder that contains current versions of all the files in a project. The shadow folder does not contain the master copy of a file or the local copy of a file. Instead, it provides a central location from which to view the overall structure of the project and serves as a convenient place to build or compile the project.
Link between a file shared with one or more projects. This link serves to update the shared file with any checked-in changes, regardless of which project the file was checked out from.
File simultaneously used by, and part of, more than one project.
The management of a file's change history and the file's relation to a larger grouping of related files known as a project. Source code control is a vital part of the efficient development of software applications. VSS is a project-oriented source code control.
A bar at the bottom of the VSS Explorer window used for displaying project and file status information and current command information.
Project within a parent project.
List of users who can use the VSS database. The list is maintained by the VSS administrator and displayed in VSS Administrator's main window.
Unique identifying string for a given user. Used for logging on.
VSS maintains multiple versions of a file, including a record of the changes to the file from version to version.
Number that indicates the number of revisions a file has undergone since it was added to VSS. This number is displayed in the History dialog box. Version numbers are always whole numbers.
Record keeping process of tracking a file's history from the initial version to the current version. Changes to a file are tracked as part of this process.
Merge operation where conflicts are resolved visually, in an easy-to-use graphical interface.
Individual responsible for the VSS database. The administrator uses VSS Administrator program to control the location of the database, the user list, and access rights of each user, and performs setup and backup duties on the database. The administrator's user name is always Admin.
Central database where all master copies, history, project structures, and user information is stored. A project is always contained within one database; multiple projects can be stored in one database, and multiple VSS databases can exist to store multiple projects.
VSS’s graphical user interface. By default, it comprises three panes: the left project pane and the right file pane, as well as the toolbar, status bar, menus, and so on. VSS Explorer is displayed when you click the VSS icon.
Project marked as a Web site project in the VSS Administrator. Such a designation allows special Web site commands, such as Deploy, to be used in this project.
Asterisk (*) and question mark (?) are wildcard characters. You can use these characters to match patterns. You can also use wildcard characters and matching characters to further refine a search.
| Symbol | Example | Usage |
| * | wh* finds what, white, and why; *at finds cat, bat, and what | Like the MS-DOS asterisk (*) wildcard character, this asterisk matches any number of characters. |
| ? | b?ll finds ball, bell, and bill | Like the MS-DOS (?) wildcard character, this symbol matches any single character. |
A backslash preceding an asterisk or question mark indicates a literal asterisk or question mark: \* or \? (This is necessary if you want to search for actual asterisks, question marks, or backslashes.) A double backslash (\\) indicates a backslash. Any other use of a backslash is ignored.
Specified folder on a user's local computer used to store files when they are checked out of the VSS database. A user makes changes to files in the working folder and then checks the modified files back into the VSS database for version tracking.