How to Manage PowerBuilder .PBL File Conflicts in TFS?

Question

I'm working with PowerBuilder and managing the codebase using TFS (Team Foundation Server). As you might know, PowerBuilder organizes its code in .PBL library files. Inside these .PBL files, we have components like datawindows, windows, and user_objects, where the actual code and logic reside.

Here’s the challenge:

1. If Person A pushes changes to a .PBL file to the TFS server, and Person B is simultaneously working on the same .PBL locally, a conflict arises when Person B tries to pull the updated file from the server.
2. Since .PBL files are binary, resolving conflicts isn't as straightforward as it is with text files.

My Questions:

3. How does TFS track changes in .PBL files, given their binary nature?

4. What are the best practices for managing and resolving conflicts in .PBL files?

5. Are there any tools or strategies to make this process smoother?

I’d appreciate clear guidance or steps to handle this scenario effectively.

Answer 1

You’re asking the right questions, but the wrong place.

No, you probably don’t want to source control PBLs, but objects individually. PowerBuilder has tools built into the IDE to do this.

However, the answer is too big for a StackOverflow question. It’s covered pretty well in the manuals (User Guide) and there used to be articles out on the web on this. Mike Cobb & Bruce Armstrong used to be the community deities on the subject; if you Google them, you should find some supplementary content if the manuals aren’t doing it for you.

Also note that because of discontinuation of support MS has made for TFS regarding standard protocols MS-itself created, depending on the PB version, you may not get PB to work with TFS unless you have it configured as a Git repository.

Good luck.