Checking out files already checked out

[SpartanHokie]

Good day,

I have a Visual Build Pro file (run from a web environment by calling VisBuildCmd.exe) that does quite a few things, one of which is versioning our software. To do this, we check out all the AssemblyInfo.cs files, update the build and then check the files back in. In order to prevent our developers from checking these files out, we keep them checked out to the build user. The problem is that when it goes to check out the files in step one of the process, it fails. I have the flag to say Yes to everything unchecked (basically saying No to everything). No if after it fails, I go and run it again, it succeeds. more weird. If I keep doing this, exactly half of the builds are successful, the other half fail. Any ideas????????? Thanks

[SpartanHokie]

Sorry, forgot to mention this is done through SourceSafe

I have also found that if I call VisBuildCmd.exe directly, I get these results as well, so it is not the web environment that is messing things up.

[kinook]

That is a bit odd. Success/failure of the SourceSafe action is determined by the exitcode of ss.exe. As a workaround, you could have two copies of the step, one marked to ignore failure and the second not.

Using multiple checkouts or actually failing the build if somebody has one of the assemblyinfo files checked out would be a more robust way to deal with it.

[SpartanHokie]

Well the thing I find most odd is that when I use the command line it fails every other run. The windows app version proceeds without a hitch, not one failing build.

The reason we are keeping those files checked out is because we have a problem with individuals "forgetting" to check the assembly files back in. We basically dont want them to check them out in the first place. Since SourceSafe doesnt allow file level permissions, this was our work around.

SourceSafe is throwing errors when this fails. It is basically throwing an error because files are checked out and it cannot check for itself. But if you look at the successful builds, it is not giving that error and it proceeds on. I guess my question now is what is the expected behavior?

[kinook]

That's the part I thought was odd, too. So building with VisBuildPro.exe doesn't exhibit the problem, but using VisBuildCmd.exe does? Very strange, since the very same underlying build component and SourceSafe action are used in both cases. Ultimately, either way, it invokes CreateProcess on a command-line call to ss.exe. Could you post or send to support@kinook.com:

1) The info from Help | About | Install Info in VBP
2) The info from Help | About in VSS Explorer
3) The .bld file with the SourceSafe step that's failing to build, along with a build log of the step output when it fails

[SpartanHokie]

I attempted to create a test file for you (basically stripping everything out except the SS stuff) and I was unable to reproduce with the VisBuildPro app. It refused to build without erroring out, which I am understanding is expected behavior. When I try and run that through the cmd I get the same behavior. So it appears there is something in my big build file that is causing it to not error out. Anyways - what I have decided to do is to not keep those files checked out. We will have to develop some other way to developers from checking those files out. Thanks for your help!!!!