How to download only part of the repository?

[rakkar]

Using the cloud server, I have a programmer overseas who can't download the entire repository because the download keeps failing before the end. He doesn't need 80% of the assets the obvious solution is to exclude most of the art directories from the download.

He and I spent about an hour trying to figure out how to only download part of the repository, and we gave up and I told him to use Gluon instead of Plastic SCM. The only reference I could find is https://www.plasticscm.com/documentation/distributed/plastic-scm-version-control-distributed-guide.shtml which is incredibly confusing to me.

It seems like this should be a very common use case and explained a lot better. Even Perforce is easier, where I can just setup my workspace mapping to exclude certain directories.

Is there some tutorial on how to download only part of the repository, that a new user can understand?

 

[manu]

Hi @rakkar,

you have two different options:

1. Gluon: as you pointed out Gluon will let you choose wht you want to download to the workspace. Please check the following videos, they will help you to learn how to use Gluon, you'll see it's super easy:
    
2. Cloaked.conf: Configuring a cloaked.conf file before the update operation will let you choose what to download, check the following link for more info:  https://www.plasticscm.com/documentation/user/plastic-scm-version-control-introduction-guide.shtml#_Toc266201374

[galen]

Hi, sorry to revive zombie thread but is there a way to configure the standard GUI client the way Gluon can be configured?

[calbzam]

Hi,

In Plastic GUI you can use "cloaked.conf": 

1. Cloaked.conf: Configuring a cloaked.conf file before the update operation will let you choose what to download, check the following link for more info:  https://www.plasticscm.com/documentation/user/plastic-scm-version-control-introduction-guide.shtml#_Toc266201374

Regards,

Carlos.

[galen]

On 4/28/2021 at 12:39 PM, calbzam said:

Hi,

In Plastic GUI you can use "cloaked.conf": 

1. Cloaked.conf: Configuring a cloaked.conf file before the update operation will let you choose what to download, check the following link for more info:  https://www.plasticscm.com/documentation/user/plastic-scm-version-control-introduction-guide.shtml#_Toc266201374

Regards,

Carlos.

Hi,

 

yes but that would apply for everyone and not just myself or am I missing something? Let's say I would like to have folderA and folderB downloaded but someone else only needs folderA, how would we configure that per team member?

[calbzam]

Hi,

The "cloaked.conf" by default is a local configuration file so every user can define their own cloaking rules for their workspaces (although you can also define it via global configuration if you prefer).

Regards,

Carlos.

[dean]

Are there any improvements to this situation @calbzam?

The OP's situation is exactly the same as ours, and surely very common. We have a game with a unity project, but also gigs and gigs of working files that are only required by artists.

I don't want to use gluon, but also messing around changing the cloaking file seems like a very roundabout way of addressing this. Surely if Gluon supports partial updates, the main gui could too?

[calbzam]

Hi,

The estructure of a partial/Gluon workspace and a regular/PlasticGUI workspace are very different.

- Gluon workspace designed to configure the files you want to download. The basic unity of the workspace is the file and you can have download files from different changesets and update the specific files you need.

- In a regular/Plastic GUI workspace, the basic unit is the changeset. Every workspace is pointing to a specific changeset. When you update, you are updating to a different specific changeset (you are not udpating individual files). You cannot configure a workspace the same way as you do in Gluon.

I'm afraid using cloaking files is the only solution at the moment. The product team is working on a more user friendly solution for handling the cloaking rules but I'm afraid it's not yet available.

Sorry for the inconvenience,

Carlos.