"Repository" vs "Project" for CVS status, update, diff etc. in Qt Creator?

toralf

When using Qt Creator with CVS, I get options like "Diff Repository", "Repository Status", "Update Repository" etc. What exactly does "repository" mean in this context? What's the difference between these operations and the equivalent "Project" ones?

mcosta

Hi,

when you work with Centralized VCS (CVS, SVN, ...) the "Repository" is the server where the Version Database is located.
So, operations on "Repository" refer to contact the VCS server to obtain information about sources; "Project" operations are related to local files.

toralf

I'm not sure that makes complete sense to me. Surely an operation like "Diff Project" also needs to contact the server and consult the repository; that's what it compares with, isn't it?

mcosta

Wrong,

"Diff project" means compare your current version of project with the BASE version.

Each time you "commit" your changes or "update" your working copy, you have a BASE version that is aligned with repository.
Making diff to BASE allows you to see your changes.

toralf

Yes, I suppose there is the distincition between base version and the latest version in the repository, or head revision. I still can't see how that's what this is all about, though. "Repository" is presented as an alternative to "Project" or "File", which describe file selections, not to anything version related. Also, I can't find any traces of version selection in the source code. On the other hand, there are references to different "top level" directories. I actually suspect that "Repository" refers to a common top level directory when you have checked out several sub directories as individual projects.

I'm talking only about the CVS version, of course - perhaps the other version control systems use the terminology differently.