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I need to understand the best practices to use the same source code/libraries into multiple applications. The requirement is, e.g. I am selling my code/library to some company, lets say xyx, then I should use xyz as company name in my packages(and other places if required).

Later, if some other company pqr wants that code/library, I need to manually go and change all package names(and others) again and create another repository in source control software. This task is very time consuming and not good at all.
Whenever I find a bug in base code, I need to commit changes in all copies of the same code and release library to all companies.

I am trying to find how should I approach such situation.

I am here talking about some Java packages (contains very basic features that I wish to use in all company's software), and I am using tortoise svn as repository.

JasonMArcher
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Dev_Vikram
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  • Why the git tag then? Are you absolutely sure that you have to rename these packages in the mentioned cases? These things being said, I think your question might be a better fit for http://programmers.stackexchange.com/ – reto Nov 25 '14 at 07:15
  • git is just in case it can help me for my requirement. I am not sure about http://programmers.stackexchange.com/. Should I post the same question there? – Dev_Vikram Nov 25 '14 at 07:25
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    According to their description http://programmers.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic your type of question seems to be a better fit there. Typically you'd move your question (closing it here). – reto Nov 25 '14 at 07:30
  • Sure. Thanks for the redirection!!! – Dev_Vikram Nov 25 '14 at 07:32
  • This question appears to be off-topic and needs to be migrated to programmers.stackexchange.com – Andrew C Nov 26 '14 at 22:12

1 Answers1

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If you are selling the code/library, that means you are providing a delivery resulting from a packaging operation.
In other words, you don't give the repo itself, but a packaged set of files (like, for instance, an archive, a zip file)

That means the sources versioned in your repo don't have to include the company name. They can include a template field (like @COMPANY@), and a script able, on checkout of that code, to put the right value in place of that template field.

In git, this is called a content filter driver using a script declared in a .gitattribute (as in here), and storing the actual value outside the git repo (that way, they cannot be pushed by mistake)

smudge

(image from "Customizing Git Attributes" from the Git Book)

With SVN, you could consider using "Keyword Substitution".

In both cases (Git or SVN), the idea is to version source files with @COMPANY@ in it, and to generate on demand the right valued files whenever you need to release that library to a client.

Don't mix development (which happens in your Git or SVN repo) with release management (which can use a different process, like a file representing the name of target company, used to value the source files. If that file isn't present, the source files remain unchanged on checkout)

Community
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VonC
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  • Thanks for sharing. This looks like answer to my question. I'll go and implement this and will mark this as answer. Thanks again. – Dev_Vikram Nov 25 '14 at 09:03