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Version: 1.23.3

Assemble Local Packs

tip

Role required: admin.

A local pack is a record in the VCS Local Pack (sys_vcs_local_pack) table that contains a specific set of records from the VCS Record (sys_vcs_record) table. Use it to associate VCS records with a specific pack according to the type of changes they refer to, and export them as a complete configuration set. When exporting local packs, you can move the development of the application configurations to a separate instance. To do so, export them as a SOP file and deploy the changes to another instance.

See the Configuration Packages article to learn more.

The exported configuration pack includes:

  • Local Pack – compiles all VCS records related to a specific set of changes. These records can be implemented as one configuration pack in another instance. In other words, a local pack contains references to the records that should be changed, inserted, or deleted in the target instance.
  • VCS Record – contains a record version.
  • SOP file – a file in the SOP format. It contains all record versions from the local pack. Transfer and implement it in any other SimpleOne instance.

Assemble a local pack​

A local pack configuration and export include the following stages:

  1. Create of a new local pack to store some specific VCS records.
  2. Collect VCS records in a local pack:
  3. (optional) Merge several local packs.
  4. Export a SOP file.
tip

When exporting records for a custom application, ensure that the relevant application is implemented in the target instance or that the local pack contains the application VCS record.

How to import custom applications

To import a custom application, follow the steps below in the source instance:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → Applications.
  2. Find the application record you need and open it.
  3. In the Related Lists area, select the VCS Records tab.
  4. Open a relevant record with the selected Is current checkbox. The application will be imported to a target instance, even if the Action type of the VCS record is Update.
  5. In the VCS Record form, select the local pack you need in the Local pack field.
  6. Click Save or Save and exit.

Team development​

In SimpleOne, you can export separate local packs and upload them one by one. Another option is to work as a team on one task. To do so, developers should do their part of work in separate local packs and then merge them into the final local pack. The following diagram describes the process:

caution

Developers can also work using the same local pack. But it is not recommended as it may cause errors.

To facilitate the team development process, do the following:

  1. Each team member creates a separate local pack and works in it, collecting versions of the VCS records. The results of work on a specific task should go into a separate local pack.
  2. When all the developers who work on the same task complete their local packs, these local packs must be merged into the final one.

Create a local pack​

To create a local pack, complete the steps below:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → Local Packs.
  2. Click New and fill in the fields.
  3. There are two ways to apply the changes and continue assembling a local pack:
    • Click Save. Then click Set current to switch the local pack in the Admin Preferences menu and start working on it.
    • Click Set current and Save to switch the local pack in the Admin Preferences menu, apply the changes and start working on it.

Manage VCS records​

Configure the set of record versions in the VCS Records related list to manage the local pack content. Restore and move records to collect only the ones you need.

Restore a VCS record​

To restore one of the previous record versions and make it current, click Restore Version. Restoring is only available for the VCS records with the cleared Is Current checkbox.

info

Restoring is not available for the records of the Simple application with the Protected record policy.

To restore a record version, complete the steps below:

  1. Open the record you need.
  2. In the Related Lists area, select the VCS Records tab.
  3. Open the record version to restore.
  4. Click Restore version.
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Another way to restore a record version is the following:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → VCS Records.
  2. Find the record to be recovered. You can use list search boxes or the condition builder.
  3. Open the record you need.
  4. Click Restore version.

After that, a new VCS record is created in the current local pack.

Remove a VCS record​

The SimpleOne platform is designed in such a way that no record can be removed from the system. When you click Move to Default, they are moved to the default local pack. If one of your local packs contains a VCS record that was created accidentally or belongs to another configuration pack, you can remove it from this local pack.

To move a VCS record, do the following:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → Local Packs.
  2. Open the local pack containing the VCS record you need to move.
  3. In the Related Lists area, select the VCS Records tab.
  4. Select a record or records to be moved using the checkboxes and click Move to Default.
  5. These records will be moved to the default local pack of the corresponding application.

As a result:

  • All selected record versions are moved to the default pack.
  • All record versions with the same Record ID as the selected ones are moved to the default pack, too. That is, all previous and current versions of the same record are moved.

It is impossible to delete records from the default local pack.

Change a local pack for a VCS record​

If a version was created in a wrong local pack by mistake (for example, in the default local pack), you can move it to the required local pack. To do so, complete the steps below:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → VCS Records.
  2. Find a record to move. You can use list search or the condition builder.
  3. Open the record you need.
  4. Click the magnifier icon by the Local pack field and select the required local pack.
  5. Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.

Snapshots​

Snapshots restore record versions in the following cases:

  • a record has no current versions.
  • the current version of a record is outdated – when the JSON Copy of this record version has a later date than the Updated at field of the record itself.

In the version control systems (VCS), a snapshot is a fixed state description of a system or database.

There are two ways to create a table snapshot:

  • via table form (table configuration).
  • with the SimpleVcs class of the server-side API.

Option 1​

  1. Navigate to System Settings → All Tables.
  2. Using the search boxes and/or a condition builder, find the table for which you need to create a snapshot, and navigate to it.
  3. Open the burger menu and navigate to Configure → Table.
  4. Click the Create VCS snapshot button at the right top. This button is only visible when the versioning for this table is on (the Is VCS enabled checkbox is selected).

Option 2​

  1. Navigate to System Settings → Server Scripts.
  2. Write a script and call the createTableSnapshot(tableName) method in it.

The example script below makes snapshot of all versioned tables within the current application:

Table Shapshot Script
const table = new SimpleRecord('sys_db_table');
table.addQuery('is_vcs_enabled', true);
table.addQuery('sys_id', '!=', '999999999999999998'); // exclude REM
table.selectAttributes('name');
table.query();
while (table.next()) {
  const vcs = new SimpleVcs();
  const versionCount = vcs.createTableSnapshot(table.name);
  if (versionCount > 0) {
    ss.info(`${table.name.padStart(80, " ")}: ${versionCount} versions created`);
  }
}

Complete local packs​

To complete local packs, complete the steps below:

  1. Click the gear icon at the top right to enter the Admin Preferences menu.
  2. Select your application in the Application choice list.
  3. Click the icon on the right corner to the Local Pack choice field.
  4. Change the value of the State field to Completed.
  5. Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
  6. Click the Export local pack button to download the application, to install it in different instances. See the Configuration Packs article to learn more.
note

Another way to open a local pack record is the following:

  1. Navigate to Configuration → Local Packs.
  2. Open the record you need to complete and export.
  3. Change the value of the State field to Completed.
  4. Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.
  5. Click the Export local pack button to download the application, to install it in other instances.
note

When you develop an application, the records created in the pipeline of another application are not available for updating (either editing or deleting). Any attempt to modify a record related to another application causes a warning message.

To perform any actions with a record, switch to the application it belongs to.

For more information about switching between the applications, see the Panels and Navigation article.