Branches

Branches are editable copies of maps and their dependencies stored in a separate space.

Branches enable you to maintain multiple editable versions of content.

Note:

Depending on your CCMS configuration, some operations may be restricted to Administrators and users with specific permissions.

Versioning with branches — Figure 1. An Example of Branches Used for One Product Guide.
In this example, each branch corresponds with a particular product guide version. The branches can be edited at any point.

When pushing content between branches, you typically work in the Branches tab you access from the Resource Drawer. The Branches tab enables you to:

Create a branch from a map
Merge content from one branch with content in another branch
Replace content from one branch with content from another branch

When you have multiple branches set up, you use the Branch menu to switch to the branch you want to work on.

Tip: We recommend using the default master branch to develop the current version of your content.

Apart from using the Branches tab to push content between branches, you can also do it directly in the Content Editor by using the Push Changes option from the topic toolbar. This option enables you to quickly push a topic to another branch.

Note:

By default, merging/replacing topics from the topic toolbar is disabled and the Push Changes button is unavailable. To enable this feature, contact a Customer Success Manager.

Figure 4. Branching Options in the Topic Toolbar

All branching operations are recorded as history entries in the History tab. A history entry is called a revision. You can view past revisions and restore a file a previous revision from the History tab.

Guidelines

Keep these guidelines in mind when working with branches:

Before creating a branch, check the content for errors. You can do that by publishing your content and verifying how the output looks.
Establish a branches naming convention. Once you create a branch, you cannot change its name.
Designate a person, for example a team leader, who will be responsible for merging and replacing branches.
The resources in branches count toward your content object limits.

Create a Branch

We recommend creating branches from maps.

Switch to the branch that you want to branch content from. For more information, see Switch Branches.

In the Content Library, click a map and from the Resource Drawer on the right, select Branches.
Click Create Branch.
Fill in the New branch name field.
Optional: If you do not want to switch to the new branch when it is created, clear the Navigate to new branch check box.
Click Create.

Switch Branches

You can see the contents of different branches in the Content Library by switching between the branches.

In the Content Library, in the top-right corner, from the Branch drop-down menu, select a branch.

Note: The branches menu is hidden if you have a single branch.

Merge Branches

Heretto CCMS enables you to merge changes between branches and resolve conflicts.

Switch to the branch that you want to merge content from. For more information, see Switch Branches.

If you want to merge a map to another branch, do the following:
1. In the Content Library, click a map and from the Resource Drawer on the right, select Branches.
2. Click Push Changes > Merge.
If you want to merge a topic from the topic toolbar into another branch, do the following:

Note:
By default, merging/replacing topics from the topic toolbar is disabled and the Push Changes button is unavailable. To enable this feature, contact a Customer Success Manager.
1. In the Content Library, open a topic or a map that contains the topic.
2. In the topic toolbar, click the Push Changes button and select Merge.
  
  Figure 7. Push Changes Options in the Topic Toolbar
In the Merge window, from the Into drop-down menu, select the branch that you want to merge to.

Figure 8. Merge Window
If applicable, in the Filter files to be merged section, do any of the following:
- To only merge the files with a given file status, select a status in the File Status field.
- To only merge the files owned by a given user, select a user in the Owner field.
Click Continue.
If the Conflict Manager window appears, do the following:

Figure 9. Conflict Manager.
The Conflict Manager may contain entries in the following sections: Changed Content, Added Files, Moved and Renamed Files, and Content Type Changed.
1. For each resource or section, select an appropriate option.
2. If prompted, accept or reject changes and select an appropriate option.
When every conflict is resolved, a dialog appears.
In the dialog, click Finish.

Overwrite Branches

Heretto CCMS enables you to overwrite branches by replacing files in one branch with files from another branch.

Switch to the branch with content that you want to use to overwrite another branch. For more information, see Switch Branches.

If you want to overwrite a map in another branch, do the following:
1. In the Content Library, click a map and from the Resource Drawer on the right, select Branches.
2. Click Push Changes > Replace.
If you want to overwrite a topic from the topic toolbar in another branch, do the following:

Note:
By default, merging/replacing topics from the topic toolbar is disabled and the Push Changes button is unavailable. To enable this feature, contact a Customer Success Manager.
1. In the Content Library, open a topic or a map that contains the topic.
2. In the topic toolbar, click the Push Changes button and select Replace.
  
  Figure 10. Push Changes Options in the Topic Toolbar
In the Replace window, from the Into drop-down menu, select the branch with content that you want to replace.

Figure 11. Replace Window
If applicable, in the Filter files to be merged section, do any of the following:
- To only overwrite the files with a given file status, select a status in the File Status field.
- To only overwrite files owned by a given user, select a user in the Owner field.
Click Replace.
The Branches tab shows the progress of the replace operation.

Restore Previous File Revisions

Heretto CCMS stores the history of DITA and non-DITA resources. This means that you can revert maps, topics, media, and other files to their previous revisions (versions) at any time. You can do that in the History tab.

Important: Restoring a resource to its previous version does not restore the resource dependencies to their previous versions. For example, if you restore a map to its previous version, the topics in that map are not restored to their previous versions.

In the Content Library, click a resource that was impacted by a branching operation and in the Resource Drawer on the right, select History.
In the History tab, do the following:
1. In the History section on the left, locate the branching operation revision that you want to restore.
2. Select a Revision that occurred before the branching operation.
3. Click Restore.
If a dialog opens, click OK.
In the Edit the commit details window, click Save.

Remove a Branch

To complete this procedure, you need to be an Administrator in Heretto CCMS.

Warning: Removed branches cannot be restored.

In the Main Menu in the top-left corner, click Branching.
In the list, identify the branch that you want to delete and click the corresponding Remove button.
In the dialog, type in DELETE and click DELETE.

Gretyl's Portal

Heretto Help

Branches

Guidelines

Create a Branch

Switch Branches

Merge Branches

Overwrite Branches

Restore Previous File Revisions

Remove a Branch

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