Why does code review require you to select a stream
This is a question about the design of the new code review feature in RTC 601. We are wondering how to explain the design to end users, but there is something we don't really understand.
It seems that you can review files that are in your repository workspace, and we expect that the point of a review is to review code before it is delivered to a stream. (This is what the code review preconditions are for.)
But you are required to select a stream as per below in order to conduct a code review. The help says "so that the code review can resolve paths to the files that are delivered".
We could understand a little more if the selection was for a repository workspace, rather than a stream, but even then we don't understand the motivation for having this selection here.
Could someone familiar with the design comment?
Here is the help URL:
Working with the code review tool
It seems that you can review files that are in your repository workspace, and we expect that the point of a review is to review code before it is delivered to a stream. (This is what the code review preconditions are for.)
But you are required to select a stream as per below in order to conduct a code review. The help says "so that the code review can resolve paths to the files that are delivered".
We could understand a little more if the selection was for a repository workspace, rather than a stream, but even then we don't understand the motivation for having this selection here.
Could someone familiar with the design comment?
Here is the help URL:
Working with the code review tool
Accepted answer
Both David and Ralph are correct that the only reason a stream is needed to compute a pathname to the modified files. (In particular, it is not needed to compute the diff ... the diff is defined by the change set, and no stream is involved in that). As for why a stream is required, and not a workspace (or baseline or snapshot), repository workspaces are often private, and are deleted more frequently than streams. To ensure that your all reviewers have read access to the review configuration context, even if you were allowed to specify a workspace, it would be best practice to specify a stream.
2 other answers
As fr as I can tell, the whole code review feature is available through the Web UI. This includes looking at the code changes and creating comments and issues in the code review. All that is done from the code review at the work item. I have to assume that the stream is needed to calculated the file names and the like to make it available for editing in the web UI.
This is just an educated guess, as my experience with the SCM API is limited. But in general, the API sometimes surprises you with what data is needed to access the information you want.
This is just an educated guess, as my experience with the SCM API is limited. But in general, the API sometimes surprises you with what data is needed to access the information you want.
I asked the same question and got the same answer
I haven't tested this yet but I wondered whether it used the stream version to be the "compare to" version.
I.e. perhaps it doesn't or isn't desirable to compare to the previous version in a repository workspace
If anyone has any insights into this then I'd love to know
Dave