Today I received the question how you can receive a pop up messege when you try to check out some files when a newer version is already on the server.
When you work with VS2003 and TFS it is possible to perform an get latest version when you try to check it out. I try to explain it:
Jan check out file 1
Jan changes the file and check in
Harm has the old version of file 1
Harm checks out file 1
Under 2003 this may (only when you set the options to do this) would have brought the latest version of the file from the server to Harm's machine and checked it out to him. But microsoft used there brains and deleted this option in TFS. Because you’re workspace is not a correct building solution anymore when you get only one latest file and not the whole solution.Doug Neumann from microsoft explains the reason behind it:
It turns out that this is by design, so let me explain the reasoning behind it. When you perform a get operation to populate your workspace with a set of files, you are setting yourself up with a consistent snapshot from source control. Typically, the configuration of source on your system represents a point in time snapshot of files from the repository that are known to work together, and therefore is buildable and testable.
As a developer working in a workspace, you are isolated from the changes being made by other developers. You control when you want to accept changes from other developers by performing a get operation as appropriate. Ideally when you do this, you'll update the entire configuration of source, and not just one or two files. Why? Because changes in one file typically depend on corresponding changes to other files, and you need to ensure that you've still got a consistent snapshot of source that is buildable and testable.
This is why the checkout operation doesn't perform a get latest on the files being checked out. Updating that one file being checked out would violate the consistent snapshot philosophy and could result in a configuration of source that isn't buildable and testable. As an alternative, Team Foundation forces users to perform the get latest operation at some point before they checkin their changes. That's why if you attempt to checkin your changes, and you don't have the latest copy, you'll be prompted with the resolve conflicts dialog.
source: http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/showpost.aspx?postid=70231&siteid=1
There is a workaround for this issue: http://frozenorange.wordpress.com/2007/01/18/tfs-check-out-get-latest-version/ But the question is: DO YOU REALY WANT THIS?
But when you only needed a pop up message, sorry it isn't yet in TFS. We wait......
Regards,
Harmjan