How do I learn to use SVN effectively?

Question

I just asked a rtm worthy question about SVN. I've used SVN for several years and I manage several repositories used for different projects; apparently, I've been managing to get by with my simplistic mastery of SVN's client app.

How do I get to the next level (of effective SVN workflow)? How do I learn to master the app when I don't, in person, know anyone who can coach me and give me pointers. Are there any resources (besides the manual and it's examples) to help me learn to use it beyond the basics (showing me why/when I would want to employ advanced commands etc.)?

Answer 1

Join an open source project. You will learn a lot about how they use a version control system to manage their releases, such as tagging/branching/merging, and the like. That's how I learnt to use CVS ten years ago, from looking at the OpenBSD release process. :-P

Of course, these days few projects still use CVS; you'll likely be learning about Subversion, Git, or Mercurial.

Answer 2

Read the SVN-Book free on the web or pdf. Get a good server implementation (like VisualSVN). And talk to people who use it.

Answer 3

I'd suggest you read the free subversion book. It is really worth reading, as it gives an introduction into basic version control topics, and then covers (of course) subversion in great detail (from basic usage to advanced and administrative tasks).

Also, if you're working on windows, I suggest you use TortoiseSVN as subversion client. And also have a look into TortoiseSNV's help.

Answer 4

I highly recommend Pragmatic Version Control Using Subversion. It's a bit of an introductory book, but it does have a lot of good things to say about Subversion best practices. I learned a lot about how best to organize and maintain project structures in SVN (and with other version control systems) from reading this book.

Answer 5

While in general it's bad form to give just a reference to answer a question, I'm going to do it anyway.

http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn-book.pdf

This book is excellent. I played with subversion a little first, then read this book, and it helped a huge amount to get into the minds of the creators.

Also, create your own repositories locally, and try different things, based on what you read in the book. Don't use real data for this, unless it's a copy.