IBM Rational ClearCase provides configuration management
services that make it easy for development teams to work with resources
in a shared repository. With the IBM Rational® ClearTeam Explorer™,
developers can access Rational ClearCase from a variety of network
connections, including broadband (WAN) and traditional local area
networks (LANs). The Rational ClearTeam Explorer also supports WAN
access to Rational ClearQuest user databases.
Rational ClearCase provides a secure repository and integrated
configuration management tools that enable a variety of operations
on repository contents. The Rational ClearTeam Explorer provides developers
with access to Rational ClearCase repositories and configuration management
services supported by a Rational ClearCase server called the CCRC
WAN server. The Rational ClearTeam Explorer also provides access to
Rational ClearQuest user databases supported by a Rational ClearQuest
server.
The Rational ClearTeam Explorer is powered by Eclipse
technology. Eclipse is an open source platform for the construction
of powerful software development tools and rich desktop applications.
For more information about Eclipse, see the Eclipse Web site at: http://www.eclipse.org
The Rational ClearTeam Explorer and Rational ClearTeam
Explorer for Eclipse
The Rational ClearTeam Explorer is
available in two forms:
- The Rational ClearTeam Explorer, which is designed for use outside
of the Eclipse integrated development environment, and includes:
- Viewers, such as the ClearTeam Navigator view and ClearTeam Details
view, that provide access to resources loaded into Rational ClearCase
views and the ability to browse the contents of remote Rational ClearCase
repositories.
- Dialog boxes that implement operations such as check out and check
in.
- Wizards that automate tasks such as joining a UCM project and
creating ClearCase views
- Toolbars and context menus that provide access to the windows
and wizards
- The Rational ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse, which integrates
the Rational ClearTeam Explorer with the software development environments
provided by Eclipse. When you install the Rational ClearTeam Explorer
for Eclipse into an Eclipse environment, all Rational ClearTeam Explorer
viewers are available in the ClearCase Explorer perspective and can
also be added to other Eclipse perspectives. Dialog boxes and wizards
are accessible from Rational ClearCase toolbars (which can be added
to any Eclipse perspective that supports a team provider) and also
from the Eclipse Team context menu.
Most Help topics for the ClearTeam Explorer also apply to the
ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse. When a ClearCase operation behaves
differently in the Eclipse environment than it does in a standalone
environment, the differences are noted when the behaviors are described.
Rational ClearCase development models
Rational
ClearCase supports two development models:
- Unified Change Management (UCM), which is a pre-configured, activity-based
change management process.
- Base ClearCase, which is a set of tools that you can use to create
a configuration management process tailored to your specific needs.
Your project manager determines which development model your
team will use.
Both the ClearTeam Explorer and ClearTeam Explorer
for Eclipse support UCM and base ClearCase. To get started, see Using the Rational ClearTeam Explorer or Using the Rational ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse.
Documentation
In addition
to the Help available with the ClearTeam Explorer, you can find detailed
information about developing software using either base ClearCase
or UCM in the Rational ClearCase Information Center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/cchelp/v8r0m0/.
Context-sensitive Help
Every view
and dialog box in the ClearTeam Explorer provides context-sensitive
Help. To get Help for the ClearTeam Explorer interface that has the
current focus, press the platform-specific help key (such as F1 on
Windows).
Accessibility features
Accessibility features
help users who have a physical disability, such as restricted mobility
or limited vision, to use information technology products successfully.
Note: The
accessibility features mentioned here apply to the Windows operating
system. Some of these features also work on Linux, but are not officially
supported at this time.
These accessibility features support
the following things:
- Keyboard-only operation
- Interfaces that are commonly used by screen readers
For example, to set up a key binding to be able to move from
the ClearCase Navigator view to the ClearCase Details view in the
ClearTeam Explorer for Eclipse, select . You can associate any binding to this command (such
as Alt+ Shift+ Q , D) as long as there is no conflict with an existing
binding.
Screen resolution
For Linux and Unix installations,
the minimum recommended screen resolution is 1280x1024. If a lower
resolution is used, some dialogs may be truncated or incomplete. In
the event that lower screen resolutions are used and truncation occurs,
a workaround is to resize the dialog manually.