Begin Committing

1. Locate the folder for the project your changes are for.
2. Right-click the folder.
3. Select the SVN Commit... menu item.

Getting Changed Files

It takes a second or two to fill the Listview of selected files.

Enter Log Message Window

A very big textbox invites you to write a message inside it.

• Long messages are actually very tough to view in TortoiseSVN.
• Big messages boxes invite needless wordiness.
• Revision histories are easier to use when updates are summarised briefly.
• The list of files to be committed is really important.

I think the default height should be 2 or 3 lines, allowing a taller Listview.

Past Messages

Clicking Recent Messages displays the Log History window. Why is it called 2 different things? “Recent Messages” seems the friendlier name. It could be used throughout TortoiseSVN.

Listbox

Messages are items in a Listbox:

• At the default window width of 300 pixels, this means all but the shortest of messages requires horizontal scrolling.
• The huge ize of the message textbox is all the stranger compared to the tiny size of where messages get viewed.

Command Buttons

It has an OK button and a Cancel button:

• These buttons don’t use Alt+O or Alt+C:
  • Consistent with Windows.
  • Inconsistent with elsewhere in TortoiseSVN.
• Both buttons simply close the window:
  • Only needs a Cancel button.
  • Already has a Close button in the top left.
  • No need for any command buttons.
• Buttons are too far apart.

Sizing

• With no command buttons:
  • Listbox could fill the client area of the window.
  • Sizing grip would be removed from the bottom left.
• Allow Minimise and Maximise.

I Spy...a Filename!

It shows a box with the names of changed files starting the same way as the word you are typing.

I yet to find this helpful. The text is too small and in a weird font, too.

Did you Mean?

It also has a spell-checker, similar to that in Firefox. In Firefox, you right-click a wrong word and some suggestions are at the top. TortoiseSVN puts them in a submenu near the bottom. Firefox’s position is easier to use.

The filename suggestion remains open, which I find a bit messy.

Text Wrapping is Marked

Each wrapped line gets a newline indicator on the right-hand side of the textbox. Why? The fact the text has wrapped shows it has wrapped!

Sizing

Like other windows in TortoiseSVN, this one has exemplary resizing.

However, the Listview columns are too wide at the default size.

Splitter

The lines between the Textbox and Listview appear when the mouse is above them. They indicate a splitter for moving the position where these controls meet. The line through the Textbox is where I am moving it to.

Showing the sizing operation as it happens would be more user-friendly. Then you could see if the Listview will show the entire height of the last visible item.

There is a setting in Windows for drawing things while resizing. It’s in the Appearance tab of the Display Properties window. You click the Effects... button and this displays the Effects window. A checkbox called Show window contents while dragging controls the effect.

TortoiseSVN could respect that setting for this feature.

I click OK.

Who Goes There?

If TortoiseSVN has no login details for the repository, it says:

<http://svn.sd1dev.com:80> towercollege

Requests a username and password

This reads like an RPG transcript. Log in to 'towercollege' would do.

• There is a huge gap between each label and its textbox. A bit of space is nice but these have yawning chasms!
• No resizing. Everything except vertical sizing and Maximise would work?

The Save authentication checkbox usefully avoids this window in future.

Comit to the Comit

The empty Listview is a bit confusing. Has it started? Has it finished? Has it crashed? A Please wait... message like the Error Log Message window would be helpful.

The OK is disabled and the Cancel button enabled.

Progress with Comitting

Files are added to the Listview as they are processed.

Progress Bar

A file which takes a long time to transfer brings up a progress bar.

A progress bar for the entire commit would be more useful.

Completely Comitted

Once all files are done, it adds a final item to the Listview and stops.

The OK is now enabled and the Cancel button disabled.

A status message is added which says:

Added:2 Deleted:3 Modified:5

The absence of a space after each : is as original. Curiously, this text can be selected and you can see the input caret. The text cannot be edited.