source indexing (srcsrv) error "zero source files found"

[Malcs]

The main problem I get is my source indexing doens't always work.
Sometimes I get the message :
ssindex.cmd [INFO ] : ... indexing C:\BuildDump\ ... \ xxxx.pdb
ssindex.cmd [INFO ] : ... zero source files found ...

I also get an error
ssindex.cmd [WARN ] : Command line option "-CLIENT=" is unrecognized.
(I did not get this error with previous versions of the source indexing tools)

Sometimes if I run the identical script again it will work.
Often if I go to source safe and check the working directory is correct, and
go out again this fixes it (even if I made no changes to the working
directory of the projects I am indexing).

I have narrowed the problem down to vssdump.exe. It seems to only work if
you have the (SS) working directory set to the correct value (this is
different from previous versions. Vssdump.exe sometimes fails even if you
have the working directory of teh project you are index correct. Like with
the problem above, if you go into source safe and check or set the same
working directory again it seems to correct itself.

The previous system for source indexing didn't seem as strict - it didn't
care what the working directory was. Though this isn't a problem if the
system always works, though it did take additional work to get it working.

Another problem with this system is sometimes you might not get the error
ssindex.cmd [INFO ] : ... zero source files found ...
but only some files were index not all files - again there is no logical
reason and doing the previously mentioned steps and running the script again
usually gets it to work.

I hope this makes some sense.
Any ideas about these two problems
- "zero source files found" seemingly intermittent
- "-CLIENT=" option seemingly removed or not working

[Pat Styles]

Hello Malcs.

The original Source Server script for VSS had some problems that were not
discovered until I worked with John Robbins to create an article on how to
use Source Server. Mainly they had to do with some serious limitations to
how VSS works. Chief amongst those problems were that VSS does not store
any data on what version of a source file exists on a client installation.
So the earlier version of the script might have produced the wrong version
of source. That is why the use of labels was required in the new Source
Server scripts. Furthermore, we found that VSS could be very modal about
saving state. You see this when you try to use the system from the GUI
without the SS working directory. I believe all these limitations are
extensively covered in the Visual SourceSafe section of srcsrv.doc. Did you
get a chance to check that out?

.pat styles [microsoft]

"Malcs" <Ma...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6B06EC32-C577-4367...@microsoft.com...

[Malcs]

I am using the version which was released around the time John Robbins wrote
this article ( and yes I did read the arcticle and the document and
everything else I could find on this) . I do say that this version actually
introduces problems, not fixes problems are you say. My problems are not
basic ones. The document srcsrv.doc mentions "CLIENT" as a switch - this does
not work with vssdump ( unless vssdump has been fixed). This switch used to
work previously. The previous version also didn't have vssdump.

Overall I find two problems:
(1) The error message when using "CLIENT"
(2) vssdump does not always find all the files it should - it seems to be
dependant on the working directory, and sometimes thinks that the working
directory is different and therefore doesn't get the info it should.

I have tested vssdump by itself and gone through the scripts to see how it
works - sometimes it doesn't get all the files that it should from source
safe.

Maybe my description was a bit long and going around in circles, but there
are issues with vssdump and possible other things in relation to source
indexing.

Thanks

"Pat Styles" wrote:

> Hello Malcs.
>
> The original Source Server script for VSS had some problems that were not
> discovered until I worked with John Robbins to create an article on how to
> use Source Server. Mainly they had to do with some serious limitations to
> how VSS works. Chief amongst those problems were that VSS does not store
> any data on what version of a source file exists on a client installation.
> So the earlier version of the script might have produced the wrong version
> of source. That is why the use of labels was required in the new Source
> Server scripts. Furthermore, we found that VSS could be very modal about
> saving state. You see this when you try to use the system from the GUI
> without the SS working directory. I believe all these limitations are
> extensively covered in the Visual SourceSafe section of srcsrv.doc. Did you
> get a chance to check that out?
>

> ..pat styles [microsoft]

[Malcs]

I have fixed one part of it - the "CLIENT" option error message. I had the
option
-CLIENT="" (i.e. a blank value - which gave the confusing error message).
But this doesn't fix the main problem: of vssdump not working and hence
causing the source indexing system to not work.

I just built a line on the command line based on my build script.
"<Path>ssindex.cmd" -SYSTEM=VSS -SERVER="\\..\SourceSafe"
-CLIENT="F:\..\BuildFiles" -SOURCE="f:\..\Buildfiles"
-SYMBOLS="F:\..\buildfiles" -LABEL="10.0.0.0" -PROJECT="develop" -DEBUG >
srcsrvlogtest.txt

I got it running correctly but still got the error "zero source files found"
for all my files.
I reran it a number of times and got the same result.
I then ran sourcesafe, clicked on the project which was to be analysed and
then closed.
I re-ran my script - it now works. I get " ssindex.cmd [INFO ] : ...
wrote C:\DOCUME~1\..\index635C.stream to F:\..\buildfiles\..\Mypdb ... "

This seems to say that vssdump is depending on what the current project is
in source safe.
The first time when not working, the script was very quick. WHen it worked
it was very slow (task manager said vssdump.exe was doing a lot of work)

[Pat Styles]

Hello Malcs.

You will excuse me but I am confused. I am not sure what you think the
problem is.

You were saying that the system used to work differently, however as my
memory serves me, there have been no changes to this system since the one I
mentioned to you in my last email. However I believe that you are saying
that you have been working exclusively with the new system.

If you are complaining that the new system is not as good as the old one,
then I am simply going to suggest that you stick with the old one. Maybe a
incompatibility was introduced that does not jibe with your enlistment. But
again, I don't understand because I think you said that you have never used
the old system.

Please reply to me directly at pat.s...@microsoft.com. I no longer
regularly check this newsgroup.

.pat styles [microsoft]

"Malcs" <Ma...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:BE331037-7A35-44B3...@microsoft.com...

[Pat Styles]

In case anyone has been following this thread for help using Source Server
with Visual SourceSafe, I want to clarify that you need to make sure you
read the new materials on VSS in srcsrv.doc. You can find it in the table
of contents, labeled as "Notes on Visual SourceSafe". This material has
changed since the first release and you need to examine it.

regards,
.pat styles [microsoft]

"Pat Styles" <pat.s...@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0F09463C-BCA5-46CD...@microsoft.com...