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Q132892: INFO: SourceSafe Might Modify Some Files

Article: Q132892
Product(s): Microsoft SourceSafe
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500 kbSSafe600 kbSSafe310 kbSSafe304
Last Modified: 01-MAY-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft SourceSafe for Windows, versions 3.04, 3.1 
- Microsoft SourceSafe for Windows NT, versions 3.04, 3.1 
- Microsoft SourceSafe for MS-DOS, versions 3.04, 3.1 
- Microsoft SourceSafe for Macintosh, versions 3.04, 3.1 
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SUMMARY
=======

SourceSafe may modify a file you checked out or put in your local working
directory. This is because SourceSafe is a multi-platform product. For text
files, the end-of-line character will vary depending on the platform that you
are using. One of the features of SourceSafe is that it converts these
characters for you as necessary.

However, if you need the file to remain as is, this feature can produce
unexpected results, errors, or problems.

The errors that may occur depend on the format of the file and the application
that is accessing the file. For example, an application may produce a General
Protection error in Windows, or not recognize the file format as valid.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q170750 INFO: End of Line Character Settings for Visual SourceSafe


MORE INFORMATION
================

SourceSafe detects binary files by looking for the ASCII value '0' (Null). This
null value is only present in a binary file. Some files may not have this
character, but need to be treated as binary regardless. For instance, Rich Text
Format (RTF) files perform better if treated as binary rather than text files.

If a file format you are using seems to be corrupted by SourceSafe after getting
it to your working directory, check the file type. You can do this in the
interface by selecting Properties from the Info menu option. If the File type is
Text change it to Binary.

From the command line, execute:

       ss filetype $/project/filename

This will return the current file type. To change to binary, use the command:

       ss filetype $/project/filename -b

An easy way to make sure all files with a certain extension are treated as binary
is to use the Binary_Masks setting in the SRCSAFE.INI or SS.INI. For example:

       Binary_Masks = *.rtf

Make sure this setting is placed before any headers (enclosed in '[' ']'
characters). This will ensure that it applies to all projects.

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500 kbSSafe600 kbSSafe310 kbSSafe304 
Technology        : kbHWMAC kbOSMAC kbSSafeSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword2 kbZNotKeyword3 kbSSafe304 kbSSafe304DOS kbSSafe310 kbSSafe310DOS kbSSafe304Mac kbSSafe310Mac kbSSafe600 kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500 kbSSafe304NT kbSSafe310NT
Issue type        : kbinfo

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