Background

When converting PowerBuilder 2025 applications from workspace format to solution format, users need to disable source control and create a new repository.


Resolution

For users who need to preserve their source control history, this article provides the following approaches:

Please refer to the section that best fits your scenario.


Steps to preserve history when converting workspace to solution

If the PBL files have already been uploaded to source control, they must be deleted first and the deletion must be committed to the source control server.
 

  • Steps for SVN batch processing

Step 1 – Disable SVN source control

Change Source Control System to (None) and click the OK button. Then convert your application to solution.

SVN Bat change source control to none


Step 2 - Execute the Batch file

Add svn.exe into environment variables first. You can download svn.exe from Download VisualSVN. 

Then execute the Batch file that contains the following content. Note that you need to modify the svn_work value to your project directory first.

@echo off
rem the directory of your application 
@set svn_work=D:\
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

rem If the PBL files have already been uploaded to SVN, they must be deleted first and the deletion must be committed to the SVN server.
rem Note that the application should have been converted to solution.
cd /D %svn_work%

rem Move .svn and ws_objects. Make sure the source code record is at the same SVN path as the solution project.
cd /D %svn_work%
PowerShell -C "mv '_BackupFiles\.svn' '%svn_work%' -Force"
move "_BackupFiles\ws_objects" "%svn_work%"
copy "_BackupFiles\*.pbw" "%svn_work%"
copy "_BackupFiles\*.pbt" "%svn_work%"

rem Execute SVN Rename to remove .src so that the solution project can reference the source code repository.
cd /d %svn_work%\ws_objects
echo svn Rename
for /d %%D in (*.pbl.src) do (
set "oldname=%%D"
set "newname=!oldname:.pbl.src=.pbl!"
echo renaming %%D to !newname!
svn rename "%%D" "!newname!"
)
svn commit -m "rename pbl"
echo Rename final
cd / %svn_work%

rem Overwrite the source object with the solution object, as the source object includes an export header and therefore cannot be used directly.
for /d %%E in (*.pbl) do (
move /y "%svn_work%\%%E\*.*" "%svn_work%\ws_objects\%%E\"
)
echo svn replace
svn commit -m "pbl object replace"
echo replace final

rem Delete PBL and move the PBL directory.
cd /d %svn_work%\
for /d %%F in (*.pbl) do (
rd /S /Q "%%F"
)
cd /d %svn_work%\ws_objects
echo svn move
svn update
for /d %%G in (*.pbl) do (
svn move "%%G" "%svn_work%\%%G"
)

rem Delete ws_objects,*.pbw,*.pbt.
cd /d %svn_work%\

svn delete "ws_objects"

for %%H in (*.pbw) do (
svn delete "%%H"
)

for %%J in (*.pbt) do (
svn delete "%%J"
)

svn commit -m "move pbl"
echo move final
pause


Step 3 - Enable SVN source control

Follow the same steps as described earlier. Open the solution in the PowerBuilder IDE. Right-click the solution and select Properties to open the Solution Properties window. On the Source Control tab, change the Source Control System from (None) to Subversion (SVN).


Step 4 - Check History

Try checking the submission history of each object and checking the history record after un-selecting "Stop on copy/rename".

check history after svn bat


 

  • Steps for Git batch processing

Step 1 - Disable Git source control

Right-click on the root node of the System Tree and select Properties. Open the Properties of Workspace window and go to the Source Control tab. Change Source Control System from Git to (None) and click the OK button.


Step 2 – Convert the application to solution

Right click on the root node of the application and select Convert Workspace to Solution, and then wait for the conversion to complete. 

convert workspace to solution2

After the conversion, open the containing folder of the solution project.

Open Containing Folder


Step 3 - Execute the Batch file

Execute the Batch file that contains the following content in Command Prompt. Note that you need to modify the git_work value to your project directory first.

@echo off
rem The directory of your application. 
@set git_work=C:\
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

rem If the PBL files have already been uploaded to Git, they must be deleted first and the deletion must be committed to the Git server.
rem Note that the application should have been converted to solution.
cd /d %git_work%

rem Move .git and ws_object. Make sure the source code record is at the same Git path as the solution project.
PowerShell -C "mv '_BackupFiles\.git' '%git_work%' -Force"
move "_BackupFiles\ws_objects" "%git_work%"

rem Execute Git Rename to remove .src so that the solution can reference the source code repository.
cd /d %git_work%\ws_objects
echo git Rename
git update-git-for-windows
for /d %%D in (*.pbl.src) do (
set "oldname=%%D"
set "newname=!oldname:.pbl.src=.pbl!"
echo renaming %%D to !newname!
git mv "%%D" "!newname!"
)
git commit -m "rename pbl"
echo Rename final
cd /d %git_work%
rem Overwrite the source object with the solution object, as the source object includes an export header and therefore cannot be used directly.
for /d %%E in (*.pbl) do (
move /y "%git_work%\%%E\*.*" "%git_work%\ws_objects\%%E\"
)
echo git replace
git commit -m "pbl object replace"
echo replace final
rem Delete PBL and move the PBL directory.
cd /d %git_work%\
for /d %%F in (*.pbl) do (
rd /S /Q "%%F"
)
cd /d %git_work%\ws_objects
echo git move
git update-git-for-windows
for /d %%G in (*.pbl) do (
git mv "%%G" "%git_work%\%%G"
)

cd /d %git_work%\
rmdir /s /q ws_objects

git commit -m "move pbl"
echo move final


Step 4 - Enable Git source control

Open the solution in PowerBuilder IDE. Right-click on the root node of the solution and open the Properties of Solution window. On the Source Control tab, change Source Control System from (None) to Git.

Right-click on the root node of the solution on the System Tree and commit.

final git commit.png


Step 5 – Check the history

Right-click on the solution and select "Git Show Log" to check the history records.
 


 

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