5.7 Creating a Working Copy to Merge, Refresh, or Compare

Create a Working Copy of an application to merge, refresh or compare changes.

• About Working Copies
  Learn about Working Copies.
• Creating a Working Copy of an Application
  Create a Working Copy of an application on the Application Home page.
• About Working Copy Menus and Tasks
  Learn about menus and tasks available in a Working Copy.
• Viewing and Editing a Working Copy
  View and edit a Working Copy of an application.
• Comparing Changes between a Working Copy and Main
  Compare changes between a Working Copy with the Main application.
• Merging Changes from a Working Copy into Main
  Merge changes from a Working Copy into the Main application.
• Refreshing a Working Copy with Changes from Main
  Refresh a Working Copy with changes in the Main application.
• Deleting a Working Copy
  Delete a Working Copy copy.
• View or Edit Working Copy Details
  View or edit the Working Copy name or description on Working Copy Details.

5.7.1 About Working Copies

Learn about Working Copies.

A Working Copy enables developers to create a special copy of an application, make changes in the copy, and then merge those changes back into the main development application (or Main application). Similarly, you can also merge changes from the Main application back into the Working Copy. During the export process, you can view a comparison (or diff) of the Working Copy and the Main application and then select which changes to merge.

A common use case for this feature is when you want to test some changes on a page first and then merge them back into the Main application later.

About the Comparison Process

When you compare a Working Copy to the Main application, a split YAML export is taken of both applications and a checksum is generated on the individual files. The working copy is exported with original IDs to ensure that the IDs are the same between both applications. The checksums are then compared to identify the differences between the two applications.

About the Merge Process

The merge process takes a subset of pages and shared components from a Working Copy and imports them back into the Main application. If the page or shared component exists, it is replaced. Therefore, changes in your Main application that are not in your Working Copy will be overwritten by the Working Copy merge.

Unsupported Component Types

Working Copies do not support the automatic merging of the following component types:

• Translations
• Themes
• Theme Templates
• Supporting Objects
• Application Properties
• Workspace-level components (such as App Groups, Credentials, and Remote Servers)

For unsupported component types, Oracle suggests developers merge the working Working Copy, delete it, and then manually apply the additions or changes for the unsupported component types.

Limitations of Working Copies

Limitations of Working Copies include:

• You cannot create a Working Copy of a Working Copy.
• Deleted working copy pages or Shared Components must be manually deleted in the Main application.
• Components listed as Missing may have been removed in the Working Copy or may only exist in the Main application.

5.7.2 Creating a Working Copy of an Application

Create a Working Copy of an application on the Application Home page.

To create a Working Copy of an application:

1. View the application:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
   2. Select an application.
      The Application home page appears.
2. On the Application home page, find Working Copy Tasks on the side bar.
   
   

   
   Description of the illustration creating_working_copy_app_home.png

   
   
3. Under Working Copy Tasks, click Create Working Copy.

   The Create Working Copy Wizard appears.

4. On Create Working Copy:
   1. Name - Enter a short name or identifier for the Working Copy.
   2. Working Copy Description - Enter a description or purpose for the Working Copy.
   3. Click Create Working Copy.

      The Application home page appears. Note that the Working Copy Name you defined previously appears next to the application name.

5.7.3 About Working Copy Menus and Tasks

Learn about menus and tasks available in a Working Copy.

Working Copy Menu on the Application Home Page

When viewing a Working Copy on the Application Home page, the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name and a Working Copy: Name menu displays on the menu bar between Shared Components and Edit Page.

Description of the illustration working_copy_menus_app_home.png

Options on the Working Copy: Name menu include:

• Switch to Main - Links to the Main application.
• Working Copies - Displays links to existing working copies.
• Merge into Main - Merge changes from the Working Copy into the Main application.
• Refresh Working Copy - Import changes from the Main application into the Working Copy.
• Compare Changes - Compare changes between the Working Copy and Main application.
• View Working Copy Details - View or edit the Working Copy Name or Description.
• Delete Working Copy - Delete the current Working Copy.

The side bar on Application home page features links to these commonly uses options:

• Working Copy Tasks:
  • Merge to Main
  • Refresh Working Copy
  • Compare Changes.
• Main Application - Include a link to the Main application.

Viewing a Working Copy in Page Designer

The Working Copy: Name menu also appears between Shared Components and the Save on the Page Designer toolbar. This menu features the same options available on the Application home page and described previously.

Description of the illustration working_copy_menus_page_designer.png

Tip:

Detailed discussions of using most Working Copy: Name menu options can be found later in this topic.

5.7.4 Viewing and Editing a Working Copy

View and edit a Working Copy of an application.

To view or edit a Working Copy:

1. View the Main application:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.

      The App Builder home page appears.

      If an application has a Working Copy, the number of Working Copies display on Application home page. In report view, a Working Copies column appears displaying the number of Working Copies. In Icon view, the number of Working Copies appears under application name to the right of the icon.

   2. If not already selected, change to Icon view. On the navigation bar, click View Icons.
   
   

   
   Description of the illustration working_copy_workspace_home.png

   
   
2. Select the application with the Working Copy you wish to view.

   The Working Copy Application home page appears.

3. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.

   The Application home page appears. Note that the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name.

4. Make changes to the Working Copy.

   Tip:

   To learn more about all the options available on the Working Copy, see About Working Copy Menus and Tasks

See Also:

• Merging Changes from a Working Copy into Main
• Refreshing a Working Copy with Changes from Main

5.7.5 Comparing Changes between a Working Copy and Main

Compare changes between a Working Copy with the Main application.

Comparing changes in a Working Copy with the Main application displays a dialog that summarizes what has been changed, added, or is missing.

Note:

To actually merge or refresh the changes, see Merging Changes from a Working Copy into Main and Refreshing a Working Copy with Changes from Main.

To compare changes between a Working Copy and the Main Application:

1. View the Working Copy:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
      The App Builder home page appears.
   2. If not already selected, change to Icon view. On the navigation bar, click View Icons.
   3. Select the Main application.
      The Application home page appears.
   4. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.
      The Working Copy appears. Note that the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name.
2. Click the Working Copy: Name menu and select Compare Changes.

   Note:

   You can also select Compare Changes from the side bar. Alternatively, if viewing a page in Page Designer, click the Working Copy: Name menu and select Compare Changes.

   App Builder exports the Main app and Working copy and compares the two versions. The Compare Project Name with Main dialog appears summarizing what has been changed, added, or is missing.

   
   

   
   Description of the illustration compare_working_copy_and_main.png

   
   
3. To view a Diff of the changes, click the Compare Changes icon.
   The View Differences window appears. Click Close to exit the window.

5.7.6 Merging Changes from a Working Copy into Main

Merge changes from a Working Copy into the Main application.

To merge changes from a Working Copy into the Main application:

1. View the Working Copy:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
      The App Builder home page appears.
   2. Select the Main Application.
      The Application home page appears.
   3. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.
      The Working Copy appears. Note that the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name.
2. Make changes to the Working Copy.
3. To merge changes into the Main application:
   1. Click the Working Copy: Name menu and select Merge into Main.

      Tip:

      You can also select Merge into Main from the side bar. Alternatively, if viewing a page in Page Designer, click the Working Copy:Name menu and select Merge into Main.

      App Builder exports the Main application and Working Copy and compares the two versions. The Merge Project Name into Main dialog appears summarizing what has been changed, added, or is missing.

      
      

      
      Description of the illustration merge_working_copy_into_main1.png

      
      
   2. To view a Diff of the changes, click the Compare Changes icon.
      The View Differences window appears. Click Close to exit the window.
   3. To exclude a change, deselect the row.
   4. To continue, click Next.

      The Merge Project Name into Main dialog now includes two new options appears:

      • Backup target app first
      • Delete Working Copy after merge

      
      

      
      Description of the illustration merge_working_copy_into_main2.png

      
      
   5. Configure Backup target app first and Delete Working Copy after merge as appropriate and click Confirm Merge.

      The Application home page appears and displays the message:

      Your changes have been successfully merged!

5.7.7 Refreshing a Working Copy with Changes from Main

Refresh a Working Copy with changes in the Main application.

Refreshing a Working Copy exports the changes from the Main application into the Working Copy.

To refresh a Working Copy:

1. View the Working Copy:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
      The App Builder home page appears.
   2. If not already selected, change to Icon view. On the navigation bar, click View Icons.
   3. Select the Main application.
      The Application home page appears.
   4. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.
      The Working Copy appears. Note that the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name.
2. To refresh a Working Copy with changes from the Main application:
   1. Click the Working Copy: Name menu on the menu bar and select Refresh Working Copy.

      Tip:

      You can also select Refresh Working Copy from the side bar. Alternatively, if viewing a page in Page Designer, click the Working Copy:Name menu and select Refresh Working Copy.

      App Builder exports changes from the Main application to the Working Copy and compares the two versions. The Refresh Name from Main dialog appears summarizing what has been changed, added, or is missing.

   2. To view a Diff of the changes, click the Compare Changes icon.
      The View Differences window appears. Click Close to exit the window.
   3. To exclude a change, deselect the row.
   4. To continue, click Next.

      The following new option appears:

      • Backup target app first
   5. Configure Backup target app first as appropriate and click Confirm Refresh.

      The Application home page appears and displays the message:

      Your changes have been successfully refreshed!

5.7.8 Deleting a Working Copy

Delete a Working Copy copy.

To delete a Working Copy:

1. View the Working Copy:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
      The App Builder home page appears.
   2. If not already selected, change to Icon view. On the navigation bar, click View Icons.
   3. Select the Main Application.
      The Application home page appears.
   4. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.
      The Working Copy appears. Note that the Working Copy Name displays next to the application name.
2. Click the Working Copy: Name menu on the menu bar and select Delete Working Copy.
3. On the Delete Working Copy dialog, click Delete Working Copy.

5.7.9 View or Edit Working Copy Details

View or edit the Working Copy name or description on Working Copy Details.

To view or edit Working Copy details:

1. View the Working Copy:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
      The App Builder home page appears.
   2. If not already selected, change to Icon view. On the navigation bar, click View Icons.
   3. Select the Main Application.
      The Application home page appears.
   4. Under Working Copies on the side bar, select a copy to view.
      The Working Copy Details dialog appears.
2. On Working Copy Details:
   1. Name - Enter a short name or identifier for the working copy application.
   2. Working Copy Description - Enter a description or purpose for the working copy application.
   3. Click Apply Changes to save your changes.