Perforce introduced Streams in 2011. Since then Streams have been adopted by the majority of new Perforce customers for all projects and by many existing customers for new projects. This is a brief overview of Streams and a deep dive into newer features that can help you with parallel and component based development.

1. Streams in
Parallel Development
Sven Erik Knop

2. Why use Streams?
•Your developers want
• A simple way to join a project
• Easy and fast branching and merging
• Work independently but be aware of
other changes
•Project Managers and
DevOps team want
• Overview of changes that need to be
propagated
• Simple way to filter files for build and
deploy

3. What are Streams?
•Simplified client workspace management
•Simplified branching and merging
•Simplified build and delivery
•Enable Component Based Development

4. Client Workspace management
//project/
rel1.0/...
rel1.1/...
share ...
workspace my_ws
client: my_ws
view:
//project/main/... //my_ws/...
main/...
Streams provide the template for the client workspace view mapping
stream depot stream

5. Branching and Merging
•Different types of streams
•Streams have a parent
•Fast switching between
streams
•Relationship defines how
changes are propagated
• Follows the mainline model

6. Mainline model
•Merge down
• From stable to less stable
•Copy up
• From less stable to stable

7. Task streams
•Task streams are temporary streams
• Can be unloaded and/or deleted
• Retrospective sparse branching
•Useful for short-term tasks
•No integrations between tasks streams!
•Alternative: shelves and reviews

8. Virtual streams
module_2
main
Type: virtual
Paths:
share module_2/...
• Filter stream content
• Rename files and directories
• Submits go straight to backing stream

9. Import and Import+
•Import streams and classical depot paths into your stream
•Imports are read-only
• Can be fixed at change or dynamic label
•Import+ for writable imports
import mod1/... //stream/comp1/...
import+ mod2/... //stream/comp2/...
import mod3/... //depot/3rd_party/comp3/...@3141592

10. Build and release
•Concentrate only on relevant files
•Import supporting files such as libraries or artefacts
•Virtual streams are the templates

11. Component Based Development (CBD)
•Large systems, small pieces
•Tames complexity
•Faster to market
•Reuse for greater ROI

12. Stream support for CBD
•Each component has its own mainline
• Potentially separate release streams
•Components are imported at
• Release stream
• Mainline stream at label or change
• Mainline or even development line (during early stages)
•Stream definition becomes configuration

13. Stream Depots and StreamDepth
•Streams live in dedicated streams depots
•Stream depots have adjustable streams depth
• StreamDepth: //stream/1/2/3
• StreamDepth: //stream/project/component/codeline
•P4V support in P4V 2016.1
• ftp://ftp.perforce.com/perforce/snapshot/p4v

14. Edit, Resolve, Revert and Commit
•p4 stream edit
•p4 stream revert
•p4 stream resolve
•Isolates changes to a stream until submitted

15. Best practices for parallel development
•Follow the mainline model
•Break up large projects using virtual streams
•Use separate mainlines for components
•Import components at release, main or even change
•Last not least ... version everything

16. Conclusion
•Perforce Streams were designed around the mainline model
•Natural choice for
• New adopters of Perforce Helix
• New projects
• Component Based Development
• Build and release managers

17. Sven Erik Knop
@p4sven
sknop@perforce.com
Q&A