Before getting parts from TeamConnection,you might want to find out if the
development mode for the release is concurrent or serial. Todetermine the mode, view
the information about the specific release. Todo this, select View from the Selected
pull-down menu on the Releases window.
Working with common parts
A

common

part is a part with identical content that is shared by two or more releases or
two or more work areas. For example, when an identical part is needed in two separate
releases, you can link the part from one release to the other (if you have the proper
authority). Both releases would then have a link to the current version of that part.
When a common part is checked out of a release, TeamConnectionlocks the current
version of the part in all releases if one of them uses serial development. When putting
the part back into the release, one of the following actions reflects the change in all
releases in which the part is common:
vYouintegrate the work area when the driver subprocess is not followed, or
vYoucommit the driver when the driver subprocess is followed.
Youcan break the common link if you make changes to a common part and you do not
want these changes reflected in other releases or work areas that link to the part. You
can break the common link when you check out, check in, rename, delete, re-create,
connect, or

disconnect

parts. When a part is common to more than two releases, you
can maintain the common link with some of the releases while breaking the link with
other releases. When a link is broken, the parts still share the same name, but the
information contained in the parts is different.
Parts can also be linked between two or more work areas in the same or different
releases, making the parts common to those work areas. For example, a user working
in one work area can link to the latest version of a part in another work area of the
same release (the part has yet to be integrated with the release). The part is then
common to the two work areas within the same release. If you want to maintain the
common link to all work areas, you must specify the names of the common work areas
when you check in, rename, delete, or re-create the parts.As with common parts in
releases, you can break the common link.
Youcan also link all the parts within a release to another release. This function is
especially helpful when development begins on a new release of a product, and you
want the parts in the new release to initially be the same as the parts in the current
release.As development of the two releases continues, the common link between the
parts can be broken to separate development of the new release from maintenance of
the current release.
For more information about how to link parts, refer to the
Commands Reference
and
online help.
32 User’s Guide