Ever hit ‘Enter’ on your ‘SVN Commit’ command only to realise you’ve forgotten to include some files? In Apache Subversion, it’s not unusual for one commit to be quickly followed by another, as users realise their mistake. If you’ve configured Jenkins to poll Subversion for changes, this can result in broken builds and premature email notifications about build failures. Thankfully, if you’re a Jenkins user, there’s a ‘quiet period’ feature that can be activated to provide some breathing space between performing a commit, and Jenkins generating a build. If you’re using uberSVN, this is simply a matter of checking the right tickbox.
Note, uberSVN is free to download and free to use. If you’re not already using uberSVN, you can get it for free from http://www.ubersvn.com/
To introduce a ‘quiet period’ to your Jenkins workcycle, you must first create a job and configure it to automatically poll your Subversion repository. Once your job is up and running:
1) Open the Jenkins tab of your uberSVN installation and select the job you want to add the ‘quiet period’ to.
2) Click the ‘Configure’ option from the left-hand menu.
3) In the ‘Advanced Project Options’ tab, select the ‘Advanced…’ button.
4) Select the ‘Quiet period’ box and enter the number of seconds Jenkins should wait before generating a build.
Your Jenkins job will now schedule a build, but then wait 20 seconds before actually beginning to build.
Want to learn more about Jenkins jobs and polling? We have plenty of free tutorials you may be interested in:
Getting Started with Jenkins in uberSVN
Polling Subversion with Jenkins
Advanced Subversion Polling with Jenkins: File Fingerprints
Polling Subversion with Jenkins: More Options
If you need extra help with Jenkins, we also offer a professional support option that includes 24-by-7 online, phone and email support, guaranteed response times and automated delivery of fixes and upgrades.