1. Open up your web browser to the TortoiseSVN downloads page.

2. Scroll down until you see a post entitled “The current version is…” and download the file that ends with the .msi extension under the 32 bit subheading. It will look something like the following, but the numbers could be different: TortoiseSVN-1.3.5.6804-svn-1.3.2.msi

3. You will be directed to a screen with a list of locations and download links on the right side. Scroll down until you see the location nearest you, in my case it is Phoenix, AZ.

Download the file to your desktop or where you can find it easily.

4. Once the file completes downloading, open it and click through the wizard. There are no special options, just keep clicking ‘next’ until you can click ‘install’. You will have to reboot your computer to finish the installation.

5. Once your computer has finished rebooting, TortoiseSVN is now installed. Right click anywhere on your desktop and you will now see two additional options: SVN checkout and TortoiseSVN.

6. Now we need to adjust the configuration settings. Right click anywhere on your desktop and within the TortoiseSVN submenu choose “Settings…”

7. Highlight “General” and click the “Edit” button next to the words “Subversion configuration file”

8. Delete everything in that file and insert the following:

Note: Ensure that there is no leading white space, (tabs or spaces), in your file when you cut and paste the selection below.

[auth]
[helpers]
[tunnels]
[miscellany]
enable-auto-props = yes
[auto-props]
* = svn:needs-lock=*

9. Save your changes and close out all of the TortoiseSVN windows currently open.

10. Open up My Documents and create a new folder. If you are following these directions, I have sent you an email with some information. Name the new folder the same as the name of the repository that is within that email.

11. Right click on your new folder and choose “SVN checkout”. In the “URL of repository” field enter http://meshsandbox.com/svn/(the name of your repository). Leave everything else and click OK.

12. Enter in the username and password I provided you. Make sure and choose the option to save the name and password, otherwise you will be entering it in quite frequently.

You have successfully installed subversion and checked out a working copy of your repository. Chances are there are no files in your repository, so let’s add one for practice:

1. If you have a file that you know you want to be under version control, drag it into the folder we have just created. For future reference this folder is called the “Working Copy”.

2. Even though you see the file in the folder, it is still not in the repository. As you recall from this article, what you have on your computer is merely a copy of all the files held within the repository. Anyone with access to the repository has a copy of it and it is up to you to update the real repository with any changes you have made. Right click on the document, go into the TortoiseSVN menu and choose “Add”.

3. The file is now part of the repository, but now you need to committ your changes. Right click anywhere within the window and choose “SVN Commit”. This will permanently save your changes to the repository. Now, whenever anyone checks out or updates the repository, they will have your file.

I will create another set of directions to clarify these last few steps. I have also created a screen cast that illustrates how to check out the repository and add a file as described above. You can view it here. I recommend clicking on the icon with the double boxes located in the bottom right corner of the video box to expand it to full screen.

You can also download the zipped windows media file here if you want a clearer picture.