Madcap Flare 6 breaks PushOK SVN plugin

A word of warning for Flare users who also use the Subversion version control system (SVN). The PushOK plugin that provides SVN support in Flare does not work in Flare 6. As a result, although my team have licences for Flare 6, we may stick with Flare 5. If you're considering an upgrade to version 6 you may want to think again if you're currently using the PushOK plugin.

Flare has had built-in version control support for some time now - but only for Microsoft's Team Foundation Server and Visual Source Safe. If you use a non-Microsoft version control system you have to make other arrangements.

If you're a CVS or SVN user then, of course, you can just use something like TortoiseCVS or TortoiseSVN from within Windows Explorer. But in the past Madcap have pointed Flare/SVN users in the direction of the SVNSCC plugin produced by PushOK Software as a solution that allows you more or less the same functionality offered to TFS/VSS users, in terms of being able to work with a source control repository directly within Flare.

This worked OK in Flare 5. It wasn't brilliant, it was a little clunky, but it did work, and it provided real benefits. Specifically it made it easier for writers to update the repository and it made it less likely that you'd forget to get the latest version of a file before starting to work on it. Using the plugin has definitely resulted in fewer version conflicts to resolve.

Unfortunately, after installing Flare 6, try and get the latest version of files and you get this:

Unexpected exception: Access violation - KERNEL32.dll

After clicking OK, the Progress dialog box shows an error message like this:

Querying source control server. This could take several minutes.
: D:\Alistair\ITauthor\Flare-demo-project\itauthorflare\: CustomScc:GetLatestVersion - call failed with error code -15 (Nonspecific error.)

The source control operation finished with warnings and/or errors. Press Close when you are done reviewing the messages.

This is really disappointing for a number of reasons:

• I'd obviously prefer us to use the latest version of Flare rather than having to stick on version 5.
• Flare 6 has been out a few weeks now and the forum shows no positive response from Madcap or indication that they're going to fix this. Yes, I know the plugin is third-party software, but Madcap do not provide their own alternative and have, in the past, suggested SVN users use this plugin: I found out about it via Madcap.
• I had to push to get my purchase request for plugin licences signed off and right now that's looking like a bad decision. I don't want to use something else. I don't want to write off that purchase. I won't get another similar purchase signed off next time.
• I generally have a high regard for Madcap, but in this instance I feel they've let me down. Subversion is not some weird, new, little used system. If you have Microsoft blinkers on you might think that, but you'd be wrong. Subversion has been around since 2000, it's the successor to CVS and is used in software companies around the world.

For more tales of Flare/SVN woes go to: http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/search.php and search for pushok.