{"id":149,"date":"2026-10-12T13:51:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2009\/10\/06\/how-to-create-a-unique-srcsafeini-file\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T13:51:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:51:49","slug":"how-to-create-a-unique-srcsafeini-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-unique-srcsafeini-file\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Unique SRCSAFE.INI in Visual SourceSafe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you maintain legacy Visual SourceSafe (VSS) environments, a unique SRCSAFE.INI<\/code> lets you apply client- or workspace-specific settings without changing the shared default file. This guide shows the setup steps, the optional #INCLUDE<\/code> pattern, and how to use SSDIR<\/code> to point to the right database path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published on 2009-10-06; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source reference: How To Create a Unique SRCSAFE.INI File?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SRCSAFE.INI<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What a unique SRCSAFE.INI is used for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the original guidance, the goal is to create a dedicated SRCSAFE.INI<\/code> file in a chosen location, then point SourceSafe to the intended database with an environment variable. This is useful when you need settings that differ from the default shared file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Keep a separate client-specific configuration.<\/li>
  • Optionally inherit values from the default configuration.<\/li>
  • Switch database context by setting SSDIR<\/code>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Default vs unique SRCSAFE.INI approaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Approach<\/th>How it works<\/th>Best for<\/th>Trade-off<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Shared default file only<\/td>Use the database’s existing SRCSAFE.INI as-is.<\/td>Simple, single-standard setups.<\/td>Less flexibility per user or workspace.<\/td><\/tr>
    Unique SRCSAFE.INI (standalone)<\/td>Create a separate file with only custom values.<\/td>Isolated client behavior.<\/td>Can drift from shared defaults.<\/td><\/tr>
    Unique SRCSAFE.INI + #INCLUDE<\/td>Custom file references the default file, then layers local values.<\/td>Mostly standard settings with selective overrides.<\/td>Depends on reachable include path.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Step-by-step setup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1) Create a new SRCSAFE.INI file<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Create a file named SRCSAFE.INI<\/code> and place it in the location you want to use for this unique configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2) Optionally include the default SRCSAFE.INI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you want the unique copy to include the default configuration, add this line (as shown in the original post):<\/p>\n\n\n

    #INCLUDE<\/span> <SS<\/span> path<\/span>>\\SRCSAFE<\/span>.INI<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    3) Set the SSDIR environment variable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Set SSDIR<\/code> to the Visual SourceSafe directory path. In cmd.exe<\/code>, use:<\/p>\n\n\n
    SET SSDIR=\\\\MyServer\\MyVSSdir\nSET SSDIR<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Note:<\/strong> keep the equals sign tight (SSDIR=value<\/code>) when using SET<\/code> in Command Prompt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    4) Open the database in SourceSafe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    The original article notes that this can be done even with Visual SourceSafe 5.0, but may not be necessary for every case; you can also open the database from File > Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Configuration workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \nflowchart TD\n    A[Choose location for custom SRCSAFE.INI] --> B[Create SRCSAFE.INI]\n    B --> C{Use shared defaults}\n    C -- Yes --> D[Add INCLUDE line]\n    C -- No --> E[Keep standalone settings]\n    D --> F[Set SSDIR path]\n    E --> F\n    F --> G[Open database in SourceSafe]\n    G --> H[Verify expected behavior]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
    Troubleshooting quick checks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    • Confirm the file name is exactly SRCSAFE.INI<\/code>.<\/li>
    • Verify the SSDIR<\/code> path points to the intended VSS database location.<\/li>
    • If using #INCLUDE<\/code>, ensure the referenced path is reachable from the client machine.<\/li>
    • After changing environment variables, reopen the SourceSafe client session.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      Best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      • Document where each custom SRCSAFE.INI<\/code> file is stored and who uses it.<\/li>
      • Use one consistent path style across the team to reduce path-resolution issues.<\/li>
      • Prefer minimal overrides when using #INCLUDE<\/code>, so shared defaults remain authoritative.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
        For legacy Visual SourceSafe environments, a unique SRCSAFE.INI helps you apply client-specific settings without changing the shared defaults. This guide walks through the file setup, optional #INCLUDE usage, and SSDIR configuration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[350,3244,349,1122,3113,3247,3248,2365,593,938,3243,3249,213,3242,3246,3245],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-create","tag-create-a-new-srcsafe-ini-file","tag-file","tag-guide","tag-how-to","tag-how-to-create-srcsafe-ini-file","tag-how-to-generate-srcsafe-ini-file","tag-new","tag-process","tag-reference","tag-srcsafe-ini","tag-srcsafe-ini-file","tag-tutorial","tag-unique","tag-visual-sourcesafe","tag-vss-database"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78997,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions\/78997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}