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P4 Visual Client (P4V) Documentation | 2025.2

# Init

This section describes how to start up a personal server using `Init`. Use this approach if you want to work in isolation on a personal server, developing and possibly branching code.

To initialize a personal server and set it up with everything needed to start versioning files, do one of the following:

- On the P4V toolbar, click Init.

- Click Connection > Open Connection. In the Open Connection dialog:

  1. Select the Personal Server tab.

  2. Click Initialize New Personal Server.

Before you continue, go to Get the settings.

For the command-line equivalent of `Init`, see Initializing a Server in the P4 for Distributed Versioning Documentation.

## Get the settings

The Unicode setting and case sensitivity check boxes should match the settings on the shared server that will be fetched from and pushed to. If you are unsure what these settings are, at the command line, run:

    p4 -ztag -p <server> info

where `<server>` is something like “perforce:1666”.

## Directories and files

Init creates the following directories and files in the directory in which the command is invoked:

- .p4root - A directory containing the database files that will contain the metadata about files checked into P4 Server
- .p4ignore - A list of files P4 Server should not add or reconcile
- .p4config - A file containing configuration parameters for the client-server connection

In addition, `Init` creates:

- A stream depot
- An initial stream called main
- A workspace. Note that the client option `allwrite` is set by default, making files writable without the need to check them out first.

## Add files

You can create, copy, and mark for add your source files to be added to P4 Server and submit them. If you are new to P4V, see Manage files.

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