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P4 Visual Client (P4V) Documentation | 2026.1

# Behavior preferences

You can configure certain P4V user interface behaviors from Preferences > Behavior. What follows is a subset.

## Prompts

- Warn before reverting files: Specifies whether P4V displays a prompt before reverting files.

- Warn when ignored files are not marked for add: Select to view a warning when you attempt to mark a file in your workspace for add and it is included in an ignore list.

  If you have created ignore lists and set the ignore list file name as the local `P4IGNORE` environment variable, P4V will not mark the files and file types listed in those ignore lists for add. The warning appears when you attempt to mark such a file for add or use the Reconcile process to add the file to the P4 Server depot.

  For more information about ignore lists and `P4IGNORE`, see Ignoring groups of files when adding in the P4 CLI Documentation.

- Prompt for changelist when checking out, adding, or deleting files: Specifies whether P4V displays the Choose changelist dialog box when you open files.
- Prompt to get latest revision when checking out files that are out of date: Specifies whether P4V displays a prompt to get the latest revision when you attempt to check out files from an earlier revision.

- Update files when modifying workspace mappings: Select an option:

  - Prompt to update workspace files to have P4V ask for confirmation when modified workspace mappings affect the files in your workspace.
  - Automatically update workspace files to have P4V overwrite workspace files without asking for confirmation.
  - Never update workspace files to keep workspace files unchanged when you modify workspace mappings.

- Prompt for name when creating new workspace: By default, this prompt is turned off.

  If this feature is set on the server side, selecting or clearing this check box has no effect. You cannot override server-side configurations.

- Warn before checking out files, if the number of files exceeds <xxx>: The default is 1000 files.

  Selecting this option might cause performance issues.

- Warn before marking files for delete, if the number of files exceeds <xxx>: The default is 100 files.
- Warn before removing files from workspace, if the number of files exceeds <xxx>: The default is 1000 files. To always require a confirmation, set to 0.

  Selecting this option might cause performance issues.

## Sync, resolve, and reconcile

You can streamline your workflow by enabling options that automate common steps performed during unshelving, syncing, and reconciling.

- Sync files to the latest revision after they are unshelved: P4V automatically performs a Get Latest Revision after you unshelve files.

- Resolve option when syncing files: Choose how P4V handles resolves that occur during a sync:

  - Safe automatic resolve (no merging): Accepts the source file (the file in the depot) if it has the only changes. Accepts the target file (the file in your workspace) if it has the only changes. Doesn’t resolve if both the source and target have changed.

  - Automatic resolve (allow merging): Accepts the source if it has the only changes. Accepts the target file if it has the only changes. Merges changes if both the source and target have changed and there are no conflicts.

  If you choose to enable both options, Sync files to the latest revision after they are unshelved and Resolve option when syncing files, a single step can perform unshelving, getting the latest revision, and resolving (with your choice of merging or no merging). However, to protect your work, if there are conflicts, no automatic resolve occurs and manual resolving is necessary.

- Detect moved files when reconciling offline work: Identifies moved files during reconciliation.
- Apply P4IGNORE files when reconciling offline work: Excludes the files or folders in the p4ignore.txt file.

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