1CVS(1) General Commands Manual CVS(1)
2
6 cvs - Concurrent Versions System
7
9 cvs [ cvs_options ]
10 cvs_command [ command_options ] [ command_args ]
11
13 This manpage is a summary of some of the features of cvs. It is auto-
14 generated from an appendix of the CVS manual. For more in-depth docu‐
15 mentation, please consult the Cederqvist manual (via the info CVS com‐
16 mand or otherwise, as described in the SEE ALSO section of this man‐
17 page). Cross-references in this man page refer to nodes in the same.
18
20 Guide to CVS commands
21 This appendix describes the overall structure of cvs commands, and
22 describes some commands in detail (others are described elsewhere; for
23 a quick reference to cvs commands, see node `Invoking CVS' in the CVS
24 manual).
25
28 Overall structure of CVS commands
29 The overall format of all cvs commands is:
30 cvs [ cvs_options ] cvs_command [ command_options ] [ command_args ]
33 cvs
40 The name of the cvs program.
42 cvs_options
46 Some options that affect all sub-commands of cvs. These are
48 described below.
49 cvs_command
53 One of several different sub-commands. Some of the commands have
55 aliases that can be used instead; those aliases are noted in the ref‐
56 erence manual for that command. There are only two situations where
57 you may omit cvs_command: cvs -H elicits a list of available com‐
58 mands, and cvs -v displays version information on cvs itself.
59 command_options
63 Options that are specific for the command.
65 command_args
69 Arguments to the commands.
71 There is unfortunately some confusion between cvs_options and com‐
73 mand_options. When given as a cvs_option, some options only affect
74 some of the commands. When given as a command_option it may have a
75 different meaning, and be accepted by more commands. In other words,
76 do not take the above categorization too seriously. Look at the doc‐
77 umentation instead.
78
81 CVS's exit status
82 cvs can indicate to the calling environment whether it succeeded or
83 failed by setting its exit status. The exact way of testing the exit
84 status will vary from one operating system to another. For example in
85 a unix shell script the $? variable will be 0 if the last command
86 returned a successful exit status, or greater than 0 if the exit status
87 indicated failure.
88 If cvs is successful, it returns a successful status; if there is an
90 error, it prints an error message and returns a failure status. The
91 one exception to this is the cvs diff command. It will return a suc‐
92 cessful status if it found no differences, or a failure status if there
93 were differences or if there was an error. Because this behavior pro‐
94 vides no good way to detect errors, in the future it is possible that
95 cvs diff will be changed to behave like the other cvs commands.
96
99 Default options and the ~/.cvsrc file
100 There are some command_options that are used so often that you might
101 have set up an alias or some other means to make sure you always spec‐
102 ify that option. One example (the one that drove the implementation of
103 the .cvsrc support, actually) is that many people find the default out‐
104 put of the diff command to be very hard to read, and that either con‐
105 text diffs or unidiffs are much easier to understand.
106 The ~/.cvsrc file is a way that you can add default options to cvs_com‐
108 mands within cvs, instead of relying on aliases or other shell scripts.
109 The format of the ~/.cvsrc file is simple. The file is searched for a
111 line that begins with the same name as the cvs_command being executed.
112 If a match is found, then the remainder of the line is split up (at
113 whitespace characters) into separate options and added to the command
114 arguments before any options from the command line.
115 If a command has two names (e.g., checkout and co), the official name,
117 not necessarily the one used on the command line, will be used to match
118 against the file. So if this is the contents of the user's ~/.cvsrc
119 file:
120 log -N
123 diff -uN
124 rdiff -u
125 update -Pd
126 checkout -P
127 release -d
128 the command cvs checkout foo would have the -P option added to the
133 arguments, as well as cvs co foo.
134 With the example file above, the output from cvs diff foobar will be in
136 unidiff format. cvs diff -c foobar will provide context diffs, as
137 usual. Getting "old" format diffs would be slightly more complicated,
138 because diff doesn't have an option to specify use of the "old" format,
139 so you would need cvs -f diff foobar.
140 In place of the command name you can use cvs to specify global options
142 (see node `Global options' in the CVS manual). For example the follow‐
143 ing line in .cvsrc
144 cvs -z6
147 causes cvs to use compression level 6.
152
155 The available cvs_options (that are given to the left of cvs_command)
156 are:
157 --allow-root=rootdir
161 Specify legal cvsroot directory. See `Password authentication
163 server' in the CVS manual.
164 -a
168 Authenticate all communication between the client and the server.
170 Only has an effect on the cvs client. As of this writing, this is
171 only implemented when using a GSSAPI connection (see node `GSSAPI
172 authenticated' in the CVS manual). Authentication prevents certain
173 sorts of attacks involving hijacking the active tcp connection.
174 Enabling authentication does not enable encryption.
175 -b bindir
179 In cvs 1.9.18 and older, this specified that rcs programs are in the
181 bindir directory. Current versions of cvs do not run rcs programs;
182 for compatibility this option is accepted, but it does nothing.
183 -T tempdir
187 Use tempdir as the directory where temporary files are located.
189 Overrides the setting of the $TMPDIR environment variable and any
190 precompiled directory. This parameter should be specified as an
191 absolute pathname. (When running client/server, -T affects only the
192 local process; specifying -T for the client has no effect on the
193 server and vice versa.)
194 -d cvs_root_directory
198 Use cvs_root_directory as the root directory pathname of the reposi‐
200 tory. Overrides the setting of the $CVSROOT environment variable.
201 See `Repository' in the CVS manual.
202 -e editor
206 Use editor to enter revision log information. Overrides the setting
208 of the $CVSEDITOR and $EDITOR environment variables. For more infor‐
209 mation, see `Committing your changes' in the CVS manual.
210 -f
214 Do not read the ~/.cvsrc file. This option is most often used
216 because of the non-orthogonality of the cvs option set. For example,
217 the cvs log option -N (turn off display of tag names) does not have a
218 corresponding option to turn the display on. So if you have -N in
219 the ~/.cvsrc entry for log, you may need to use -f to show the tag
220 names.
221 -H
225 --help
230 Display usage information about the specified cvs_command (but do not
232 actually execute the command). If you don't specify a command name,
233 cvs -H displays overall help for cvs, including a list of other help
234 options.
235 -n
239 Do not change any files. Attempt to execute the cvs_command, but
241 only to issue reports; do not remove, update, or merge any existing
242 files, or create any new files.
243 Note that cvs will not necessarily produce exactly the same output as
245 without -n. In some cases the output will be the same, but in other
246 cases cvs will skip some of the processing that would have been
247 required to produce the exact same output.
248 -Q
252 Cause the command to be really quiet; the command will only generate
254 output for serious problems.
255 -q
259 Cause the command to be somewhat quiet; informational messages, such
261 as reports of recursion through subdirectories, are suppressed.
262 -r
266 Make new working files read-only. Same effect as if the $CVSREAD
268 environment variable is set (see node `Environment variables' in the
269 CVS manual). The default is to make working files writable, unless
270 watches are on (see node `Watches' in the CVS manual).
271 -s variable=value
275 Set a user variable (see node `Variables' in the CVS manual).
277 -t
281 Trace program execution; display messages showing the steps of cvs
283 activity. Particularly useful with -n to explore the potential
284 impact of an unfamiliar command.
285 -v
289 --version
294 Display version and copyright information for cvs.
296 -w
300 Make new working files read-write. Overrides the setting of the
302 $CVSREAD environment variable. Files are created read-write by
303 default, unless $CVSREAD is set or -r is given.
304 -x
308 Encrypt all communication between the client and the server. Only
310 has an effect on the cvs client. As of this writing, this is only
311 implemented when using a GSSAPI connection (see node `GSSAPI authen‐
312 ticated' in the CVS manual) or a Kerberos connection (see node `Ker‐
313 beros authenticated' in the CVS manual). Enabling encryption implies
314 that message traffic is also authenticated. Encryption support is
315 not available by default; it must be enabled using a special config‐
316 ure option, --enable-encryption, when you build cvs.
317 -z gzip-level
321 Set the compression level. Valid levels are 1 (high speed, low com‐
323 pression) to 9 (low speed, high compression), or 0 to disable com‐
324 pression (the default). Only has an effect on the cvs client.
325
329 Common command options
330 This section describes the command_options that are available across
331 several cvs commands. These options are always given to the right of
332 cvs_command. Not all commands support all of these options; each option
333 is only supported for commands where it makes sense. However, when a
334 command has one of these options you can almost always count on the
335 same behavior of the option as in other commands. (Other command
336 options, which are listed with the individual commands, may have dif‐
337 ferent behavior from one cvs command to the other).
338 The history command is an exception; it supports many options that con‐
340 flict even with these standard options.
341 -D date_spec
345 Use the most recent revision no later than date_spec. date_spec is a
347 single argument, a date description specifying a date in the past.
348 The specification is sticky when you use it to make a private copy of
350 a source file; that is, when you get a working file using -D, cvs
351 records the date you specified, so that further updates in the same
352 directory will use the same date (for more information on sticky
353 tags/dates, see node `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual).
354 -D is available with the annotate, checkout, diff, export, history,
356 rdiff, rtag, and update commands. (The history command uses this
357 option in a slightly different way; see node `history options' in the
358 CVS manual).
359 A wide variety of date formats are supported by cvs. The most stan‐
361 dard ones are ISO8601 (from the International Standards Organization)
362 and the Internet e-mail standard (specified in RFC822 as amended by
363 RFC1123).
364 ISO8601 dates have many variants but a few examples are:
366 1972-09-24
369 1972-09-24 20:05
370 There are a lot more ISO8601 date formats, and cvs accepts many of
375 them, but you probably don't want to hear the whole long story :-).
376 In addition to the dates allowed in Internet e-mail itself, cvs also
378 allows some of the fields to be omitted. For example:
379 24 Sep 1972 20:05
382 24 Sep
383 The date is interpreted as being in the local timezone, unless a spe‐
388 cific timezone is specified.
389 These two date formats are preferred. However, cvs currently accepts
391 a wide variety of other date formats. They are intentionally not
392 documented here in any detail, and future versions of cvs might not
393 accept all of them.
394 One such format is month/day/year. This may confuse people who are
396 accustomed to having the month and day in the other order; 1/4/96 is
397 January 4, not April 1.
398 Remember to quote the argument to the -D flag so that your shell
400 doesn't interpret spaces as argument separators. A command using the
401 -D flag can look like this:
402 $ cvs diff -D "1 hour ago" cvs.texinfo
405 -f
412 When you specify a particular date or tag to cvs commands, they nor‐
414 mally ignore files that do not contain the tag (or did not exist
415 prior to the date) that you specified. Use the -f option if you want
416 files retrieved even when there is no match for the tag or date.
417 (The most recent revision of the file will be used).
418 Note that even with -f, a tag that you specify must exist (that is,
420 in some file, not necessary in every file). This is so that cvs will
421 continue to give an error if you mistype a tag name.
422 -f is available with these commands: annotate, checkout, export,
424 rdiff, rtag, and update.
425 WARNING: The commit and remove commands also have a -f option, but
427 it has a different behavior for those commands. See `commit options'
428 in the CVS manual, and `Removing files' in the CVS manual.
429 -k kflag
433 Alter the default processing of keywords. See `Keyword substitution'
435 in the CVS manual, for the meaning of kflag. Your kflag specifica‐
436 tion is sticky when you use it to create a private copy of a source
437 file; that is, when you use this option with the checkout or update
438 commands, cvs associates your selected kflag with the file, and con‐
439 tinues to use it with future update commands on the same file until
440 you specify otherwise.
441 The -k option is available with the add, checkout, diff, rdiff,
443 import and update commands.
444 -l
448 Local; run only in current working directory, rather than recursing
450 through subdirectories.
451 Available with the following commands: annotate, checkout, commit,
453 diff, edit, editors, export, log, rdiff, remove, rtag, status, tag,
454 unedit, update, watch, and watchers.
455 -m message
459 Use message as log information, instead of invoking an editor.
461 Available with the following commands: add, commit and import.
463 -n
467 Do not run any tag program. (A program can be specified to run in
469 the modules database (see node `modules' in the CVS manual); this
470 option bypasses it).
471 This is not the same as the cvs -n program option, which you can
473 specify to the left of a cvs command!
474 Available with the checkout, export, and rtag commands.
476 -P
480 Prune empty directories. See `Removing directories' in the CVS man‐
482 ual.
483 -p
487 Pipe the files retrieved from the repository to standard output,
489 rather than writing them in the current directory. Available with
490 the checkout and update commands.
491 -R
495 Process directories recursively. This is on by default.
497 Available with the following commands: annotate, checkout, commit,
499 diff, edit, editors, export, rdiff, remove, rtag, status, tag,
500 unedit, update, watch, and watchers.
501 -r tag
505 Use the revision specified by the tag argument instead of the default
507 head revision. As well as arbitrary tags defined with the tag or
508 rtag command, two special tags are always available: HEAD refers to
509 the most recent version available in the repository, and BASE refers
510 to the revision you last checked out into the current working direc‐
511 tory.
512 The tag specification is sticky when you use this with checkout or
514 update to make your own copy of a file: cvs remembers the tag and
515 continues to use it on future update commands, until you specify oth‐
516 erwise (for more information on sticky tags/dates, see node `Sticky
517 tags' in the CVS manual).
518 The tag can be either a symbolic or numeric tag, as described in
520 `Tags' in the CVS manual, or the name of a branch, as described in
521 `Branching and merging' in the CVS manual. When a command expects a
522 specific revision, the name of a branch is interpreted as the most
523 recent revision on that branch.
524 Specifying the -q global option along with the -r command option is
526 often useful, to suppress the warning messages when the rcs file does
527 not contain the specified tag.
528 This is not the same as the overall cvs -r option, which you can
530 specify to the left of a cvs command!
531 -r is available with the annotate, checkout, commit, diff, history,
533 export, rdiff, rtag, and update commands.
534 -W
538 Specify file names that should be filtered. You can use this option
540 repeatedly. The spec can be a file name pattern of the same type
541 that you can specify in the .cvswrappers file. Available with the
542 following commands: import, and update.
543
547 Add files and directories to the repository
548 · Synopsis: add [-k rcs-kflag] [-m message] files...
549 · Requires: repository, working directory.
551 · Changes: repository, working directory.
553 The add command is used to present new files and directories for
555 addition into the cvs repository. When add is used on a directory, a
556 new directory is created in the repository immediately. When used on
557 a file, only the working directory is updated. Changes to the repos‐
558 itory are not made until the commit command is used on the newly
559 added file.
560 The add command also resurrects files that have been previously
562 removed. This can be done before or after the commit command is used
563 to finalize the removal of files. Resurrected files are restored
564 into the working directory at the time the add command is executed.
565
568 These standard options are supported by add (see node `Common options'
569 in the CVS manual, for a complete description of them):
570 -k kflag
574 Process keywords according to kflag. See `Keyword substitution' in
576 the CVS manual. This option is sticky; future updates of this file
577 in this working directory will use the same kflag. The status com‐
578 mand can be viewed to see the sticky options. For more information
579 on the status command, see node `Invoking CVS' in the CVS manual.
580 -m message
584 Use message as the log message, instead of invoking an editor.
586
589 Adding a directory
590 $ mkdir doc
591 $ cvs add doc
592 Directory /path/to/repository/doc added to the repository
593 Adding a file
599 $ >TODO
600 $ cvs add TODO
601 cvs add: scheduling file `TODO' for addition
602 cvs add: use 'cvs commit' to add this file permanently
603 Undoing a remove command
609 $ rm -f makefile
610 $ cvs remove makefile
611 cvs remove: scheduling `makefile' for removal
612 cvs remove: use 'cvs commit' to remove this file permanently
613 $ cvs add makefile
614 U makefile
615 cvs add: makefile, version 1.2, resurrected
616
622 Administration
623 · Requires: repository, working directory.
624 · Changes: repository.
626 · Synonym: rcs
628 This is the cvs interface to assorted administrative facilities.
630 Some of them have questionable usefulness for cvs but exist for his‐
631 torical purposes. Some of the questionable options are likely to
632 disappear in the future. This command does work recursively, so
633 extreme care should be used.
634 On unix, if there is a group named cvsadmin, only members of that
636 group can run cvs admin (except for the cvs admin -k command, which
637 can be run by anybody). This group should exist on the server, or
638 any system running the non-client/server cvs. To disallow cvs admin
639 for all users, create a group with no users in it. On NT, the cvsad‐
640 min feature does not exist and all users can run cvs admin.
641
644 Some of these options have questionable usefulness for cvs but exist
645 for historical purposes. Some even make it impossible to use cvs until
646 you undo the effect!
647 -Aoldfile
651 Might not work together with cvs. Append the access list of oldfile
653 to the access list of the rcs file.
654 -alogins
658 Might not work together with cvs. Append the login names appearing
660 in the comma-separated list logins to the access list of the rcs
661 file.
662 -b[rev]
666 Set the default branch to rev. In cvs, you normally do not manipu‐
668 late default branches; sticky tags (see node `Sticky tags' in the CVS
669 manual) are a better way to decide which branch you want to work on.
670 There is one reason to run cvs admin -b: to revert to the vendor's
671 version when using vendor branches (see node `Reverting local
672 changes' in the CVS manual). There can be no space between -b and
673 its argument.
674 -cstring
678 Sets the comment leader to string. The comment leader is not used by
680 current versions of cvs or rcs 5.7. Therefore, you can almost surely
681 not worry about it. See `Keyword substitution' in the CVS manual.
682 -e[logins]
686 Might not work together with cvs. Erase the login names appearing in
688 the comma-separated list logins from the access list of the RCS file.
689 If logins is omitted, erase the entire access list. There can be no
690 space between -e and its argument.
691 -I
695 Run interactively, even if the standard input is not a terminal.
697 This option does not work with the client/server cvs and is likely to
698 disappear in a future release of cvs.
699 -i
703 Useless with cvs. This creates and initializes a new rcs file, with‐
705 out depositing a revision. With cvs, add files with the cvs add com‐
706 mand (see node `Adding files' in the CVS manual).
707 -ksubst
711 Set the default keyword substitution to subst. See `Keyword substi‐
713 tution' in the CVS manual. Giving an explicit -k option to cvs
714 update, cvs export, or cvs checkout overrides this default.
715 -l[rev]
719 Lock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, lock the
721 latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, lock the latest
722 revision on the default branch. There can be no space between -l and
723 its argument.
724 This can be used in conjunction with the rcslock.pl script in the
726 contrib directory of the cvs source distribution to provide reserved
727 checkouts (where only one user can be editing a given file at a
728 time). See the comments in that file for details (and see the README
729 file in that directory for disclaimers about the unsupported nature
730 of contrib). According to comments in that file, locking must set to
731 strict (which is the default).
732 -L
736 Set locking to strict. Strict locking means that the owner of an RCS
738 file is not exempt from locking for checkin. For use with cvs,
739 strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the -l option
740 above.
741 -mrev:msg
745 Replace the log message of revision rev with msg.
747 -Nname[:[rev]]
751 Act like -n, except override any previous assignment of name. For
753 use with magic branches, see `Magic branch numbers' in the CVS man‐
754 ual.
755 -nname[:[rev]]
759 Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. It
761 is normally better to use cvs tag or cvs rtag instead. Delete the
762 symbolic name if both : and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an
763 error message if name is already associated with another number. If
764 rev is symbolic, it is expanded before association. A rev consisting
765 of a branch number followed by a . stands for the current latest
766 revision in the branch. A : with an empty rev stands for the current
767 latest revision on the default branch, normally the trunk. For exam‐
768 ple, cvs admin -nname: associates name with the current latest revi‐
769 sion of all the RCS files; this contrasts with cvs admin -nname:$
770 which associates name with the revision numbers extracted from key‐
771 word strings in the corresponding working files.
772 -orange
776 Deletes (outdates) the revisions given by range.
778 Note that this command can be quite dangerous unless you know exactly
780 what you are doing (for example see the warnings below about how the
781 rev1:rev2 syntax is confusing).
782 If you are short on disc this option might help you. But think twice
784 before using it—there is no way short of restoring the latest backup
785 to undo this command! If you delete different revisions than you
786 planned, either due to carelessness or (heaven forbid) a cvs bug,
787 there is no opportunity to correct the error before the revisions are
788 deleted. It probably would be a good idea to experiment on a copy of
789 the repository first.
790 Specify range in one of the following ways:
792 rev1::rev2
795 Collapse all revisions between rev1 and rev2, so that cvs only
797 stores the differences associated with going from rev1 to rev2, not
798 intermediate steps. For example, after -o 1.3::1.5 one can
799 retrieve revision 1.3, revision 1.5, or the differences to get from
800 1.3 to 1.5, but not the revision 1.4, or the differences between
801 1.3 and 1.4. Other examples: -o 1.3::1.4 and -o 1.3::1.3 have no
802 effect, because there are no intermediate revisions to remove.
803 ::rev
806 Collapse revisions between the beginning of the branch containing
808 rev and rev itself. The branchpoint and rev are left intact. For
809 example, -o ::1.3.2.6 deletes revision 1.3.2.1, revision 1.3.2.5,
810 and everything in between, but leaves 1.3 and 1.3.2.6 intact.
811 rev::
814 Collapse revisions between rev and the end of the branch containing
816 rev. Revision rev is left intact but the head revision is deleted.
817 rev
820 Delete the revision rev. For example, -o 1.3 is equivalent to -o
822 1.2::1.4.
823 rev1:rev2
826 Delete the revisions from rev1 to rev2, inclusive, on the same
828 branch. One will not be able to retrieve rev1 or rev2 or any of
829 the revisions in between. For example, the command cvs admin
830 -oR_1_01:R_1_02 . is rarely useful. It means to delete revisions
831 up to, and including, the tag R_1_02. But beware! If there are
832 files that have not changed between R_1_02 and R_1_03 the file will
833 have the same numerical revision number assigned to the tags R_1_02
834 and R_1_03. So not only will it be impossible to retrieve R_1_02;
835 R_1_03 will also have to be restored from the tapes! In most cases
836 you want to specify rev1::rev2 instead.
837 :rev
840 Delete revisions from the beginning of the branch containing rev up
842 to and including rev.
843 rev:
846 Delete revisions from revision rev, including rev itself, to the
848 end of the branch containing rev.
849 None of the revisions to be deleted may have branches or locks.
851 If any of the revisions to be deleted have symbolic names, and one
853 specifies one of the :: syntaxes, then cvs will give an error and
854 not delete any revisions. If you really want to delete both the
855 symbolic names and the revisions, first delete the symbolic names
856 with cvs tag -d, then run cvs admin -o. If one specifies the
857 non-:: syntaxes, then cvs will delete the revisions but leave the
858 symbolic names pointing to nonexistent revisions. This behavior is
859 preserved for compatibility with previous versions of cvs, but
860 because it isn't very useful, in the future it may change to be
861 like the :: case.
862 Due to the way cvs handles branches rev cannot be specified symbol‐
864 ically if it is a branch. See `Magic branch numbers' in the CVS
865 manual for an explanation.
866 Make sure that no-one has checked out a copy of the revision you
868 outdate. Strange things will happen if he starts to edit it and
869 tries to check it back in. For this reason, this option is not a
870 good way to take back a bogus commit; commit a new revision undoing
871 the bogus change instead (see node `Merging two revisions' in the
872 CVS manual).
873 -q
877 Run quietly; do not print diagnostics.
879 -sstate[:rev]
883 Useful with cvs. Set the state attribute of the revision rev to
885 state. If rev is a branch number, assume the latest revision on that
886 branch. If rev is omitted, assume the latest revision on the default
887 branch. Any identifier is acceptable for state. A useful set of
888 states is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for stable), and Rel (for
889 released). By default, the state of a new revision is set to Exp
890 when it is created. The state is visible in the output from cvs log
891 (see node `log' in the CVS manual), and in the $Log$ and $State$ key‐
892 words (see node `Keyword substitution' in the CVS manual). Note that
893 cvs uses the dead state for its own purposes (see node `Attic' in the
894 CVS manual); to take a file to or from the dead state use commands
895 like cvs remove and cvs add (see node `Adding and removing' in the
896 CVS manual), not cvs admin -s.
897 -t[file]
901 Useful with cvs. Write descriptive text from the contents of the
903 named file into the RCS file, deleting the existing text. The file
904 pathname may not begin with -. The descriptive text can be seen in
905 the output from cvs log (see node `log' in the CVS manual). There
906 can be no space between -t and its argument.
907 If file is omitted, obtain the text from standard input, terminated
909 by end-of-file or by a line containing . by itself. Prompt for the
910 text if interaction is possible; see -I.
911 -t-string
915 Similar to -tfile. Write descriptive text from the string into the
917 rcs file, deleting the existing text. There can be no space between
918 -t and its argument.
919 -U
923 Set locking to non-strict. Non-strict locking means that the owner
925 of a file need not lock a revision for checkin. For use with cvs,
926 strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the -l option
927 above.
928 -u[rev]
932 See the option -l above, for a discussion of using this option with
934 cvs. Unlock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given,
935 unlock the latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, remove
936 the latest lock held by the caller. Normally, only the locker of a
937 revision may unlock it; somebody else unlocking a revision breaks the
938 lock. This causes the original locker to be sent a commit notifica‐
939 tion (see node `Getting Notified' in the CVS manual). There can be
940 no space between -u and its argument.
941 -Vn
945 In previous versions of cvs, this option meant to write an rcs file
947 which would be acceptable to rcs version n, but it is now obsolete
948 and specifying it will produce an error.
949 -xsuffixes
953 In previous versions of cvs, this was documented as a way of specify‐
955 ing the names of the rcs files. However, cvs has always required
956 that the rcs files used by cvs end in ,v, so this option has never
957 done anything useful.
958
962 What revision modified each line of a file?
963 · Synopsis: annotate [options] files...
964 · Requires: repository.
966 · Synonym: blame
968 · Changes: nothing.
970 For each file in files, print the head revision of the trunk,
972 together with information on the last modification for each line.
973
976 These standard options are supported by annotate (see node `Common
977 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
978 -l
982 Local directory only, no recursion.
984 -R
988 Process directories recursively.
990 -f
994 Use head revision if tag/date not found.
996 -F
1000 Annotate binary files.
1002 -r revision
1006 Annotate file as of specified revision/tag.
1008 -D date
1012 Annotate file as of specified date.
1014
1017 For example:
1018 $ cvs annotate ssfile
1021 Annotations for ssfile
1022 ***************
1023 1.1 (mary 27-Mar-96): ssfile line 1
1024 1.2 (joe 28-Mar-96): ssfile line 2
1025 The file ssfile currently contains two lines. The ssfile line 1 line
1030 was checked in by mary on March 27. Then, on March 28, joe added a
1031 line ssfile line 2, without modifying the ssfile line 1 line. This
1032 report doesn't tell you anything about lines which have been deleted or
1033 replaced; you need to use cvs diff for that (see node `diff' in the CVS
1034 manual).
1035 The options to cvs annotate are listed in `Invoking CVS' in the CVS
1037 manual, and can be used to select the files and revisions to annotate.
1038 The options are described in more detail there and in `Common options'
1039 in the CVS manual.
1040
1043 Check out sources for editing
1044 · Synopsis: checkout [options] modules...
1045 · Requires: repository.
1047 · Changes: working directory.
1049 · Synonyms: co, get
1051 Create or update a working directory containing copies of the source
1053 files specified by modules. You must execute checkout before using
1054 most of the other cvs commands, since most of them operate on your
1055 working directory.
1056 The modules are either symbolic names for some collection of source
1058 directories and files, or paths to directories or files in the repos‐
1059 itory. The symbolic names are defined in the modules file. See
1060 `modules' in the CVS manual.
1061 Depending on the modules you specify, checkout may recursively create
1063 directories and populate them with the appropriate source files. You
1064 can then edit these source files at any time (regardless of whether
1065 other software developers are editing their own copies of the
1066 sources); update them to include new changes applied by others to the
1067 source repository; or commit your work as a permanent change to the
1068 source repository.
1069 Note that checkout is used to create directories. The top-level
1071 directory created is always added to the directory where checkout is
1072 invoked, and usually has the same name as the specified module. In
1073 the case of a module alias, the created sub-directory may have a dif‐
1074 ferent name, but you can be sure that it will be a sub-directory, and
1075 that checkout will show the relative path leading to each file as it
1076 is extracted into your private work area (unless you specify the -Q
1077 global option).
1078 The files created by checkout are created read-write, unless the -r
1080 option to cvs (see node `Global options' in the CVS manual) is speci‐
1081 fied, the CVSREAD environment variable is specified (see node `Envi‐
1082 ronment variables' in the CVS manual), or a watch is in effect for
1083 that file (see node `Watches' in the CVS manual).
1084 Note that running checkout on a directory that was already built by a
1086 prior checkout is also permitted. This is similar to specifying the
1087 -d option to the update command in the sense that new directories
1088 that have been created in the repository will appear in your work
1089 area. However, checkout takes a module name whereas update takes a
1090 directory name. Also to use checkout this way it must be run from
1091 the top level directory (where you originally ran checkout from), so
1092 before you run checkout to update an existing directory, don't forget
1093 to change your directory to the top level directory.
1094 For the output produced by the checkout command, see node `update
1096 output' in the CVS manual.
1097
1100 These standard options are supported by checkout (see node `Common
1101 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
1102 -D date
1106 Use the most recent revision no later than date. This option is
1108 sticky, and implies -P. See `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual for more
1109 information on sticky tags/dates.
1110 -f
1114 Only useful with the -D date or -r tag flags. If no matching revi‐
1116 sion is found, retrieve the most recent revision (instead of ignoring
1117 the file).
1118 -k kflag
1122 Process keywords according to kflag. See `Keyword substitution' in
1124 the CVS manual. This option is sticky; future updates of this file
1125 in this working directory will use the same kflag. The status com‐
1126 mand can be viewed to see the sticky options. See `Invoking CVS' in
1127 the CVS manual for more information on the status command.
1128 -l
1132 Local; run only in current working directory.
1134 -n
1138 Do not run any checkout program (as specified with the -o option in
1140 the modules file; see node `modules' in the CVS manual).
1141 -P
1145 Prune empty directories. See `Moving directories' in the CVS manual.
1147 -p
1151 Pipe files to the standard output.
1153 -R
1157 Checkout directories recursively. This option is on by default.
1159 -r tag
1163 Use revision tag. This option is sticky, and implies -P. See
1165 `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual, for more information on sticky
1166 tags/dates.
1167 In addition to those, you can use these special command options with
1169 checkout:
1170 -A
1174 Reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options. Does not reset sticky
1176 -k options on modified files. See `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual
1177 for more information on sticky tags/dates.
1178 -c
1182 Copy the module file, sorted, to the standard output, instead of cre‐
1184 ating or modifying any files or directories in your working direc‐
1185 tory.
1186 -d dir
1190 Create a directory called dir for the working files, instead of using
1192 the module name. In general, using this flag is equivalent to using
1193 mkdir dir; cd dir followed by the checkout command without the -d
1194 flag.
1195 There is an important exception, however. It is very convenient when
1197 checking out a single item to have the output appear in a directory
1198 that doesn't contain empty intermediate directories. In this case
1199 only, cvs tries to ``shorten'' pathnames to avoid those empty direc‐
1200 tories.
1201 For example, given a module foo that contains the file bar.c, the
1203 command cvs co -d dir foo will create directory dir and place bar.c
1204 inside. Similarly, given a module bar which has subdirectory baz
1205 wherein there is a file quux.c, the command cvs co -d dir bar/baz
1206 will create directory dir and place quux.c inside.
1207 Using the -N flag will defeat this behavior. Given the same module
1209 definitions above, cvs co -N -d dir foo will create directories
1210 dir/foo and place bar.c inside, while cvs co -N -d dir bar/baz will
1211 create directories dir/bar/baz and place quux.c inside.
1212 -j tag
1216 With two -j options, merge changes from the revision specified with
1218 the first -j option to the revision specified with the second j
1219 option, into the working directory.
1220 With one -j option, merge changes from the ancestor revision to the
1222 revision specified with the -j option, into the working directory.
1223 The ancestor revision is the common ancestor of the revision which
1224 the working directory is based on, and the revision specified in the
1225 -j option.
1226 In addition, each -j option can contain an optional date specifica‐
1228 tion which, when used with branches, can limit the chosen revision to
1229 one within a specific date. An optional date is specified by adding
1230 a colon (:) to the tag: -jSymbolic_Tag:Date_Specifier.
1231 See `Branching and merging' in the CVS manual.
1233 -N
1237 Only useful together with -d dir. With this option, cvs will not
1239 ``shorten'' module paths in your working directory when you check out
1240 a single module. See the -d flag for examples and a discussion.
1241 -s
1245 Like -c, but include the status of all modules, and sort it by the
1247 status string. See `modules' in the CVS manual, for info about the
1248 -s option that is used inside the modules file to set the module sta‐
1249 tus.
1250
1253 Get a copy of the module tc:
1254 $ cvs checkout tc
1257 Get a copy of the module tc as it looked one day ago:
1262 $ cvs checkout -D yesterday tc
1265
1271 Check files into the repository
1272 · Synopsis: commit [-lRf] [-m 'log_message' | -F file] [-r revision]
1273 [files...]
1274 · Requires: working directory, repository.
1276 · Changes: repository.
1278 · Synonym: ci
1280 Use commit when you want to incorporate changes from your working
1282 source files into the source repository.
1283 If you don't specify particular files to commit, all of the files in
1285 your working current directory are examined. commit is careful to
1286 change in the repository only those files that you have really
1287 changed. By default (or if you explicitly specify the -R option),
1288 files in subdirectories are also examined and committed if they have
1289 changed; you can use the -l option to limit commit to the current
1290 directory only.
1291 commit verifies that the selected files are up to date with the cur‐
1293 rent revisions in the source repository; it will notify you, and exit
1294 without committing, if any of the specified files must be made cur‐
1295 rent first with update (see node `update' in the CVS manual). commit
1296 does not call the update command for you, but rather leaves that for
1297 you to do when the time is right.
1298 When all is well, an editor is invoked to allow you to enter a log
1300 message that will be written to one or more logging programs (see
1301 node `modules' in the CVS manual, and see node `loginfo' in the CVS
1302 manual) and placed in the rcs file inside the repository. This log
1303 message can be retrieved with the log command; see node `log' in the
1304 CVS manual. You can specify the log message on the command line with
1305 the -m message option, and thus avoid the editor invocation, or use
1306 the -F file option to specify that the argument file contains the log
1307 message.
1308
1311 These standard options are supported by commit (see node `Common
1312 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
1313 -l
1317 Local; run only in current working directory.
1319 -R
1323 Commit directories recursively. This is on by default.
1325 -r revision
1329 Commit to revision. revision must be either a branch, or a revision
1331 on the main trunk that is higher than any existing revision number
1332 (see node `Assigning revisions' in the CVS manual). You cannot com‐
1333 mit to a specific revision on a branch.
1334 commit also supports these options:
1336 -F file
1340 Read the log message from file, instead of invoking an editor.
1342 -f
1346 Note that this is not the standard behavior of the -f option as
1348 defined in `Common options' in the CVS manual.
1349 Force cvs to commit a new revision even if you haven't made any
1351 changes to the file. If the current revision of file is 1.7, then
1352 the following two commands are equivalent:
1353 $ cvs commit -f file
1356 $ cvs commit -r 1.8 file
1357 The -f option disables recursion (i.e., it implies -l). To force cvs
1362 to commit a new revision for all files in all subdirectories, you
1363 must use -f -R.
1364 -m message
1368 Use message as the log message, instead of invoking an editor.
1370
1373 Committing to a branch
1374 You can commit to a branch revision (one that has an even number of
1375 dots) with the -r option. To create a branch revision, use the -b
1376 option of the rtag or tag commands (see node `Branching and merging' in
1377 the CVS manual). Then, either checkout or update can be used to base
1378 your sources on the newly created branch. From that point on, all com‐
1379 mit changes made within these working sources will be automatically
1380 added to a branch revision, thereby not disturbing main-line develop‐
1381 ment in any way. For example, if you had to create a patch to the 1.2
1382 version of the product, even though the 2.0 version is already under
1383 development, you might do:
1384 $ cvs rtag -b -r FCS1_2 FCS1_2_Patch product_module
1387 $ cvs checkout -r FCS1_2_Patch product_module
1388 $ cd product_module
1389 [[ hack away ]]
1390 $ cvs commit
1391 This works automatically since the -r option is sticky.
1396 Creating the branch after editing
1399 Say you have been working on some extremely experimental software,
1400 based on whatever revision you happened to checkout last week. If oth‐
1401 ers in your group would like to work on this software with you, but
1402 without disturbing main-line development, you could commit your change
1403 to a new branch. Others can then checkout your experimental stuff and
1404 utilize the full benefit of cvs conflict resolution. The scenario
1405 might look like:
1406 [[ hacked sources are present ]]
1409 $ cvs tag -b EXPR1
1410 $ cvs update -r EXPR1
1411 $ cvs commit
1412 The update command will make the -r EXPR1 option sticky on all files.
1417 Note that your changes to the files will never be removed by the update
1418 command. The commit will automatically commit to the correct branch,
1419 because the -r is sticky. You could also do like this:
1420 [[ hacked sources are present ]]
1423 $ cvs tag -b EXPR1
1424 $ cvs commit -r EXPR1
1425 but then, only those files that were changed by you will have the -r
1430 EXPR1 sticky flag. If you hack away, and commit without specifying the
1431 -r EXPR1 flag, some files may accidentally end up on the main trunk.
1432 To work with you on the experimental change, others would simply do
1434 $ cvs checkout -r EXPR1 whatever_module
1437
1443 Show differences between revisions
1444 · Synopsis: diff [-lR] [-k kflag] [format_options] [[-r rev1 | -D
1445 date1] [-r rev2 | -D date2]] [files...]
1446 · Requires: working directory, repository.
1448 · Changes: nothing.
1450 The diff command is used to compare different revisions of files.
1452 The default action is to compare your working files with the revi‐
1453 sions they were based on, and report any differences that are found.
1454 If any file names are given, only those files are compared. If any
1456 directories are given, all files under them will be compared.
1457 The exit status for diff is different than for other cvs commands;
1459 for details see node `Exit status' in the CVS manual.
1460
1463 These standard options are supported by diff (see node `Common options'
1464 in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
1465 -D date
1469 Use the most recent revision no later than date. See -r for how this
1471 affects the comparison.
1472 -k kflag
1476 Process keywords according to kflag. See `Keyword substitution' in
1478 the CVS manual.
1479 -l
1483 Local; run only in current working directory.
1485 -R
1489 Examine directories recursively. This option is on by default.
1491 -r tag
1495 Compare with revision tag. Zero, one or two -r options can be
1497 present. With no -r option, the working file will be compared with
1498 the revision it was based on. With one -r, that revision will be
1499 compared to your current working file. With two -r options those two
1500 revisions will be compared (and your working file will not affect the
1501 outcome in any way).
1502 One or both -r options can be replaced by a -D date option, described
1504 above.
1505 The following options specify the format of the output. They have
1507 the same meaning as in GNU diff. Most options have two equivalent
1508 names, one of which is a single letter preceded by -, and the other
1509 of which is a long name preceded by --.
1510 -lines
1514 Show lines (an integer) lines of context. This option does not spec‐
1516 ify an output format by itself; it has no effect unless it is com‐
1517 bined with -c or -u. This option is obsolete. For proper operation,
1518 patch typically needs at least two lines of context.
1519 -a
1523 Treat all files as text and compare them line-by-line, even if they
1525 do not seem to be text.
1526 -b
1530 Ignore trailing white space and consider all other sequences of one
1532 or more white space characters to be equivalent.
1533 -B
1537 Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.
1539 --binary
1543 Read and write data in binary mode.
1545 --brief
1549 Report only whether the files differ, not the details of the differ‐
1551 ences.
1552 -c
1556 Use the context output format.
1558 -C lines
1562 --context[=lines]
1567 Use the context output format, showing lines (an integer) lines of
1569 context, or three if lines is not given. For proper operation, patch
1570 typically needs at least two lines of context.
1571 --changed-group-format=format
1575 Use format to output a line group containing differing lines from
1577 both files in if-then-else format. See `Line group formats' in the
1578 CVS manual.
1579 -d
1583 Change the algorithm to perhaps find a smaller set of changes. This
1585 makes diff slower (sometimes much slower).
1586 -e
1590 --ed
1595 Make output that is a valid ed script.
1597 --expand-tabs
1601 Expand tabs to spaces in the output, to preserve the alignment of
1603 tabs in the input files.
1604 -f
1608 Make output that looks vaguely like an ed script but has changes in
1610 the order they appear in the file.
1611 -F regexp
1615 In context and unified format, for each hunk of differences, show
1617 some of the last preceding line that matches regexp.
1618 --forward-ed
1622 Make output that looks vaguely like an ed script but has changes in
1624 the order they appear in the file.
1625 -H
1629 Use heuristics to speed handling of large files that have numerous
1631 scattered small changes.
1632 --horizon-lines=lines
1636 Do not discard the last lines lines of the common prefix and the
1638 first lines lines of the common suffix.
1639 -i
1643 Ignore changes in case; consider upper- and lower-case letters equiv‐
1645 alent.
1646 -I regexp
1650 Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.
1652 --ifdef=name
1656 Make merged if-then-else output using name.
1658 --ignore-all-space
1662 Ignore white space when comparing lines.
1664 --ignore-blank-lines
1668 Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.
1670 --ignore-case
1674 Ignore changes in case; consider upper- and lower-case to be the
1676 same.
1677 --ignore-matching-lines=regexp
1681 Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.
1683 --ignore-space-change
1687 Ignore trailing white space and consider all other sequences of one
1689 or more white space characters to be equivalent.
1690 --initial-tab
1694 Output a tab rather than a space before the text of a line in normal
1696 or context format. This causes the alignment of tabs in the line to
1697 look normal.
1698 -L label
1702 Use label instead of the file name in the context format and unified
1704 format headers.
1705 --label=label
1709 Use label instead of the file name in the context format and unified
1711 format headers.
1712 --left-column
1716 Print only the left column of two common lines in side by side for‐
1718 mat.
1719 --line-format=format
1723 Use format to output all input lines in if-then-else format. See
1725 `Line formats' in the CVS manual.
1726 --minimal
1730 Change the algorithm to perhaps find a smaller set of changes. This
1732 makes diff slower (sometimes much slower).
1733 -n
1737 Output RCS-format diffs; like -f except that each command specifies
1739 the number of lines affected.
1740 -N
1744 --new-file
1749 In directory comparison, if a file is found in only one directory,
1751 treat it as present but empty in the other directory.
1752 --new-group-format=format
1756 Use format to output a group of lines taken from just the second file
1758 in if-then-else format. See `Line group formats' in the CVS manual.
1759 --new-line-format=format
1763 Use format to output a line taken from just the second file in if-
1765 then-else format. See `Line formats' in the CVS manual.
1766 --old-group-format=format
1770 Use format to output a group of lines taken from just the first file
1772 in if-then-else format. See `Line group formats' in the CVS manual.
1773 --old-line-format=format
1777 Use format to output a line taken from just the first file in if-
1779 then-else format. See `Line formats' in the CVS manual.
1780 -p
1784 Show which C function each change is in.
1786 --rcs
1790 Output RCS-format diffs; like -f except that each command specifies
1792 the number of lines affected.
1793 --report-identical-files
1797 -s
1802 Report when two files are the same.
1804 --show-c-function
1808 Show which C function each change is in.
1810 --show-function-line=regexp
1814 In context and unified format, for each hunk of differences, show
1816 some of the last preceding line that matches regexp.
1817 --side-by-side
1821 Use the side by side output format.
1823 --speed-large-files
1827 Use heuristics to speed handling of large files that have numerous
1829 scattered small changes.
1830 --suppress-common-lines
1834 Do not print common lines in side by side format.
1836 -t
1840 Expand tabs to spaces in the output, to preserve the alignment of
1842 tabs in the input files.
1843 -T
1847 Output a tab rather than a space before the text of a line in normal
1849 or context format. This causes the alignment of tabs in the line to
1850 look normal.
1851 --text
1855 Treat all files as text and compare them line-by-line, even if they
1857 do not appear to be text.
1858 -u
1862 Use the unified output format.
1864 --unchanged-group-format=format
1868 Use format to output a group of common lines taken from both files in
1870 if-then-else format. see node `Line group formats' in the CVS man‐
1871 ual.
1872 --unchanged-line-format=format
1876 Use format to output a line common to both files in if-then-else for‐
1878 mat. see node `Line formats' in the CVS manual.
1879 -U lines
1883 --unified[=lines]
1888 Use the unified output format, showing lines (an integer) lines of
1890 context, or three if lines is not given. For proper operation, patch
1891 typically needs at least two lines of context.
1892 -w
1896 Ignore white space when comparing lines.
1898 -W columns
1902 --width=columns
1907 Use an output width of columns in side by side format.
1909 -y
1913 Use the side by side output format.
1915
1918 Line group formats let you specify formats suitable for many applica‐
1919 tions that allow if-then-else input, including programming languages
1920 and text formatting languages. A line group format specifies the out‐
1921 put format for a contiguous group of similar lines.
1922 For example, the following command compares the TeX file myfile with
1924 the original version from the repository, and outputs a merged file in
1925 which old regions are surrounded by \begin{em}-\end{em} lines, and new
1926 regions are surrounded by \begin{bf}-\end{bf} lines.
1927 cvs diff \
1930 --old-group-format='\begin{em}
1932 %<\end{em}
1933 ' \
1934 --new-group-format='\begin{bf}
1936 %>\end{bf}
1937 ' \
1938 myfile
1940 The following command is equivalent to the above example, but it is a
1945 little more verbose, because it spells out the default line group for‐
1946 mats.
1947 cvs diff \
1950 --old-group-format='\begin{em}
1952 %<\end{em}
1953 ' \
1954 --new-group-format='\begin{bf}
1956 %>\end{bf}
1957 ' \
1958 --unchanged-group-format='%=' \
1960 --changed-group-format='\begin{em}
1962 %<\end{em}
1963 \begin{bf}
1964 %>\end{bf}
1965 ' \
1966 myfile
1968 Here is a more advanced example, which outputs a diff listing with
1973 headers containing line numbers in a ``plain English'' style.
1974 cvs diff \
1977 --unchanged-group-format='' \
1979 --old-group-format='-------- %dn line%(n=1?:s) deleted at %df:
1981 %<' \
1982 --new-group-format='-------- %dN line%(N=1?:s) added after %de:
1984 %>' \
1985 --changed-group-format='-------- %dn line%(n=1?:s) changed at %df:
1987 %<-------- to:
1988 %>' \
1989 myfile
1991 To specify a line group format, use one of the options listed below.
1996 You can specify up to four line group formats, one for each kind of
1997 line group. You should quote format, because it typically contains
1998 shell metacharacters.
1999 --old-group-format=format
2003 These line groups are hunks containing only lines from the first
2005 file. The default old group format is the same as the changed group
2006 format if it is specified; otherwise it is a format that outputs the
2007 line group as-is.
2008 --new-group-format=format
2012 These line groups are hunks containing only lines from the second
2014 file. The default new group format is same as the changed group for‐
2015 mat if it is specified; otherwise it is a format that outputs the
2016 line group as-is.
2017 --changed-group-format=format
2021 These line groups are hunks containing lines from both files. The
2023 default changed group format is the concatenation of the old and new
2024 group formats.
2025 --unchanged-group-format=format
2029 These line groups contain lines common to both files. The default
2031 unchanged group format is a format that outputs the line group as-is.
2032 In a line group format, ordinary characters represent themselves;
2034 conversion specifications start with % and have one of the following
2035 forms.
2036 %<
2040 stands for the lines from the first file, including the trailing new‐
2042 line. Each line is formatted according to the old line format (see
2043 node `Line formats' in the CVS manual).
2044 %>
2048 stands for the lines from the second file, including the trailing
2050 newline. Each line is formatted according to the new line format.
2051 %=
2055 stands for the lines common to both files, including the trailing
2057 newline. Each line is formatted according to the unchanged line for‐
2058 mat.
2059 %%
2063 stands for %.
2065 %c'C'
2069 where C is a single character, stands for C. C may not be a back‐
2071 slash or an apostrophe. For example, %c':' stands for a colon, even
2072 inside the then-part of an if-then-else format, which a colon would
2073 normally terminate.
2074 %c'\O'
2078 where O is a string of 1, 2, or 3 octal digits, stands for the char‐
2080 acter with octal code O. For example, %c'\0' stands for a null char‐
2081 acter.
2082 Fn
2086 where F is a printf conversion specification and n is one of the fol‐
2088 lowing letters, stands for n's value formatted with F.
2089 e
2092 The line number of the line just before the group in the old file.
2094 f
2097 The line number of the first line in the group in the old file;
2099 equals e + 1.
2100 l
2103 The line number of the last line in the group in the old file.
2105 m
2108 The line number of the line just after the group in the old file;
2110 equals l + 1.
2111 n
2114 The number of lines in the group in the old file; equals l - f + 1.
2116 E, F, L, M, N
2119 Likewise, for lines in the new file.
2121 The printf conversion specification can be %d, %o, %x, or %X, spec‐
2124 ifying decimal, octal, lower case hexadecimal, or upper case hexa‐
2125 decimal output respectively. After the % the following options can
2126 appear in sequence: a - specifying left-justification; an integer
2127 specifying the minimum field width; and a period followed by an
2128 optional integer specifying the minimum number of digits. For
2129 example, %5dN prints the number of new lines in the group in a
2130 field of width 5 characters, using the printf format "%5d".
2131 (A=B?T:E)
2135 If A equals B then T else E. A and B are each either a decimal con‐
2137 stant or a single letter interpreted as above. This format spec is
2138 equivalent to T if A's value equals B's; otherwise it is equivalent
2139 to E.
2140 For example, %(N=0?no:%dN) line%(N=1?:s) is equivalent to no lines if
2142 N (the number of lines in the group in the new file) is 0, to 1 line
2143 if N is 1, and to %dN lines otherwise.
2144
2147 Line formats control how each line taken from an input file is output
2148 as part of a line group in if-then-else format.
2149 For example, the following command outputs text with a one-column
2151 change indicator to the left of the text. The first column of output
2152 is - for deleted lines, | for added lines, and a space for unchanged
2153 lines. The formats contain newline characters where newlines are
2154 desired on output.
2155 cvs diff \
2158 --old-line-format='-%l
2160 ' \
2161 --new-line-format='|%l
2163 ' \
2164 --unchanged-line-format=' %l
2166 ' \
2167 myfile
2169 To specify a line format, use one of the following options. You should
2174 quote format, since it often contains shell metacharacters.
2175 --old-line-format=format
2179 formats lines just from the first file.
2181 --new-line-format=format
2185 formats lines just from the second file.
2187 --unchanged-line-format=format
2191 formats lines common to both files.
2193 --line-format=format
2197 formats all lines; in effect, it sets all three above options simul‐
2199 taneously.
2200 In a line format, ordinary characters represent themselves; conver‐
2202 sion specifications start with % and have one of the following forms.
2203 %l
2207 stands for the contents of the line, not counting its trailing new‐
2209 line (if any). This format ignores whether the line is incomplete.
2210 %L
2214 stands for the contents of the line, including its trailing newline
2216 (if any). If a line is incomplete, this format preserves its incom‐
2217 pleteness.
2218 %%
2222 stands for %.
2224 %c'C'
2228 where C is a single character, stands for C. C may not be a back‐
2230 slash or an apostrophe. For example, %c':' stands for a colon.
2231 %c'\O'
2235 where O is a string of 1, 2, or 3 octal digits, stands for the char‐
2237 acter with octal code O. For example, %c'\0' stands for a null char‐
2238 acter.
2239 Fn
2243 where F is a printf conversion specification, stands for the line
2245 number formatted with F. For example, %.5dn prints the line number
2246 using the printf format "%.5d". see node `Line group formats' in the
2247 CVS manual, for more about printf conversion specifications.
2248 The default line format is %l followed by a newline character.
2251 If the input contains tab characters and it is important that they
2253 line up on output, you should ensure that %l or %L in a line format
2254 is just after a tab stop (e.g. by preceding %l or %L with a tab char‐
2255 acter), or you should use the -t or --expand-tabs option.
2256 Taken together, the line and line group formats let you specify many
2258 different formats. For example, the following command uses a format
2259 similar to diff's normal format. You can tailor this command to get
2260 fine control over diff's output.
2261 cvs diff \
2264 --old-line-format='< %l
2266 ' \
2267 --new-line-format='> %l
2269 ' \
2270 --old-group-format='%df%(f=l?:,%dl)d%dE
2272 %<' \
2273 --new-group-format='%dea%dF%(F=L?:,%dL)
2275 %>' \
2276 --changed-group-format='%df%(f=l?:,%dl)c%dF%(F=L?:,%dL)
2278 %<—
2279 %>' \
2280 --unchanged-group-format='' \
2282 myfile
2284
2290 The following line produces a Unidiff (-u flag) between revision 1.14
2291 and 1.19 of backend.c. Due to the -kk flag no keywords are substi‐
2292 tuted, so differences that only depend on keyword substitution are
2293 ignored.
2294 $ cvs diff -kk -u -r 1.14 -r 1.19 backend.c
2297 Suppose the experimental branch EXPR1 was based on a set of files
2302 tagged RELEASE_1_0. To see what has happened on that branch, the fol‐
2303 lowing can be used:
2304 $ cvs diff -r RELEASE_1_0 -r EXPR1
2307 A command like this can be used to produce a context diff between two
2312 releases:
2313 $ cvs diff -c -r RELEASE_1_0 -r RELEASE_1_1 > diffs
2316 If you are maintaining ChangeLogs, a command like the following just
2321 before you commit your changes may help you write the ChangeLog entry.
2322 All local modifications that have not yet been committed will be
2323 printed.
2324 $ cvs diff -u | less
2327
2333 Export sources from CVS, similar to checkout
2334 · Synopsis: export [-flNnR] [-r rev|-D date] [-k subst] [-d dir] mod‐
2335 ule...
2336 · Requires: repository.
2338 · Changes: current directory.
2340 This command is a variant of checkout; use it when you want a copy of
2342 the source for module without the cvs administrative directories.
2343 For example, you might use export to prepare source for shipment off-
2344 site. This command requires that you specify a date or tag (with -D
2345 or -r), so that you can count on reproducing the source you ship to
2346 others (and thus it always prunes empty directories).
2347 One often would like to use -kv with cvs export. This causes any
2349 keywords to be expanded such that an import done at some other site
2350 will not lose the keyword revision information. But be aware that
2351 doesn't handle an export containing binary files correctly. Also be
2352 aware that after having used -kv, one can no longer use the ident
2353 command (which is part of the rcs suite—see ident(1)) which looks for
2354 keyword strings. If you want to be able to use ident you must not
2355 use -kv.
2356
2359 These standard options are supported by export (see node `Common
2360 options' in the CVS manual, for a complete description of them):
2361 -D date
2365 Use the most recent revision no later than date.
2367 -f
2371 If no matching revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision
2373 (instead of ignoring the file).
2374 -l
2378 Local; run only in current working directory.
2380 -n
2384 Do not run any checkout program.
2386 -R
2390 Export directories recursively. This is on by default.
2392 -r tag
2396 Use revision tag.
2398 In addition, these options (that are common to checkout and export)
2400 are also supported:
2401 -d dir
2405 Create a directory called dir for the working files, instead of using
2407 the module name. See `checkout options' in the CVS manual for com‐
2408 plete details on how cvs handles this flag.
2409 -k subst
2413 Set keyword expansion mode (see node `Substitution modes' in the CVS
2415 manual).
2416 -N
2420 Only useful together with -d dir. See `checkout options' in the CVS
2422 manual for complete details on how cvs handles this flag.
2423
2426 Show status of files and users
2427 · Synopsis: history [-report] [-flags] [-options args] [files...]
2428 · Requires: the file $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history
2430 · Changes: nothing.
2432 cvs can keep a history file that tracks each use of the checkout,
2434 commit, rtag, update, and release commands. You can use history to
2435 display this information in various formats.
2436 Logging must be enabled by creating the file $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/his‐
2438 tory.
2439 history uses -f, -l, -n, and -p in ways that conflict with the normal
2441 use inside cvs (see node `Common options' in the CVS manual).
2442
2445 Several options (shown above as -report) control what kind of report
2446 is generated:
2447 -c
2451 Report on each time commit was used (i.e., each time the repository
2453 was modified).
2454 -e
2458 Everything (all record types). Equivalent to specifying -x with all
2460 record types. Of course, -e will also include record types which are
2461 added in a future version of cvs; if you are writing a script which
2462 can only handle certain record types, you'll want to specify -x.
2463 -m module
2467 Report on a particular module. (You can meaningfully use -m more
2469 than once on the command line.)
2470 -o
2474 Report on checked-out modules. This is the default report type.
2476 -T
2480 Report on all tags.
2482 -x type
2486 Extract a particular set of record types type from the cvs history.
2488 The types are indicated by single letters, which you may specify in
2489 combination.
2490 Certain commands have a single record type:
2492 F
2495 release
2497 O
2499 checkout
2501 E
2503 export
2505 T
2507 rtag
2509 One of five record types may result from an update:
2511 C
2514 A merge was necessary but collisions were detected (requiring man‐
2516 ual merging).
2517 G
2519 A merge was necessary and it succeeded.
2521 U
2523 A working file was copied from the repository.
2525 P
2527 A working file was patched to match the repository.
2529 W
2531 The working copy of a file was deleted during update (because it
2533 was gone from the repository).
2534 One of three record types results from commit:
2536 A
2539 A file was added for the first time.
2541 M
2543 A file was modified.
2545 R
2547 A file was removed.
2549 The options shown as -flags constrain or expand the report without
2551 requiring option arguments:
2552 -a
2556 Show data for all users (the default is to show data only for the
2558 user executing history).
2559 -l
2563 Show last modification only.
2565 -w
2569 Show only the records for modifications done from the same working
2571 directory where history is executing.
2572 The options shown as -options args constrain the report based on an
2574 argument:
2575 -b str
2579 Show data back to a record containing the string str in either
2581 the module name, the file name, or the repository path.
2582 -D date
2586 Show data since date. This is slightly different from the normal use
2588 of -D date, which selects the newest revision older than date.
2589 -f file
2593 Show data for a particular file (you can specify several -f options
2595 on the same command line). This is equivalent to specifying the file
2596 on the command line.
2597 -n module
2601 Show data for a particular module (you can specify several -n options
2603 on the same command line).
2604 -p repository
2608 Show data for a particular source repository (you can specify sev‐
2610 eral -p options on the same command line).
2611 -r rev
2615 Show records referring to revisions since the revision or tag named
2617 rev appears in individual rcs files. Each rcs file is searched for
2618 the revision or tag.
2619 -t tag
2623 Show records since tag tag was last added to the history file. This
2625 differs from the -r flag above in that it reads only the history
2626 file, not the rcs files, and is much faster.
2627 -u name
2631 Show records for user name.
2633 -z timezone
2637 Show times in the selected records using the specified time zone
2639 instead of UTC.
2640
2643 Import sources into CVS, using vendor branches
2644 · Synopsis: import [-options] repository vendortag releasetag...
2645 · Requires: Repository, source distribution directory.
2647 · Changes: repository.
2649 Use import to incorporate an entire source distribution from an out‐
2651 side source (e.g., a source vendor) into your source repository
2652 directory. You can use this command both for initial creation of a
2653 repository, and for wholesale updates to the module from the outside
2654 source. See `Tracking sources' in the CVS manual for a discussion on
2655 this subject.
2656 The repository argument gives a directory name (or a path to a direc‐
2658 tory) under the cvs root directory for repositories; if the directory
2659 did not exist, import creates it.
2660 When you use import for updates to source that has been modified in
2662 your source repository (since a prior import), it will notify you of
2663 any files that conflict in the two branches of development; use
2664 checkout -j to reconcile the differences, as import instructs you to
2665 do.
2666 If cvs decides a file should be ignored (see node `cvsignore' in the
2668 CVS manual), it does not import it and prints I followed by the
2669 filename (see node `import output' in the CVS manual for a complete
2670 description of the output).
2671 If the file $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/cvswrappers exists, any file whose names
2673 match the specifications in that file will be treated as packages and
2674 the appropriate filtering will be performed on the file/directory
2675 before being imported. See `Wrappers' in the CVS manual.
2676 The outside source is saved in a first-level branch, by default
2678 1.1.1. Updates are leaves of this branch; for example, files from
2679 the first imported collection of source will be revision 1.1.1.1,
2680 then files from the first imported update will be revision 1.1.1.2,
2681 and so on.
2682 At least three arguments are required. repository is needed to iden‐
2684 tify the collection of source. vendortag is a tag for the entire
2685 branch (e.g., for 1.1.1). You must also specify at least one
2686 releasetag to uniquely identify the files at the leaves created each
2687 time you execute import. The releasetag should be new, not previ‐
2688 ously existing in the repository file, and uniquely identify the
2689 imported release,
2690 Note that import does not change the directory in which you invoke
2692 it. In particular, it does not set up that directory as a cvs work‐
2693 ing directory; if you want to work with the sources import them first
2694 and then check them out into a different directory (see node `Getting
2695 the source' in the CVS manual).
2696
2699 This standard option is supported by import (see node `Common options'
2700 in the CVS manual for a complete description):
2701 -m message
2705 Use message as log information, instead of invoking an editor.
2707 There are the following additional special options.
2709 -b branch
2713 See `Multiple vendor branches' in the CVS manual.
2715 -d
2719 Use each file's modification time as the time of import rather than
2721 the current time.
2722 -k subst
2726 Indicate the keyword expansion mode desired. This setting will apply
2728 to all files created during the import, but not to any files that
2729 previously existed in the repository. See `Substitution modes' in
2730 the CVS manual for a list of valid -k settings.
2731 -I name
2735 Specify file names that should be ignored during import. You can use
2737 this option repeatedly. To avoid ignoring any files at all (even
2738 those ignored by default), specify `-I !'.
2739 name can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can specify
2741 in the .cvsignore file. See `cvsignore' in the CVS manual.
2742 -W spec
2746 Specify file names that should be filtered during import. You can
2748 use this option repeatedly.
2749 spec can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can specify
2751 in the .cvswrappers file. see node `Wrappers' in the CVS manual.
2752
2755 import keeps you informed of its progress by printing a line for each
2756 file, preceded by one character indicating the status of the file:
2757 U file
2761 The file already exists in the repository and has not been locally
2763 modified; a new revision has been created (if necessary).
2764 N file
2768 The file is a new file which has been added to the repository.
2770 C file
2774 The file already exists in the repository but has been locally modi‐
2776 fied; you will have to merge the changes.
2777 I file
2781 The file is being ignored (see node `cvsignore' in the CVS manual).
2783 L file
2787 The file is a symbolic link; cvs import ignores symbolic links. Peo‐
2789 ple periodically suggest that this behavior should be changed, but if
2790 there is a consensus on what it should be changed to, it doesn't seem
2791 to be apparent. (Various options in the modules file can be used to
2792 recreate symbolic links on checkout, update, etc.; see node `modules'
2793 in the CVS manual.)
2794
2797 See `Tracking sources' in the CVS manual, and `From files' in the CVS
2798 manual.
2799
2802 Print out log information for files
2803 · Synopsis: log [options] [files...]
2804 · Requires: repository, working directory.
2806 · Changes: nothing.
2808 Display log information for files. log used to call the rcs utility
2810 rlog. Although this is no longer true in the current sources, this
2811 history determines the format of the output and the options, which
2812 are not quite in the style of the other cvs commands.
2813 The output includes the location of the rcs file, the head revision
2815 (the latest revision on the trunk), all symbolic names (tags) and
2816 some other things. For each revision, the revision number, the
2817 author, the number of lines added/deleted and the log message are
2818 printed. All times are displayed in Coordinated Universal Time
2819 (UTC). (Other parts of cvs print times in the local timezone).
2820 log uses -R in a way that conflicts with the normal use inside cvs
2822 (see node `Common options' in the CVS manual).
2823
2826 By default, log prints all information that is available. All other
2827 options restrict the output. Note that the revision selection options
2828 (-b, -d, -r, -s, and -w) have no effect, other than possibly causing a
2829 search for files in Attic directories, when used in conjunction with
2830 the options that restrict the output to only log header fields (-h, -R,
2831 and -t) unless the -S option is also specified.
2832 -b
2836 Print information about the revisions on the default branch, normally
2838 the highest branch on the trunk.
2839 -d dates
2843 Print information about revisions with a checkin date/time in the
2845 range given by the semicolon-separated list of dates. The date for‐
2846 mats accepted are those accepted by the -D option to many other cvs
2847 commands (see node `Common options' in the CVS manual). Dates can be
2848 combined into ranges as follows:
2849 d1<d2
2852 d2>d1
2856 Select the revisions that were deposited between d1 and d2.
2858 <d
2861 d>
2865 Select all revisions dated d or earlier.
2867 d<
2870 >d
2874 Select all revisions dated d or later.
2876 d
2879 Select the single, latest revision dated d or earlier.
2881 The > or < characters may be followed by = to indicate an inclusive
2883 range rather than an exclusive one.
2884 Note that the separator is a semicolon (;).
2886 -h
2890 Print only the name of the rcs file, name of the file in the working
2892 directory, head, default branch, access list, locks, symbolic names,
2893 and suffix.
2894 -l
2898 Local; run only in current working directory. (Default is to run
2900 recursively).
2901 -N
2905 Do not print the list of tags for this file. This option can be very
2907 useful when your site uses a lot of tags, so rather than "more"'ing
2908 over 3 pages of tag information, the log information is presented
2909 without tags at all.
2910 -n
2914 Print the list of tags for this file. This option can be very useful
2916 when your .cvsrc file has a log -N entry as a way to get a full list
2917 of all of the tags.
2918 -R
2922 Print only the name of the rcs file.
2924 -rrevisions
2928 Print information about revisions given in the comma-separated list
2930 revisions of revisions and ranges. The following table explains the
2931 available range formats:
2932 rev1:rev2
2935 Revisions rev1 to rev2 (which must be on the same branch).
2937 rev1::rev2
2940 The same, but excluding rev1.
2942 :rev
2945 ::rev
2949 Revisions from the beginning of the branch up to and including rev.
2951 rev:
2954 Revisions starting with rev to the end of the branch containing
2956 rev.
2957 rev::
2960 Revisions starting just after rev to the end of the branch contain‐
2962 ing rev.
2963 branch
2966 An argument that is a branch means all revisions on that branch.
2968 branch1:branch2
2971 branch1::branch2
2975 A range of branches means all revisions on the branches in that
2977 range.
2978 branch.
2981 The latest revision in branch.
2983 A bare -r with no revisions means the latest revision on the
2985 default branch, normally the trunk. There can be no space between
2986 the -r option and its argument.
2987 -S
2991 Suppress the header if no revisions are selected.
2993 -s states
2997 Print information about revisions whose state attributes match one of
2999 the states given in the comma-separated list states. Individual
3000 states may be any text string, though cvs commonly only uses two
3001 states, Exp and dead. See `admin options' in the CVS manual for more
3002 information.
3003 -t
3007 Print the same as -h, plus the descriptive text.
3009 -wlogins
3013 Print information about revisions checked in by users with login
3015 names appearing in the comma-separated list logins. If logins is
3016 omitted, the user's login is assumed. There can be no space between
3017 the -w option and its argument.
3018 log prints the intersection of the revisions selected with the
3020 options -d, -s, and -w, intersected with the union of the revisions
3021 selected by -b and -r.
3022
3025 Contributed examples are gratefully accepted.
3026
3029 'patch' format diffs between releases
3030 · rdiff [-flags] [-V vn] [-r t|-D d [-r t2|-D d2]] modules...
3031 · Requires: repository.
3033 · Changes: nothing.
3035 · Synonym: patch
3037 Builds a Larry Wall format patch(1) file between two releases, that
3039 can be fed directly into the patch program to bring an old release
3040 up-to-date with the new release. (This is one of the few cvs com‐
3041 mands that operates directly from the repository, and doesn't require
3042 a prior checkout.) The diff output is sent to the standard output
3043 device.
3044 You can specify (using the standard -r and -D options) any combina‐
3046 tion of one or two revisions or dates. If only one revision or date
3047 is specified, the patch file reflects differences between that revi‐
3048 sion or date and the current head revisions in the rcs file.
3049 Note that if the software release affected is contained in more than
3051 one directory, then it may be necessary to specify the -p option to
3052 the patch command when patching the old sources, so that patch is
3053 able to find the files that are located in other directories.
3054
3057 These standard options are supported by rdiff (see node `Common
3058 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
3059 -D date
3063 Use the most recent revision no later than date.
3065 -f
3069 If no matching revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision
3071 (instead of ignoring the file).
3072 -k kflag
3076 Process keywords according to kflag. See `Keyword substitution' in
3078 the CVS manual.
3079 -l
3083 Local; don't descend subdirectories.
3085 -R
3089 Examine directories recursively. This option is on by default.
3091 -r tag
3095 Use revision tag.
3097 In addition to the above, these options are available:
3099 -c
3103 Use the context diff format. This is the default format.
3105 -s
3109 Create a summary change report instead of a patch. The summary
3111 includes information about files that were changed or added between
3112 the releases. It is sent to the standard output device. This is
3113 useful for finding out, for example, which files have changed between
3114 two dates or revisions.
3115 -t
3119 A diff of the top two revisions is sent to the standard output
3121 device. This is most useful for seeing what the last change to a
3122 file was.
3123 -u
3127 Use the unidiff format for the context diffs. Remember that old ver‐
3129 sions of the patch program can't handle the unidiff format, so if you
3130 plan to post this patch to the net you should probably not use -u.
3131 -V vn
3135 Expand keywords according to the rules current in rcs version vn (the
3137 expansion format changed with rcs version 5). Note that this option
3138 is no longer accepted. cvs will always expand keywords the way that
3139 rcs version 5 does.
3140
3143 Suppose you receive mail from foo@example.net asking for an update from
3144 release 1.2 to 1.4 of the tc compiler. You have no such patches on
3145 hand, but with cvs that can easily be fixed with a command such as
3146 this:
3147 $ cvs rdiff -c -r FOO1_2 -r FOO1_4 tc | \
3150 > Mail -s 'The patches you asked for' foo@example.net
3151 Suppose you have made release 1.3, and forked a branch called R_1_3fix
3156 for bug fixes. R_1_3_1 corresponds to release 1.3.1, which was made
3157 some time ago. Now, you want to see how much development has been done
3158 on the branch. This command can be used:
3159 $ cvs patch -s -r R_1_3_1 -r R_1_3fix module-name
3162 cvs rdiff: Diffing module-name
3163 File ChangeLog,v changed from revision 1.52.2.5 to 1.52.2.6
3164 File foo.c,v changed from revision 1.52.2.3 to 1.52.2.4
3165 File bar.h,v changed from revision 1.29.2.1 to 1.2
3166
3172 Indicate that a Module is no longer in use
3173 · release [-d] directories...
3174 · Requires: Working directory.
3176 · Changes: Working directory, history log.
3178 This command is meant to safely cancel the effect of cvs checkout.
3180 Since cvs doesn't lock files, it isn't strictly necessary to use this
3181 command. You can always simply delete your working directory, if you
3182 like; but you risk losing changes you may have forgotten, and you
3183 leave no trace in the cvs history file (see node `history file' in
3184 the CVS manual) that you've abandoned your checkout.
3185 Use cvs release to avoid these problems. This command checks that no
3187 uncommitted changes are present; that you are executing it from imme‐
3188 diately above a cvs working directory; and that the repository
3189 recorded for your files is the same as the repository defined in the
3190 module database.
3191 If all these conditions are true, cvs release leaves a record of its
3193 execution (attesting to your intentionally abandoning your checkout)
3194 in the cvs history log.
3195
3198 The release command supports one command option:
3199 -d
3203 Delete your working copy of the file if the release succeeds. If
3205 this flag is not given your files will remain in your working direc‐
3206 tory.
3207 WARNING: The release command deletes all directories and files
3209 recursively. This has the very serious side-effect that any direc‐
3210 tory created inside checked-out sources, and not added to the reposi‐
3211 tory (using the add command; see node `Adding files' in the CVS man‐
3212 ual) will be silently deleted—even if it is non-empty!
3213
3216 Before release releases your sources it will print a one-line message
3217 for any file that is not up-to-date.
3218 U file
3222 P file
3227 There exists a newer revision of this file in the repository, and you
3229 have not modified your local copy of the file (U and P mean the same
3230 thing).
3231 A file
3235 The file has been added to your private copy of the sources, but has
3237 not yet been committed to the repository. If you delete your copy of
3238 the sources this file will be lost.
3239 R file
3243 The file has been removed from your private copy of the sources, but
3245 has not yet been removed from the repository, since you have not yet
3246 committed the removal. See `commit' in the CVS manual.
3247 M file
3251 The file is modified in your working directory. There might also be
3253 a newer revision inside the repository.
3254 ? file
3258 file is in your working directory, but does not correspond to any‐
3260 thing in the source repository, and is not in the list of files for
3261 cvs to ignore (see the description of the -I option, and see node
3262 `cvsignore' in the CVS manual). If you remove your working sources,
3263 this file will be lost.
3264
3267 Release the tc directory, and delete your local working copy of the
3268 files.
3269 $ cd .. # You must stand immediately above the
3272 # sources when you issue cvs release.
3274 $ cvs release -d tc
3275 You have [0] altered files in this repository.
3276 Are you sure you want to release (and delete) directory `tc': y
3277 $
3278
3284 Remove files from active use
3285 · Synopsis: remove [-flR] [files...]
3286 · Requires: repository, working directory.
3288 · Changes: working directory.
3290 The remove command is used to remove unwanted files from active use.
3292 The user normally deletes the files from the working directory prior
3293 to invocation of the remove command. Only the working directory is
3294 updated. Changes to the repository are not made until the commit
3295 command is run.
3296 The remove command does not delete files from from the repository.
3298 cvs keeps all historical data in the repository so that it is possi‐
3299 ble to reconstruct previous states of the projects under revision
3300 control.
3301 To undo cvs remove or to resurrect files that were previously
3303 removed, see node `add' in the CVS manual.
3304
3307 These standard options are supported by remove (see node `Common
3308 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
3309 -l
3313 Local; run only in current working directory. See `Recursive behav‐
3315 ior' in the CVS manual.
3316 -R
3320 Process directories recursively. See `Recursive behavior' in the CVS
3322 manual.
3323 In addition, these options are also supported:
3326 -f
3330 Note that this is not the standard behavior of the -f option as
3332 defined in `Common options' in the CVS manual.
3333 Delete files before removing them.
3335 Entire directory hierarchies are easily removed using -f, but take
3337 note that it is not as easy to resurrect directory hierarchies as it
3338 is to remove them.
3339
3343 Removing a file
3344 $ cvs remove remove.me
3345 cvs remove: file `remove.me' still in working directory
3346 cvs remove: 1 file exists; remove it first
3347 $ rm -f remove.me
3348 $ cvs remove remove.me
3349 cvs remove: scheduling `remove.me' for removal
3350 cvs remove: use 'cvs commit' to remove this file permanently
3351 $ ls remove.it
3353 remove.it
3354 $ cvs remove -f remove.it
3355 cvs remove: scheduling `remove.it' for removal
3356 cvs remove: use 'cvs commit' to remove this file permanently
3357 Removing entire directories
3363 $ tree -d a
3364 a
3365 |-- CVS
3366 `-- b
3367 `-- CVS
3369 3 directories
3371 $ cvs remove -f a
3372 cvs remove: Removing a
3373 cvs remove: Removing a/b
3374 cvs remove: scheduling `a/b/c' for removal
3375 cvs remove: use 'cvs commit' to remove this file permanently
3376
3382 Bring work tree in sync with repository
3383 · update [-ACdflPpR] [-I name] [-j rev [-j rev]] [-k kflag] [-r tag|-D
3384 date] [-W spec] files...
3385 · Requires: repository, working directory.
3387 · Changes: working directory.
3389 After you've run checkout to create your private copy of source from
3391 the common repository, other developers will continue changing the
3392 central source. From time to time, when it is convenient in your
3393 development process, you can use the update command from within your
3394 working directory to reconcile your work with any revisions applied
3395 to the source repository since your last checkout or update.
3396
3399 These standard options are available with update (see node `Common
3400 options' in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):
3401 -D date
3405 Use the most recent revision no later than date. This option is
3407 sticky, and implies -P. See `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual for more
3408 information on sticky tags/dates.
3409 -f
3413 Only useful with the -D date or -r tag flags. If no matching revi‐
3415 sion is found, retrieve the most recent revision (instead of ignoring
3416 the file).
3417 -k kflag
3421 Process keywords according to kflag. See `Keyword substitution' in
3423 the CVS manual. This option is sticky; future updates of this file
3424 in this working directory will use the same kflag. The status com‐
3425 mand can be viewed to see the sticky options. See `Invoking CVS' in
3426 the CVS manual for more information on the status command.
3427 -l
3431 Local; run only in current working directory. See `Recursive behav‐
3433 ior' in the CVS manual.
3434 -P
3438 Prune empty directories. See `Moving directories' in the CVS manual.
3440 -p
3444 Pipe files to the standard output.
3446 -R
3450 Update directories recursively (default). See `Recursive behavior'
3452 in the CVS manual.
3453 -r rev
3457 Retrieve revision/tag rev. This option is sticky, and implies -P.
3459 See `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual, for more information on sticky
3460 tags/dates.
3461 These special options are also available with update.
3463 -A
3467 Reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options. Does not reset sticky
3469 -k options on modified files. See `Sticky tags' in the CVS manual
3470 for more information on sticky tags/dates.
3471 -C
3475 Overwrite locally modified files with clean copies from the reposi‐
3477 tory (the modified file is saved in .#file.revision, however).
3478 -d
3482 Create any directories that exist in the repository if they're miss‐
3484 ing from the working directory. Normally, update acts only on direc‐
3485 tories and files that were already enrolled in your working direc‐
3486 tory.
3487 This is useful for updating directories that were created in the
3489 repository since the initial checkout; but it has an unfortunate side
3490 effect. If you deliberately avoided certain directories in the
3491 repository when you created your working directory (either through
3492 use of a module name or by listing explicitly the files and directo‐
3493 ries you wanted on the command line), then updating with -d will cre‐
3494 ate those directories, which may not be what you want.
3495 -I name
3499 Ignore files whose names match name (in your working directory) dur‐
3501 ing the update. You can specify -I more than once on the command
3502 line to specify several files to ignore. Use -I ! to avoid ignoring
3503 any files at all. See `cvsignore' in the CVS manual for other ways
3504 to make cvs ignore some files.
3505 -Wspec
3509 Specify file names that should be filtered during update. You can
3511 use this option repeatedly.
3512 spec can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can specify
3514 in the .cvswrappers file. See `Wrappers' in the CVS manual.
3515 -jrevision
3519 With two -j options, merge changes from the revision specified with
3521 the first -j option to the revision specified with the second j
3522 option, into the working directory.
3523 With one -j option, merge changes from the ancestor revision to the
3525 revision specified with the -j option, into the working directory.
3526 The ancestor revision is the common ancestor of the revision which
3527 the working directory is based on, and the revision specified in the
3528 -j option.
3529 Note that using a single -j tagname option rather than -j branchname
3531 to merge changes from a branch will often not remove files which were
3532 removed on the branch. See `Merging adds and removals' in the CVS
3533 manual for more information.
3534 In addition, each -j option can contain an optional date specifica‐
3536 tion which, when used with branches, can limit the chosen revision to
3537 one within a specific date. An optional date is specified by adding
3538 a colon (:) to the tag: -jSymbolic_Tag:Date_Specifier.
3539 See `Branching and merging' in the CVS manual.
3541
3545 update and checkout keep you informed of their progress by printing a
3546 line for each file, preceded by one character indicating the status of
3547 the file:
3548 U file
3552 The file was brought up to date with respect to the repository. This
3554 is done for any file that exists in the repository but not in your
3555 working directory, and for files that you haven't changed but are not
3556 the most recent versions available in the repository.
3557 P file
3561 Like U, but the cvs server sends a patch instead of an entire file.
3563 This accomplishes the same thing as U using less bandwidth.
3564 A file
3568 The file has been added to your private copy of the sources, and will
3570 be added to the source repository when you run commit on the file.
3571 This is a reminder to you that the file needs to be committed.
3572 R file
3576 The file has been removed from your private copy of the sources, and
3578 will be removed from the source repository when you run commit on the
3579 file. This is a reminder to you that the file needs to be committed.
3580 M file
3584 The file is modified in your working directory.
3586 M can indicate one of two states for a file you're working on: either
3588 there were no modifications to the same file in the repository, so
3589 that your file remains as you last saw it; or there were modifica‐
3590 tions in the repository as well as in your copy, but they were merged
3591 successfully, without conflict, in your working directory.
3592 cvs will print some messages if it merges your work, and a backup
3594 copy of your working file (as it looked before you ran update) will
3595 be made. The exact name of that file is printed while update runs.
3596 C file
3600 A conflict was detected while trying to merge your changes to file
3602 with changes from the source repository. file (the copy in your
3603 working directory) is now the result of attempting to merge the two
3604 revisions; an unmodified copy of your file is also in your working
3605 directory, with the name .#file.revision where revision is the revi‐
3606 sion that your modified file started from. Resolve the conflict as
3607 described in `Conflicts example' in the CVS manual. (Note that some
3608 systems automatically purge files that begin with .# if they have not
3609 been accessed for a few days. If you intend to keep a copy of your
3610 original file, it is a very good idea to rename it.) Under vms, the
3611 file name starts with __ rather than .#.
3612 ? file
3616 file is in your working directory, but does not correspond to any‐
3618 thing in the source repository, and is not in the list of files for
3619 cvs to ignore (see the description of the -I option, and see node
3620 `cvsignore' in the CVS manual).
3621
3623 Dick Grune
3624 Original author of the cvs shell script version posted to
3625 comp.sources.unix in the volume6 release of December, 1986.
3626 Credited with much of the cvs conflict resolution algorithms.
3627 Brian Berliner
3629 Coder and designer of the cvs program itself in April, 1989,
3630 based on the original work done by Dick.
3631 Jeff Polk
3633 Helped Brian with the design of the cvs module and vendor branch
3634 support and author of the checkin(1) shell script (the ancestor
3635 of cvs import).
3636 Larry Jones, Derek R. Price, and Mark D. Baushke
3638 Have helped maintain cvs for many years.
3639 And many others too numerous to mention here.
3641
3643 The most comprehensive manual for CVS is Version Management with CVS by
3644 Per Cederqvist et al. Depending on your system, you may be able to get
3645 it with the info CVS command or it may be available as cvs.pdf (Porta‐
3646 ble Document Format), cvs.ps (PostScript), cvs.texinfo (Texinfo
3647 source), or cvs.html.
3648 For CVS updates, more information on documentation, software related to
3650 CVS, development of CVS, and more, see:
3651 http://cvs.nongnu.org
3653 ci(1), co(1), cvs(5), cvsbug(8), diff(1), grep(1), patch(1), rcs(1), rcsd‐
3655 iff(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1).
3656 CVS(1)