CVS(1) CVS(1)
NAME
cvs - Concurrent Versions System
SYNOPSIS
cvs [ cvs_options ]
cvs_command [ command_options ] [ command_args ]
NOTE
This manpage is a summary of some of the features of cvs but
for more in-depth documentation, consult the Cederqvist man-
ual (as described in the SEE ALSO section of this manpage).
DESCRIPTION
CVS is a version control system, which allows you to keep
old versions of files (usually source code), keep a log of
who, when, and why changes occurred, etc., like RCS or SCCS.
Unlike the simpler systems, CVS does not just operate on one
file at a time or one directory at a time, but operates on
hierarchical collections of directories consisting of ver-
sion controlled files. CVS helps to manage releases and to
control the concurrent editing of source files among multi-
ple authors. CVS allows triggers to enable/log/control var-
ious operations and works well over a wide area network.
cvs keeps a single copy of the master sources. This copy is
called the source ``repository''; it contains all the infor-
mation to permit extracting previous software releases at
any time based on either a symbolic revision tag, or a date
in the past.
ESSENTIAL COMMANDS
cvs provides a rich variety of commands (cvs_command in the
Synopsis), each of which often has a wealth of options, to
satisfy the many needs of source management in distributed
environments. However, you don't have to master every
detail to do useful work with cvs; in fact, five commands
are sufficient to use (and contribute to) the source reposi-
tory.
cvs checkout modules...
A necessary preliminary for most cvs work: creates your
private copy of the source for modules (named collec-
tions of source; you can also use a path relative to
the source repository here). You can work with this
copy without interfering with others' work. At least
one subdirectory level is always created.
cvs update
Execute this command from within your private source
directory when you wish to update your copies of source
CVS(1) CVS(1)
files from changes that other developers have made to
the source in the repository.
cvs add file...
Use this command to enroll new files in cvs records of
your working directory. The files will be added to the
repository the next time you run `cvs commit'. Note:
You should use the `cvs import' command to bootstrap
new sources into the source repository. `cvs add' is
only used for new files to an already checked-out mod-
ule.
cvs remove file...
Use this command (after erasing any files listed) to
declare that you wish to eliminate files from the
repository. The removal does not affect others until
you run `cvs commit'.
cvs commit file...
Use this command when you wish to ``publish'' your
changes to other developers, by incorporating them in
the source repository.
OPTIONS
The cvs command line can include cvs_options, which apply to
the overall cvs program; a cvs_command, which specifies a
particular action on the source repository; and
command_options and command_arguments to fully specify what
the cvs_command will do.
Warning: you must be careful of precisely where you place
options relative to the cvs_command. The same option can
mean different things depending on whether it is in the
cvs_options position (to the left of a cvs command) or in
the command_options position (to the right of a cvs com-
mand).
There are only two situations where you may omit
cvs_command: `cvs -H' or `cvs --help' elicits a list of
available commands, and `cvs -v' or `cvs --version' displays
version information on cvs itself.
CVS OPTIONS
As of release 1.6, cvs supports GNU style long options as
well as short options. Only a few long options are cur-
rently supported, these are listed in brackets after the
short options whose functions they duplicate.
Use these options to control the overall cvs program:
-H [ --help ]
CVS(1) CVS(1)
Display usage information about the specified
cvs_command (but do not actually execute the command).
If you don't specify a command name, `cvs -H' displays
a summary of all the commands available.
-Q Causes the command to be really quiet; the command will
generate output only for serious problems.
-q Causes the command to be somewhat quiet; informational
messages, such as reports of recursion through subdi-
rectories, are suppressed.
-b bindir
Use bindir as the directory where RCS programs are
located (CVS 1.9 and older). Overrides the setting of
the RCSBIN environment variable. This value should be
specified as an absolute pathname.
-d CVS_root_directory
Use CVS_root_directory as the root directory pathname
of the master source repository. Overrides the setting
of the CVSROOT environment variable. This value should
be specified as an absolute pathname.
-e editor
Use editor to enter revision log information. Over-
rides the setting of the CVSEDITOR and the EDITOR envi-
ronment variables.
-f Do not read the cvs startup file (~/.cvsrc).
-l Do not log the cvs_command in the command history (but
execute it anyway). See the description of the history
command for information on command history.
-n Do not change any files. Attempt to execute the
cvs_command, but only to issue reports; do not remove,
update, or merge any existing files, or create any new
files.
-t Trace program execution; display messages showing the
steps of cvs activity. Particularly useful with -n to
explore the potential impact of an unfamiliar command.
-r Makes new working files read-only. Same effect as if
the CVSREAD environment variable is set.
-v [ --version ]
Displays version and copyright information for cvs.
-w Makes new working files read-write (default). Over-
rides the setting of the CVSREAD environment variable.
CVS(1) CVS(1)
-x Encrypt all communication between the client and the
server. As of this writing, this is only implemented
when using a Kerberos connection.
-z compression-level
When transferring files across the network use gzip
with compression level compression-level to compress
and de-compress data as it is transferred. Requires
the presence of the GNU gzip program in the current
search path at both ends of the link.
USAGE
Except when requesting general help with `cvs -H', you must
specify a cvs_command to cvs to select a specific release
control function to perform. Each cvs command accepts its
own collection of options and arguments. However, many
options are available across several commands. You can dis-
play a usage summary for each command by specifying the -H
option with the command.
CVS STARTUP FILE
Normally, when CVS starts up, it reads the .cvsrc file from
the home directory of the user reading it. This startup
procedure can be turned off with the -f flag.
The .cvsrc file lists CVS commands with a list of arguments,
one command per line. For example, the following line in
.cvsrc:
diff -c
will mean that the `cvs diff' command will always be passed
the -c option in addition to any other options that are
specified in the command line (in this case it will have the
effect of producing context sensitive diffs for all execu-
tions of `cvs diff' ).
CVS COMMAND SUMMARY
Here are brief descriptions of all the cvs commands:
add Add a new file or directory to the repository, pending
a `cvs commit' on the same file. Can only be done from
within sources created by a previous `cvs checkout'
invocation. Use `cvs import' to place whole new hier-
archies of sources under cvs control. (Does not
directly affect repository; changes working directory.)
admin
Execute control functions on the source repository.
(Changes repository directly; uses working directory
without changing it.)
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checkout
Make a working directory of source files for editing.
(Creates or changes working directory.)
commit
Apply to the source repository changes, additions, and
deletions from your working directory. (Changes repos-
itory.)
diff Show differences between files in working directory and
source repository, or between two revisions in source
repository. (Does not change either repository or
working directory.)
export
Prepare copies of a set of source files for shipment
off site. Differs from `cvs checkout' in that no cvs
administrative directories are created (and therefore
`cvs commit' cannot be executed from a directory pre-
pared with `cvs export'), and a symbolic tag must be
specified. (Does not change repository; creates direc-
tory similar to working directories).
history
Show reports on cvs commands that you or others have
executed on a particular file or directory in the
source repository. (Does not change repository or
working directory.) History logs are kept only if
enabled by creation of the `$CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history'
file; see cvs(5).
import
Incorporate a set of updates from off-site into the
source repository, as a ``vendor branch''. (Changes
repository.)
+.B init
+Initialize a repository by adding the CVSROOT subdi-
rectory and some default +control files. You must use
this command or initialize the repository in +some
other way before you can use it. +.TP log Display log
information. (Does not change repository or working
directory.)
rdiff
Prepare a collection of diffs as a patch file between
two releases in the repository. (Does not change
repository or working directory.)
release
Cancel a `cvs checkout', abandoning any changes. (Can
delete working directory; no effect on repository.)
CVS(1) CVS(1)
remove
Remove files from the source repository, pending a `cvs
commit' on the same files. (Does not directly affect
repository; changes working directory.)
rtag Explicitly specify a symbolic tag for particular revi-
sions of files in the source repository. See also `cvs
tag'. (Changes repository directly; does not require
or affect working directory.)
status
Show current status of files: latest version, version
in working directory, whether working version has been
edited and, optionally, symbolic tags in the RCS file.
(Does not change repository or working directory.)
tag Specify a symbolic tag for files in the repository. By
default, tags the revisions that were last synchronized
with your working directory. (Changes repository
directly; uses working directory without changing it.)
update
Bring your working directory up to date with changes
from the repository. Merges are performed automati-
cally when possible; a warning is issued if manual res-
olution is required for conflicting changes. (Changes
working directory; does not change repository.)
COMMON COMMAND OPTIONS
This section describes the command_options that are avail-
able across several cvs commands. Not all commands support
all of these options; each option is only supported for com-
mands where it makes sense. However, when a command has one
of these options you can count on the same meaning for the
option as in other commands. (Other command options, which
are listed with the individual commands, may have different
meanings from one cvs command to another.) Warning: the
history command is an exception; it supports many options
that conflict even with these standard options.
-D date_spec
Use the most recent revision no later than date_spec (a
single argument, date description specifying a date in
the past). A wide variety of date formats are sup-
ported, in particular ISO ("1972-09-24 20:05") or
Internet ("24 Sep 1972 20:05"). The date_spec is
interpreted as being in the local timezone, unless a
specific timezone is specified. The specification is
``sticky'' when you use it to make a private copy of a
source file; that is, when you get a working file using
-D, cvs records the date you specified, so that further
updates in the same directory will use the same date
CVS(1) CVS(1)
(unless you explicitly override it; see the description
of the update command). -D is available with the
checkout, diff, history, rdiff, rtag, and update com-
mands. Examples of valid date specifications include:
1 month ago
2 hours ago
400000 seconds ago
last year
last Monday
yesterday
a fortnight ago
3/31/92 10:00:07 PST
January 23, 1987 10:05pm
22:00 GMT
-f When you specify a particular date or tag to cvs com-
mands, they normally ignore files that do not contain
the tag (or did not exist on the date) that you speci-
fied. Use the -f option if you want files retrieved
even when there is no match for the tag or date. (The
most recent version is used in this situation.) -f is
available with these commands: checkout, export, rdiff,
rtag, and update.
-k kflag
Alter the default processing of keywords. The -k
option is available with the add, checkout, diff,
rdiff, and update commands. Your kflag specification
is ``sticky'' when you use it to create a private copy
of a source file; that is, when you use this option
with the checkout or update commands, cvs associates
your selected kflag with the file, and continues to use
it with future update commands on the same file until
you specify otherwise.
Some of the more useful kflags are -ko and -kb (for
binary files), and -kv which is useful for an export
where you wish to retain keyword information after an
import at some other site.
-l Local; run only in current working directory, rather
than recurring through subdirectories. Available with
the following commands: checkout, commit, diff, export,
remove, rdiff, status, tag, and update. Warning: this
is not the same as the overall `cvs -l' option, which
you can specify to the left of a cvs command!
-n Do not run any checkout/commit/tag/ program. (A pro-
gram can be specified to run on each of these activi-
ties, in the modules database; this option bypasses
it.) Available with the checkout, commit, export, and
rtag commands. Warning: this is not the same as the
CVS(1) CVS(1)
overall `cvs -n' option, which you can specify to the
left of a cvs command!
-P Prune (remove) directories that are empty after being
updated, on checkout, or update. Normally, an empty
directory (one that is void of revision-controlled
files) is left alone. Specifying -P will cause these
directories to be silently removed from your checked-
out sources. This does not remove the directory from
the repository, only from your checked out copy. Note
that this option is implied by the -r or -D options of
checkout and export.
-p Pipe the files retrieved from the repository to stan-
dard output, rather than writing them in the current
directory. Available with the checkout and update com-
mands.
-r tag
Use the revision specified by the tag argument instead
of the default ``head'' revision. As well as arbitrary
tags defined with the tag or rtag command, two special
tags are always available: `HEAD' refers to the most
recent version available in the repository, and `BASE'
refers to the revision you last checked out into the
current working directory.
The tag specification is ``sticky'' when you use this
option with `cvs checkout' or `cvs update' to make your
own copy of a file: cvs remembers the tag and continues
to use it on future update commands, until you specify
otherwise. tag can be either a symbolic or numeric
tag. Specifying the -q global option along with the -r
command option is often useful, to suppress the warning
messages when the RCS file does not contain the speci-
fied tag. -r is available with the checkout, commit,
diff, history, export, rdiff, rtag, and update com-
mands. Warning: this is not the same as the overall
`cvs -r' option, which you can specify to the left of a
cvs command!
CVS COMMANDS
Here (finally) are details on all the cvs commands and the
options each accepts. The summary lines at the top of each
command's description highlight three kinds of things:
Command Options and Arguments
Special options are described in detail below;
common command options may appear only in the sum-
mary line.
Working Directory, or Repository?
CVS(1) CVS(1)
Some cvs commands require a working directory to
operate; some require a repository. Also, some
commands change the repository, some change the
working directory, and some change nothing.
Synonyms
Many commands have synonyms, which you may find
easier to remember (or type) than the principal
name.
add [-k kflag] [-m 'message'] files...
Requires: repository, working directory.
Changes: working directory.
Synonym: new
Use the add command to create a new file or directory
in the source repository. The files or directories
specified with add must already exist in the current
directory (which must have been created with the
checkout command). To add a whole new directory hier-
archy to the source repository (for example, files
received from a third-party vendor), use the `cvs
import' command instead.
If the argument to `cvs add' refers to an immediate
sub-directory, the directory is created at the correct
place in the source repository, and the necessary cvs
administration files are created in your working direc-
tory. If the directory already exists in the source
repository, `cvs add' still creates the administration
files in your version of the directory. This allows
you to use `cvs add' to add a particular directory to
your private sources even if someone else created that
directory after your checkout of the sources. You can
do the following:
example% mkdir new_directory
example% cvs add new_directory
example% cvs update new_directory
An alternate approach using `cvs update' might be:
example% cvs update -d new_directory
(To add any available new directories to your working
directory, it's probably simpler to use `cvs checkout'
or `cvs update -d'.)
The added files are not placed in the source repository
until you use `cvs commit' to make the change perma-
nent. Doing a `cvs add' on a file that was removed
with the `cvs remove' command will resurrect the file,
if no `cvs commit' command intervened.
CVS(1) CVS(1)
You will have the opportunity to specify a logging mes-
sage, as usual, when you use `cvs commit' to make the
new file permanent. If you'd like to have another log-
ging message associated with just creation of the file
(for example, to describe the file's purpose), you can
specify it with the `-m message' option to the add com-
mand.
The `-k kflag' option specifies the default way that
this file will be checked out. The `kflag' argument is
stored in the RCS file and can be changed with `cvs
admin'. Specifying `-ko' is useful for checking in
binaries that shouldn't have keywords expanded.
admin [rcs-options] files...
Requires: repository, working directory.
Changes: repository.
Synonym: rcs
This is the cvs interface to assorted administrative
facilities, similar to rcs(1). This command works
recursively, so extreme care should be used.
checkout [options] modules...
Requires: repository.
Changes: working directory.
Synonyms: co, get
Make a working directory containing copies of the
source files specified by modules. You must execute
`cvs checkout' before using most of the other cvs com-
mands, since most of them operate on your working
directory.
modules are either symbolic names (themselves defined
as the module `modules' in the source repository; see
cvs(5)) for some collection of source directories and
files, or paths to directories or files in the reposi-
tory.
Depending on the modules you specify, checkout may
recursively create directories and populate them with
the appropriate source files. You can then edit these
source files at any time (regardless of whether other
software developers are editing their own copies of the
sources); update them to include new changes applied by
others to the source repository; or commit your work as
a permanent change to the repository.
Note that checkout is used to create directories. The
top-level directory created is always added to the
directory where checkout is invoked, and usually has
the same name as the specified module. In the case of a
module alias, the created sub-directory may have a
CVS(1) CVS(1)
different name, but you can be sure that it will be a
sub-directory, and that checkout will show the relative
path leading to each file as it is extracted into your
private work area (unless you specify the -Q global
option).
Running `cvs checkout' on a directory that was already
built by a prior checkout is also permitted, and has
the same effect as specifying the -d option to the
update command described below.
The options permitted with `cvs checkout' include the
standard command options -P, -f, -k kflag , -l, -n, -p,
-r tag, and -D date.
In addition to those, you can use these special command
options with checkout:
Use the -A option to reset any sticky tags, dates, or
-k options. (If you get a working file using one of
the -r, -D, or -k options, cvs remembers the corre-
sponding tag, date, or kflag and continues using it on
future updates; use the -A option to make cvs forget
these specifications, and retrieve the ``head'' version
of the file).
The -j branch option merges the changes made between
the resulting revision and the revision that it is
based on (e.g., if the tag refers to a branch, cvs will
merge all changes made in that branch into your working
file).
With two -j options, cvs will merge in the changes
between the two respective revisions. This can be used
to ``remove'' a certain delta from your working file.
In addition, each -j option can contain on optional
date specification which, when used with branches, can
limit the chosen revision to one within a specific
date. An optional date is specified by adding a colon
(:) to the tag. An example might be what `cvs import'
tells you to do when you have just imported sources
that have conflicts with local changes:
example% cvs checkout -jTAG:yesterday -jTAG module
Use the -N option with `-d dir' to avoid shortening
module paths in your working directory. (Normally,
cvs shortens paths as much as possible when you specify
an explicit target directory.)
Use the -c option to copy the module file, sorted, to
CVS(1) CVS(1)
the standard output, instead of creating or modifying
any files or directories in your working directory.
Use the -d dir option to create a directory called dir
for the working files, instead of using the module
name. Unless you also use -N, the paths created under
dir will be as short as possible.
Use the -s option to display per-module status informa-
tion stored with the -s option within the modules file.
[files...]
commit [-lnR] [-m 'log_message' | -f file] [-r revision]
Requires: working directory, repository.
Changes: repository.
Synonym: ci
Use `cvs commit' when you want to incorporate changes
from your working source files into the general source
repository.
If you don't specify particular files to commit, all of
the files in your working current directory are exam-
ined. commit is careful to change in the repository
only those files that you have really changed. By
default (or if you explicitly specify the -R option),
files in subdirectories are also examined and committed
if they have changed; you can use the -l option to
limit commit to the current directory only. Sometimes
you may want to force a file to be committed even
though it is unchanged; this is achieved with the -f
flag, which also has the effect of disabling recursion
(you can turn it back on with -R of course).
commit verifies that the selected files are up to date
with the current revisions in the source repository; it
will notify you, and exit without committing, if any of
the specified files must be made current first with
`cvs update'. commit does not call the update command
for you, but rather leaves that for you to do when the
time is right.
When all is well, an editor is invoked to allow you to
enter a log message that will be written to one or more
logging programs and placed in the source repository
file. You can instead specify the log message on the
command line with the -m option, thus suppressing the
editor invocation, or use the -F option to specify that
the argument file contains the log message.
The -r option can be used to commit to a particular
symbolic or numeric revision. For example, to bring
all your files up to the revision ``3.0'' (including
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those that haven't changed), you might do:
example% cvs commit -r3.0
cvs will only allow you to commit to a revision that is
on the main trunk (a revision with a single dot). How-
ever, you can also commit to a branch revision (one
that has an even number of dots) with the -r option.
To create a branch revision, one typically use the -b
option of the rtag or tag commands. Then, either
checkout or update can be used to base your sources on
the newly created branch. From that point on, all
commit changes made within these working sources will
be automatically added to a branch revision, thereby
not perturbing main-line development in any way. For
example, if you had to create a patch to the 1.2 ver-
sion of the product, even though the 2.0 version is
already under development, you might do:
example% cvs rtag -b -rFCS1_2 FCS1_2_Patch product_module
example% cvs checkout -rFCS1_2_Patch product_module
example% cd product_module
[[ hack away ]]
example% cvs commit
Say you have been working on some extremely experimen-
tal software, based on whatever revision you happened
to checkout last week. If others in your group would
like to work on this software with you, but without
disturbing main-line development, you could commit your
change to a new branch. Others can then checkout your
experimental stuff and utilize the full benefit of cvs
conflict resolution. The scenario might look like:
example% cvs tag -b EXPR1
example% cvs update -rEXPR1
[[ hack away ]]
example% cvs commit
Others would simply do `cvs checkout -rEXPR1
whatever_module' to work with you on the experimental
change.
date2]] [files...]
diff [-kl] [rcsdiff_options] [[-r rev1 | -D date1] [-r rev2 | -D
Requires: working directory, repository.
Changes: nothing.
You can compare your working files with revisions in
the source repository, with the `cvs diff' command. If
you don't specify a particular revision, your files are
compared with the revisions they were based on. You
can also use the standard cvs command option -r to
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specify a particular revision to compare your files
with. Finally, if you use -r twice, you can see dif-
ferences between two revisions in the repository. You
can also specify -D options to diff against a revision
in the past. The -r and -D options can be mixed
together with at most two options ever specified.
See rcsdiff(1) for a list of other accepted options.
If you don't specify any files, diff will display dif-
ferences for all those files in the current directory
(and its subdirectories, unless you use the standard
option -l) that differ from the corresponding revision
in the source repository (i.e. files that you have
changed), or that differ from the revision specified.
export [-flNnQq] -r rev|-D date [-d dir] [-k kflag] module...
Requires: repository.
Changes: current directory.
This command is a variant of `cvs checkout'; use it
when you want a copy of the source for module without
the cvs administrative directories. For example, you
might use `cvs export' to prepare source for shipment
off-site. This command requires that you specify a
date or tag (with -D or -r), so that you can count on
reproducing the source you ship to others.
The only non-standard options are `-d dir' (write the
source into directory dir) and `-N' (don't shorten mod-
ule paths). These have the same meanings as the same
options in `cvs checkout'.
The -kv option is useful when export is used. This
causes any keywords to be expanded such that an import
done at some other site will not lose the keyword revi-
sion information. Other kflags may be used with `cvs
export' and are described in co(1).
history [-report] [-flags] [-options args] [files...]
Requires: the file `$CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history'
Changes: nothing.
cvs keeps a history file that tracks each use of the
checkout, commit, rtag, update, and release commands.
You can use `cvs history' to display this information
in various formats.
Warning: `cvs history' uses `-f', `-l', `-n', and `-p'
in ways that conflict with the descriptions in COMMON
COMMAND OPTIONS.
Several options (shown above as -report) control what
kind of report is generated:
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-c Report on each time commit was used (i.e., each
time the repository was modified).
-m module
Report on a particular module. (You can meaning-
fully use -m more than once on the command line.)
-o Report on checked-out modules.
-T Report on all tags.
-x type
Extract a particular set of record types X from
the cvs history. The types are indicated by sin-
gle letters, which you may specify in combination.
Certain commands have a single record type: check-
out (type `O'), release (type `F'), and rtag (type
`T'). One of four record types may result from an
update: `W', when the working copy of a file is
deleted during update (because it was gone from
the repository); `U', when a working file was
copied from the repository; `G', when a merge was
necessary and it succeeded; and 'C', when a merge
was necessary but collisions were detected
(requiring manual merging). Finally, one of three
record types results from commit: `M', when a file
was modified; `A', when a file is first added; and
`R', when a file is removed.
-e Everything (all record types); equivalent to spec-
ifying `-xMACFROGWUT'.
-z zone
Use time zone zone when outputting history
records. The zone name LT stands for local time;
numeric offsets stand for hours and minutes ahead
of UTC. For example, +0530 stands for 5 hours and
30 minutes ahead of (i.e. east of) UTC.
The options shown as -flags constrain the report with-
out requiring option arguments:
-a Show data for all users (the default is to show
data only for the user executing `cvs history').
-l Show last modification only.
-w Show only the records for modifications done from
the same working directory where `cvs history' is
executing.
The options shown as -options args constrain the report
CVS(1) CVS(1)
based on an argument:
-b str
Show data back to a record containing the string
str in either the module name, the file name, or
the repository path.
-D date
Show data since date.
-p repository
Show data for a particular source repository (you
can specify several -p options on the same command
line).
-r rev
Show records referring to revisions since the
revision or tag named rev appears in individual
RCS files. Each RCS file is searched for the
revision or tag.
-t tag
Show records since tag tag was last added to the
history file. This differs from the -r flag above
in that it reads only the history file, not the
RCS files, and is much faster.
-u name
Show records for user name.
import [-options] repository vendortag releasetag...
Requires: Repository, source distribution directory.
Changes: repository.
Use `cvs import' to incorporate an entire source dis-
tribution from an outside source (e.g., a source ven-
dor) into your source repository directory. You can
use this command both for initial creation of a reposi-
tory, and for wholesale updates to the module form the
outside source.
The repository argument gives a directory name (or a
path to a directory) under the CVS root directory for
repositories; if the directory did not exist, import
creates it.
When you use import for updates to source that has been
modified in your source repository (since a prior
import), it will notify you of any files that conflict
in the two branches of development; use `cvs checkout
-j' to reconcile the differences, as import instructs
you to do.
CVS(1) CVS(1)
By default, certain file names are ignored during `cvs
import': names associated with CVS administration, or
with other common source control systems; common names
for patch files, object files, archive files, and edi-
tor backup files; and other names that are usually
artifacts of assorted utilities. For an up to date
list of ignored file names, see the Cederqvist manual
(as described in the SEE ALSO section of this manpage).
The outside source is saved in a first-level branch, by
default `1.1.1'. Updates are leaves of this branch;
for example, files from the first imported collection
of source will be revision `1.1.1.1', then files from
the first imported update will be revision `1.1.1.2',
and so on.
At least three arguments are required. repository is
needed to identify the collection of source. vendortag
is a tag for the entire branch (e.g., for `1.1.1').
You must also specify at least one releasetag to iden-
tify the files at the leaves created each time you exe-
cute `cvs import'.
One of the standard cvs command options is available:
-m message. If you do not specify a logging message
with -m, your editor is invoked (as with commit) to
allow you to enter one.
There are three additional special options.
Use `-d' to specify that each file's time of last modi-
fication should be used for the checkin date and time.
Use `-b branch' to specify a first-level branch other
than `1.1.1'.
Use `-I name' to specify file names that should be
ignored during import. You can use this option repeat-
edly. To avoid ignoring any files at all (even those
ignored by default), specify `-I !'.
log [-l] rlog-options [files...]
Requires: repository, working directory.
Changes: nothing.
Synonym: rlog
Display log information for files. Among the more use-
ful options are -h to display only the header (includ-
ing tag definitions, but omitting most of the full
log); -r to select logs on particular revisions or
ranges of revisions; and -d to select particular dates
or date ranges. See rlog(1) for full explanations.
This command is recursive by default, unless the -l
CVS(1) CVS(1)
option is specified.
rdiff [-flags] [-V vn] [-r t|-D d [-r t2|-D d2]] modules...
Requires: repository.
Changes: nothing.
Synonym: patch
Builds a Larry Wall format patch(1) file between two
releases, that can be fed directly into the patch pro-
gram to bring an old release up-to-date with the new
release. (This is one of the few cvs commands that
operates directly from the repository, and doesn't
require a prior checkout.) The diff output is sent to
the standard output device. You can specify (using the
standard -r and -D options) any combination of one or
two revisions or dates. If only one revision or date
is specified, the patch file reflects differences
between that revision or date and the current ``head''
revisions in the RCS file.
Note that if the software release affected is contained
in more than one directory, then it may be necessary to
specify the -p option to the patch command when patch-
ing the old sources, so that patch is able to find the
files that are located in other directories.
The standard option flags -f, and -l are available with
this command. There are also several special options
flags:
If you use the -s option, no patch output is produced.
Instead, a summary of the changed or added files
between the two releases is sent to the standard output
device. This is useful for finding out, for example,
which files have changed between two dates or revi-
sions.
If you use the -t option, a diff of the top two revi-
sions is sent to the standard output device. This is
most useful for seeing what the last change to a file
was.
If you use the -u option, the patch output uses the
newer ``unidiff'' format for context diffs.
You can use -c to explicitly specify the `diff -c' form
of context diffs (which is the default), if you like.
release [-dQq] modules...
Requires: Working directory.
Changes: Working directory, history log.
This command is meant to safely cancel the effect of
`cvs checkout'.' Since cvs doesn't lock files, it
CVS(1) CVS(1)
isn't strictly necessary to use this command. You can
always simply delete your working directory, if you
like; but you risk losing changes you may have forgot-
ten, and you leave no trace in the cvs history file
that you've abandoned your checkout.
Use `cvs release' to avoid these problems. This com-
mand checks that no un-committed changes are present;
that you are executing it from immediately above, or
inside, a cvs working directory; and that the reposi-
tory recorded for your files is the same as the reposi-
tory defined in the module database.
If all these conditions are true, `cvs release' leaves
a record of its execution (attesting to your intention-
ally abandoning your checkout) in the cvs history log.
You can use the -d flag to request that your working
copies of the source files be deleted if the release
succeeds.
remove [-lR] [files...]
Requires: Working directory.
Changes: Working directory.
Synonyms: rm, delete
Use this command to declare that you wish to remove
files from the source repository. Like most cvs com-
mands, `cvs remove' works on files in your working
directory, not directly on the repository. As a safe-
guard, it also requires that you first erase the speci-
fied files from your working directory.
The files are not actually removed until you apply your
changes to the repository with commit; at that point,
the corresponding RCS files in the source repository
are moved into the `Attic' directory (also within the
source repository).
This command is recursive by default, scheduling all
physically removed files that it finds for removal by
the next commit. Use the -l option to avoid this
recursion, or just specify that actual files that you
wish remove to consider.
ules...
rtag [-falnRQq] [-b] [-d] [-r tag | -D date] symbolic_tag mod-
Requires: repository.
Changes: repository.
Synonym: rfreeze
You can use this command to assign symbolic tags to
particular, explicitly specified source versions in the
repository. `cvs rtag' works directly on the
CVS(1) CVS(1)
repository contents (and requires no prior checkout).
Use `cvs tag' instead, to base the selection of ver-
sions to tag on the contents of your working directory.
In general, tags (often the symbolic names of software
distributions) should not be removed, but the -d option
is available as a means to remove completely obsolete
symbolic names if necessary (as might be the case for
an Alpha release, say).
`cvs rtag' will not move a tag that already exists.
With the -F option, however, `cvs rtag' will re-locate
any instance of symbolic_tag that already exists on
that file to the new repository versions. Without the
-F option, attempting to use `cvs rtag' to apply a tag
that already exists on that file will produce an error
message.
The -b option makes the tag a ``branch'' tag, allowing
concurrent, isolated development. This is most useful
for creating a patch to a previously released software
distribution.
You can use the standard -r and -D options to tag only
those files that already contain a certain tag. This
method would be used to rename a tag: tag only the
files identified by the old tag, then delete the old
tag, leaving the new tag on exactly the same files as
the old tag.
rtag executes recursively by default, tagging all sub-
directories of modules you specify in the argument.
You can restrict its operation to top-level directories
with the standard -l option; or you can explicitly
request recursion with -R.
The modules database can specify a program to execute
whenever a tag is specified; a typical use is to send
electronic mail to a group of interested parties. If
you want to bypass that program, use the standard -n
option.
Use the -a option to have rtag look in the `Attic' for
removed files that contain the specified tag. The tag
is removed from these files, which makes it convenient
to re-use a symbolic tag as development continues (and
files get removed from the up-coming distribution).
status [-lRqQ] [-v] [files...]
Requires: working directory, repository.
Changes: nothing.
Display a brief report on the current status of files
CVS(1) CVS(1)
with respect to the source repository, including any
``sticky'' tags, dates, or -k options. (``Sticky''
options will restrict how `cvs update' operates until
you reset them; see the description of `cvs update
-A...'.)
You can also use this command to anticipate the poten-
tial impact of a `cvs update' on your working source
directory. If you do not specify any files explicitly,
reports are shown for all files that cvs has placed in
your working directory. You can limit the scope of
this search to the current directory itself (not its
subdirectories) with the standard -l option flag; or
you can explicitly request recursive status reports
with the -R option.
The -v option causes the symbolic tags for the RCS file
to be displayed as well.
[files...]
tag [-lQqR] [-F] [-b] [-d] [-r tag | -D date] [-f] symbolic_tag
Requires: working directory, repository.
Changes: repository.
Synonym: freeze
Use this command to assign symbolic tags to the nearest
repository versions to your working sources. The tags
are applied immediately to the repository, as with
rtag.
One use for tags is to record a ``snapshot'' of the
current sources when the software freeze date of a pro-
ject arrives. As bugs are fixed after the freeze date,
only those changed sources that are to be part of the
release need be re-tagged.
The symbolic tags are meant to permanently record which
revisions of which files were used in creating a soft-
ware distribution. The checkout, export and update
commands allow you to extract an exact copy of a tagged
release at any time in the future, regardless of
whether files have been changed, added, or removed
since the release was tagged.
You can use the standard -r and -D options to tag only
those files that already contain a certain tag. This
method would be used to rename a tag: tag only the
files identified by the old tag, then delete the old
tag, leaving the new tag on exactly the same files as
the old tag.
Specifying the -f flag in addition to the -r or -D
flags will tag those files named on the command line
CVS(1) CVS(1)
even if they do not contain the old tag or did not
exist on the specified date.
By default (without a -r or -D flag) the versions to be
tagged are supplied implicitly by the cvs records of
your working files' history rather than applied explic-
itly.
If you use `cvs tag -d symbolic_tag...', the symbolic
tag you specify is deleted instead of being added.
Warning: Be very certain of your ground before you
delete a tag; doing this effectively discards some his-
torical information, which may later turn out to have
been valuable.
`cvs tag' will not move a tag that already exists.
With the -F option, however, `cvs tag' will re-locate
any instance of symbolic_tag that already exists on
that file to the new repository versions. Without the
-F option, attempting to use `cvs tag' to apply a tag
that already exists on that file will produce an error
message.
The -b option makes the tag a ``branch'' tag, allowing
concurrent, isolated development. This is most useful
for creating a patch to a previously released software
distribution.
Normally, tag executes recursively through subdirecto-
ries; you can prevent this by using the standard -l
option, or specify the recursion explicitly by using
-R.
update [-ACdflPpQqR] [-d] [-r tag|-D date] files...
Requires: repository, working directory.
Changes: working directory.
After you've run checkout to create your private copy
of source from the common repository, other developers
will continue changing the central source. From time
to time, when it is convenient in your development pro-
cess, you can use the update command from within your
working directory to reconcile your work with any revi-
sions applied to the source repository since your last
checkout or update.
update keeps you informed of its progress by printing a
line for each file, prefaced with one of the characters
`U A R M C ?' to indicate the status of the file:
U file The file was brought up to date with respect to
the repository. This is done for any file that
exists in the repository but not in your source,
CVS(1) CVS(1)
and for files that you haven't changed but are not
the most recent versions available in the reposi-
tory.
A file The file has been added to your private copy of
the sources, and will be added to the source
repository when you run `cvs commit' on the file.
This is a reminder to you that the file needs to
be committed.
R file The file has been removed from your private copy
of the sources, and will be removed from the
source repository when you run `cvs commit' on the
file. This is a reminder to you that the file
needs to be committed.
M file The file is modified in your working directory.
`M' can indicate one of two states for a file
you're working on: either there were no modifica-
tions to the same file in the repository, so that
your file remains as you last saw it; or there
were modifications in the repository as well as in
your copy, but they were merged successfully,
without conflict, in your working directory.
C file A conflict was detected while trying to merge your
changes to file with changes from the source
repository. file (the copy in your working direc-
tory) is now the result of merging the two ver-
sions; an unmodified copy of your file is also in
your working directory, with the name
`.#file.version', where version is the revision
that your modified file started from. (Note that
some systems automatically purge files that begin
with `.#' if they have not been accessed for a
few days. If you intend to keep a copy of your
original file, it is a very good idea to rename
it.)
? file file is in your working directory, but does not
correspond to anything in the source repository,
and is not in the list of files for cvs to ignore
(see the description of the -I option).
Use the -A option to reset any sticky tags, dates, or
-k options. (If you get a working copy of a file by
using one of the -r, -D, or -k options, cvs remembers
the corresponding tag, date, or kflag and continues
using it on future updates; use the -A option to make
cvs forget these specifications, and retrieve the
``head'' version of the file).
CVS(1) CVS(1)
The -jbranch option merges the changes made between the
resulting revision and the revision that it is based on
(e.g., if the tag refers to a branch, cvs will merge
all changes made in that branch into your working
file).
With two -j options, cvs will merge in the changes
between the two respective revisions. This can be used
to ``remove'' a certain delta from your working file.
E.g., If the file foo.c is based on revision 1.6 and I
want to remove the changes made between 1.3 and 1.5, I
might do:
example% cvs update -j1.5 -j1.3 foo.c # note the order...
In addition, each -j option can contain on optional
date specification which, when used with branches, can
limit the chosen revision to one within a specific
date. An optional date is specified by adding a colon
(:) to the tag.
-jSymbolic_Tag:Date_Specifier
Use the -d option to create any directories that exist
in the repository if they're missing from the working
directory. (Normally, update acts only on directories
and files that were already enrolled in your working
directory.) This is useful for updating directories
that were created in the repository since the initial
checkout; but it has an unfortunate side effect. If
you deliberately avoided certain directories in the
repository when you created your working directory
(either through use of a module name or by listing
explicitly the files and directories you wanted on the
command line), then updating with -d will create those
directories, which may not be what you want.
Use -I name to ignore files whose names match name (in
your working directory) during the update. You can
specify -I more than once on the command line to spec-
ify several files to ignore. By default, update
ignores files whose names match certain patterns; for
an up to date list of ignored file names, see the Ced-
erqvist manual (as described in the SEE ALSO section of
this manpage).
Use `-I !' to avoid ignoring any files at all.
Use the `-C' option to overwrite locally modified files
with clean copies from the repository (the modified
file is saved in `.#file.revision', however).
CVS(1) CVS(1)
The standard cvs command options -f, -k, -l, -P, -p,
and -r are also available with update.
FILES
For more detailed information on cvs supporting files, see
cvs(5).
Files in home directories:
.cvsrc
The cvs initialisation file. Lines in this file can be
used to specify default options for each cvs command.
For example the line `diff -c' will ensure that `cvs
diff' is always passed the -c option in addition to any
other options passed on the command line.
.cvswrappers
Specifies wrappers to be used in addition to those
specified in the CVSROOT/cvswrappers file in the repos-
itory.
Files in working directories:
CVS A directory of cvs administrative files. Do not
delete.
CVS/Entries
List and status of files in your working directory.
CVS/Entries.Backup
A backup of `CVS/Entries'.
CVS/Entries.Static
Flag: do not add more entries on `cvs update'.
CVS/Root
Pathname to the repository ( CVSROOT ) location at the
time of checkout. This file is used instead of the
CVSROOT environment variable if the environment vari-
able is not set. A warning message will be issued when
the contents of this file and the CVSROOT environment
variable differ. The file may be over-ridden by the
presence of the CVS_IGNORE_REMOTE_ROOT environment
variable.
CVS/Repository
Pathname to the corresponding directory in the source
repository.
CVS/Tag
Contains the per-directory ``sticky'' tag or date
information. This file is created/updated when you
CVS(1) CVS(1)
specify -r or -D to the checkout or update commands,
and no files are specified.
CVS/Checkin.prog
Name of program to run on `cvs commit'.
CVS/Update.prog
Name of program to run on `cvs update'.
Files in source repositories:
$CVSROOT/CVSROOT
Directory of global administrative files for reposi-
tory.
CVSROOT/commitinfo,v
Records programs for filtering `cvs commit' requests.
CVSROOT/cvswrappers,v
Records cvs wrapper commands to be used when checking
files into and out of the repository. Wrappers allow
the file or directory to be processed on the way in and
out of CVS. The intended uses are many, one possible
use would be to reformat a C file before the file is
checked in, so all of the code in the repository looks
the same.
CVSROOT/editinfo,v
Records programs for editing/validating `cvs commit'
log entries.
CVSROOT/history
Log file of cvs transactions.
CVSROOT/loginfo,v
Records programs for piping `cvs commit' log entries.
CVSROOT/modules,v
Definitions for modules in this repository.
CVSROOT/rcsinfo,v
Records pathnames to templates used during a `cvs
commit' operation.
CVSROOT/taginfo,v
Records programs for validating/logging `cvs tag' and
`cvs rtag' operations.
MODULE/Attic
Directory for removed source files.
#cvs.lock
CVS(1) CVS(1)
A lock directory created by cvs when doing sensitive
changes to the source repository.
#cvs.tfl.pid
Temporary lock file for repository.
#cvs.rfl.pid
A read lock.
#cvs.wfl.pid
A write lock.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
CVSROOT
Should contain the full pathname to the root of the cvs
source repository (where the RCS files are kept). This
information must be available to cvs for most commands
to execute; if CVSROOT is not set, or if you wish to
override it for one invocation, you can supply it on
the command line: `cvs -d cvsroot cvs_command...' You
may not need to set CVSROOT if your cvs binary has the
right path compiled in; use `cvs -v' to display all
compiled-in paths.
CVSREAD
If this is set, checkout and update will try hard to
make the files in your working directory read-only.
When this is not set, the default behavior is to permit
modification of your working files.
RCSBIN
Specifies the full pathname where to find RCS programs,
such as co(1) and ci(1) (CVS 1.9 and older).
CVSEDITOR
Specifies the program to use for recording log messages
during commit. If not set, the EDITOR environment
variable is used instead. If EDITOR is not set either,
the default is /usr/ucb/vi.
CVS_IGNORE_REMOTE_ROOT
If this variable is set then cvs will ignore all refer-
ences to remote repositories in the CVS/Root file.
CVS_RSH
cvs uses the contents of this variable to determine the
name of the remote shell command to use when starting a
cvs server. If this variable is not set then `rsh' is
used.
CVS_SERVER
cvs uses the contents of this variable to determine the
CVS(1) CVS(1)
name of the cvs server command. If this variable is
not set then `cvs' is used.
CVSWRAPPERS
This variable is used by the `cvswrappers' script to
determine the name of the wrapper file, in addition to
the wrappers defaults contained in the repository
(CVSROOT/cvswrappers) and the user's home directory
(~/.cvswrappers).
AUTHORS
Dick Grune
Original author of the cvs shell script version posted
to comp.sources.unix in the volume6 release of Decem-
ber, 1986. Credited with much of the cvs conflict res-
olution algorithms.
Brian Berliner
Coder and designer of the cvs program itself in April,
1989, based on the original work done by Dick.
Jeff Polk
Helped Brian with the design of the cvs module and ven-
dor branch support and author of the checkin(1) shell
script (the ancestor of `cvs import').
And many others too numerous to mention here.
SEE ALSO
The most comprehensive manual for CVS is Version Management
with CVS by Per Cederqvist et al. Depending on your system,
you may be able to get it with the info cvs command or it
may be available as cvs.ps (postscript), cvs.texinfo (tex-
info source), or cvs.html.
For CVS updates, more information on documentation, software
related to CVS, development of CVS, and more, see:
http://www.cyclic.com
http://www.loria.fr/~molli/cvs-index.html
ci(1), co(1), cvs(5), cvsbug(8), diff(1), grep(1), patch(1),
rcs(1), rcsdiff(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1).