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 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.  It is
      auto-generated from an appendix of the CVS manual.  For more in-depth
      documentation, please consult the Cederqvist manual (via the info CVS
      command or otherwise, as described in the SEE ALSO section of this
      manpage).  Cross-references in this man page refer to nodes in the
      same.

 CVS commands
    Guide to CVS commands
      This appendix describes the overall structure of cvs commands, and
      describes some commands in detail (others are described elsewhere; for
      a quick reference to cvs commands, see node `Invoking CVS in the CVS
      manual).


 Structure
    Overall structure of CVS commands
      The overall format of all cvs commands is:


        cvs [ cvs_options ] cvs_command [ command_options ] [ command_args ]






      cvs

        The name of the cvs program.



      cvs_options

        Some options that affect all sub-commands of cvs.  These are
        described below.



      cvs_command





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        One of several different sub-commands.  Some of the commands have
        aliases that can be used instead; those aliases are noted in the
        reference manual for that command.  There are only two situations
        where you may omit cvs_command: cvs -H elicits a list of available
        commands, and cvs -v displays version information on cvs itself.



      command_options

        Options that are specific for the command.



      command_args

        Arguments to the commands.

        There is unfortunately some confusion between cvs_options and
        command_options.  When given as a cvs_option, some options only
        affect some of the commands.  When given as a command_option it may
        have a different meaning, and be accepted by more commands.  In
        other words, do not take the above categorization too seriously.
        Look at the documentation instead.


 Exit status
    CVSs exit status
      cvs can indicate to the calling environment whether it succeeded or
      failed by setting its exit status.  The exact way of testing the exit
      status will vary from one operating system to another.  For example in
      a unix shell script the $? variable will be 0 if the last command
      returned a successful exit status, or greater than 0 if the exit
      status indicated failure.

      If cvs is successful, it returns a successful status; if there is an
      error, it prints an error message and returns a failure status.  The
      one exception to this is the cvs diff command.  It will return a
      successful status if it found no differences, or a failure status if
      there were differences or if there was an error.  Because this
      behavior provides no good way to detect errors, in the future it is
      possible that cvs diff will be changed to behave like the other cvs
      commands.


 ~/.cvsrc
    Default options and the ~/.cvsrc file
      There are some command_options that are used so often that you might
      have set up an alias or some other means to make sure you always
      specify that option.  One example (the one that drove the
      implementation of the default output of the diff command to be very



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




      hard to read, and that either context diffs or unidiffs are much
      easier to understand.

      The ~/.cvsrc file is a way that you can add default options to
      cvs_commands within cvs, instead of relying on aliases or other shell
      scripts.

      The format of the ~/.cvsrc file is simple.  The file is searched for a
      line that begins with the same name as the cvs_command being executed.
      If a match is found, then the remainder of the line is split up (at
      whitespace characters) into separate options and added to the command
      arguments before any options from the command line.

      If a command has two names (e.g., checkout and co), the official name,
      not necessarily the one used on the command line, will be used to
      match against the file.  So if this is the contents of the users
      ~/.cvsrc file:


        log -N
        diff -uN
        rdiff -u
        update -Pd
        checkout -P
        release -d




      the command cvs checkout foo would have the -P option added to the
      arguments, as well as cvs co foo.

      With the example file above, the output from cvs diff foobar will be
      in unidiff format.  cvs diff -c foobar will provide context diffs, as
      usual.  Getting "old" format diffs would be slightly more complicated,
      because diff doesnt have an option to specify use of the "old" format,
      so you would need cvs -f diff foobar.

      In place of the command name you can use cvs to specify global options
      (see node `Global options in the CVS manual).  For example the
      following line in .cvsrc


        cvs -z6




      causes cvs to use compression level 6.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




 Global options
      The available cvs_options (that are given to the left of cvs_command)
      are:



      --allow-root=rootdir

        Specify legal cvsroot directory.  See `Password authentication
        server in the CVS manual.



      -a

        Authenticate all communication between the client and the server.
        Only has an effect on the cvs client.  As of this writing, this is
        only implemented when using a GSSAPI connection (see node `GSSAPI
        authenticated in the CVS manual).  Authentication prevents certain
        sorts of attacks involving hijacking the active tcp connection.
        Enabling authentication does not enable encryption.



      -b bindir

        In cvs 1.9.18 and older, this specified that rcs programs are in the
        bindir directory.  Current versions of cvs do not run rcs programs;
        for compatibility this option is accepted, but it does nothing.



      -T tempdir

        Use tempdir as the directory where temporary files are located.
        Overrides the setting of the $TMPDIR environment variable and any
        precompiled directory.  This parameter should be specified as an
        absolute pathname.  (When running client/server, -T affects only the
        local process; specifying -T for the client has no effect on the
        server and vice versa.)



      -d cvs_root_directory

        Use cvs_root_directory as the root directory pathname of the
        repository.  Overrides the setting of the $CVSROOT environment
        variable.  See `Repository in the CVS manual.






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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -e editor

        Use editor to enter revision log information.  Overrides the setting
        of the $CVSEDITOR and $EDITOR environment variables.  For more
        information, see `Committing your changes in the CVS manual.



      -f

        Do not read the ~/.cvsrc file.  This option is most often used
        because of the non-orthogonality of the cvs option set.  For
        example, the cvs log option -N (turn off display of tag names) does
        not have a corresponding option to turn the display on.  So if you
        have -N in the ~/.cvsrc entry for log, you may need to use -f to
        show the tag names.



      -H




      --help

        Display usage information about the specified cvs_command (but do
        not actually execute the command).  If you dont specify a command
        name, cvs -H displays overall help for cvs, including a list of
        other help options.



      -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.

        Note that cvs will not necessarily produce exactly the same output
        as without -n.  In some cases the output will be the same, but in
        other cases cvs will skip some of the processing that would have
        been required to produce the exact same output.



      -Q

        Cause the command to be really quiet; the command will only generate
        output for serious problems.



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -q

        Cause the command to be somewhat quiet; informational messages, such
        as reports of recursion through subdirectories, are suppressed.



      -r

        Make new working files read-only.  Same effect as if the $CVSREAD
        environment variable is set (see node `Environment variables in the
        CVS manual).  The default is to make working files writable, unless
        watches are on (see node `Watches in the CVS manual).



      -s variable=value

        Set a user variable (see node `Variables in the CVS manual).



      -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.



      -v




      --version

        Display version and copyright information for cvs.



      -w

        Make new working files read-write.  Overrides the setting of the
        $CVSREAD environment variable.  Files are created read-write by
        default, unless $CVSREAD is set or -r is given.



      -x



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Encrypt all communication between the client and the server.  Only
        has an effect on the cvs client.  As of this writing, this is only
        implemented when using a GSSAPI connection (see node `GSSAPI
        authenticated in the CVS manual) or a Kerberos connection (see node
        `Kerberos authenticated in the CVS manual).  Enabling encryption
        implies that message traffic is also authenticated.  Encryption
        support is not available by default; it must be enabled using a
        special configure option, --enable-encryption, when you build cvs.



      -z gzip-level

        Set the compression level.  Valid levels are 1 (high speed, low
        compression) to 9 (low speed, high compression), or 0 to disable
        compression (the default).  Only has an effect on the cvs client.



 Common options
    Common command options
      This section describes the command_options that are available across
      several cvs commands.  These options are always given to the right of
      cvs_command. Not all commands support all of these options; each
      option is only supported for commands where it makes sense.  However,
      when a command has one of these options you can almost always count on
      the same behavior of the option as in other commands.  (Other command
      options, which are listed with the individual commands, may have
      different behavior from one cvs command to the other).

      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.  date_spec is
        a single argument, a date description specifying a date in the past.

        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 (for more information on sticky
        tags/dates, see node `Sticky tags in the CVS manual).

        -D is available with the annotate, checkout, diff, export, history,
        rdiff, rtag, and update commands.  (The history command uses this
        option in a slightly different way; see node `history options in the
        CVS manual).




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        A wide variety of date formats are supported by cvs.  The most
        standard ones are ISO8601 (from the International Standards
        Organization) and the Internet e-mail standard (specified in RFC822
        as amended by RFC1123).

        ISO8601 dates have many variants but a few examples are:


          1972-09-24
          1972-09-24 20:05




        There are a lot more ISO8601 date formats, and cvs accepts many of
        them, but you probably dont want to hear the whole long story :-).

        In addition to the dates allowed in Internet e-mail itself, cvs also
        allows some of the fields to be omitted.  For example:


          24 Sep 1972 20:05
          24 Sep




        The date is interpreted as being in the local timezone, unless a
        specific timezone is specified.

        These two date formats are preferred.  However, cvs currently
        accepts a wide variety of other date formats.  They are
        intentionally not documented here in any detail, and future versions
        of cvs might not accept all of them.

        One such format is month/day/year.  This may confuse people who are
        accustomed to having the month and day in the other order; 1/4/96 is
        January 4, not April 1.

        Remember to quote the argument to the -D flag so that your shell
        doesnt interpret spaces as argument separators.  A command using the
        -D flag can look like this:


          $ cvs diff -D "1 hour ago" cvs.texinfo









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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -f

        When you specify a particular date or tag to cvs commands, they
        normally ignore files that do not contain the tag (or did not exist
        prior to the date) that you specified.  Use the -f option if you
        want files retrieved even when there is no match for the tag or
        date.  (The most recent revision of the file will be used).

        Note that even with -f, a tag that you specify must exist (that is,
        in some file, not necessary in every file).  This is so that cvs
        will continue to give an error if you mistype a tag name.

        -f is available with these commands: annotate, checkout, export,
        rdiff, rtag, and update.

        WARNING:  The commit and remove commands also have a -f option, but
        it has a different behavior for those commands.  See `commit options
        in the CVS manual, and `Removing files in the CVS manual.



      -k kflag

        Alter the default processing of keywords.  See `Keyword substitution
        in the CVS manual, for the meaning of kflag.  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.

        The -k option is available with the add, checkout, diff, rdiff,
        import and update commands.



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory, rather than recursing
        through subdirectories.

        Available with the following commands: annotate, checkout, commit,
        diff, edit, editors, export, log, rdiff, remove, rtag, status, tag,
        unedit, update, watch, and watchers.



      -m message





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Use message as log information, instead of invoking an editor.

        Available with the following commands: add, commit and import.



      -n

        Do not run any tag program.  (A program can be specified to run in
        the modules database (see node `modules in the CVS manual); this
        option bypasses it).

        This is not the same as the cvs -n program option, which you can
        specify to the left of a cvs command!

        Available with the checkout, export, and rtag commands.



      -P

        Prune empty directories.  See `Removing directories in the CVS
        manual.



      -p

        Pipe the files retrieved from the repository to standard output,
        rather than writing them in the current directory.  Available with
        the checkout and update commands.



      -R

        Process directories recursively.  This is on by default.

        Available with the following commands: annotate, checkout, commit,
        diff, edit, editors, export, rdiff, remove, rtag, status, tag,
        unedit, update, watch, and watchers.



      -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



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        working directory.

        The tag specification is sticky when you use this with checkout or
        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 (for more information on sticky tags/dates, see node
        `Sticky tags in the CVS manual).

        The tag can be either a symbolic or numeric tag, as described in
        `Tags in the CVS manual, or the name of a branch, as described in
        `Branching and merging in the CVS manual.  When a command expects a
        specific revision, the name of a branch is interpreted as the most
        recent revision on that branch.

        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 specified tag.

        This is not the same as the overall cvs -r option, which you can
        specify to the left of a cvs command!

        -r is available with the annotate, checkout, commit, diff, history,
        export, rdiff, rtag, and update commands.



      -W

        Specify file names that should be filtered.  You can use this option
        repeatedly.  The spec can be a file name pattern of the same type
        that you can specify in the .cvswrappers file.  Available with the
        following commands: import, and update.



 add
    Add files and directories to the repository
      + Synopsis: add [-k rcs-kflag] [-m message] files...

      + Requires: repository, working directory.

      + Changes: repository, working directory.

        The add command is used to present new files and directories for
        addition into the cvs repository.  When add is used on a directory,
        a new directory is created in the repository immediately.  When used
        on a file, only the working directory is updated.  Changes to the
        repository are not made until the commit command is used on the
        newly added file.

        The add command also resurrects files that have been previously



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        removed.  This can be done before or after the commit command is
        used to finalize the removal of files.  Resurrected files are
        restored into the working directory at the time the add command is
        executed.


 add options
      These standard options are supported by add (see node `Common options
      in the CVS manual, for a complete description of them):



      -k kflag

        Process keywords according to kflag.  See `Keyword substitution in
        the CVS manual.  This option is sticky; future updates of this file
        in this working directory will use the same kflag.  The status
        command can be viewed to see the sticky options.  For more
        information on the status command, see node `Invoking CVS in the CVS
        manual.



      -m message

        Use message as the log message, instead of invoking an editor.


 add examples
    Adding a directory
        $ mkdir doc
        $ cvs add doc
        Directory /path/to/repository/doc added to the repository





    Adding a file
        $ >TODO
        $ cvs add TODO
        cvs add: scheduling file `TODO for addition
        cvs add: use cvs commit to add this file permanently





    Undoing a remove command
        $ rm -f makefile




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        $ cvs remove makefile
        cvs remove: scheduling `makefile for removal
        cvs remove: use cvs commit to remove this file permanently
        $ cvs add makefile
        U makefile
        cvs add: makefile, version 1.2, resurrected





 admin
    Administration
      + Requires: repository, working directory.

      + Changes: repository.

      + Synonym: rcs

        This is the cvs interface to assorted administrative facilities.
        Some of them have questionable usefulness for cvs but exist for
        historical purposes.  Some of the questionable options are likely to
        disappear in the future.  This command does work recursively, so
        extreme care should be used.

        On unix, if there is a group named cvsadmin, only members of that
        group can run cvs admin (except for the cvs admin -k command, which
        can be run by anybody).  This group should exist on the server, or
        any system running the non-client/server cvs.  To disallow cvs admin
        for all users, create a group with no users in it.  On NT, the
        cvsadmin feature does not exist and all users can run cvs admin.


 admin options
      Some of these options have questionable usefulness for cvs but exist
      for historical purposes.  Some even make it impossible to use cvs
      until you undo the effect!



      -Aoldfile

        Might not work together with cvs.  Append the access list of oldfile
        to the access list of the rcs file.



      -alogins

        Might not work together with cvs.  Append the login names appearing
        in the comma-separated list logins to the access list of the rcs



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        file.



      -b[rev]

        Set the default branch to rev.  In cvs, you normally do not
        manipulate default branches; sticky tags (see node `Sticky tags in
        the CVS manual) are a better way to decide which branch you want to
        work on.  There is one reason to run cvs admin -b: to revert to the
        vendors version when using vendor branches (see node `Reverting
        local changes in the CVS manual).  There can be no space between -b
        and its argument.



      -cstring

        Sets the comment leader to string.  The comment leader is not used
        by current versions of cvs or rcs 5.7.  Therefore, you can almost
        surely not worry about it.  See `Keyword substitution in the CVS
        manual.



      -e[logins]

        Might not work together with cvs.  Erase the login names appearing
        in the comma-separated list logins from the access list of the RCS
        file.  If logins is omitted, erase the entire access list.  There
        can be no space between -e and its argument.



      -I

        Run interactively, even if the standard input is not a terminal.
        This option does not work with the client/server cvs and is likely
        to disappear in a future release of cvs.



      -i

        Useless with cvs.  This creates and initializes a new rcs file,
        without depositing a revision.  With cvs, add files with the cvs add
        command (see node `Adding files in the CVS manual).



      -ksubst



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Set the default keyword substitution to subst.  See `Keyword
        substitution in the CVS manual.  Giving an explicit -k option to cvs
        update, cvs export, or cvs checkout overrides this default.



      -l[rev]

        Lock the revision with number rev.  If a branch is given, lock the
        latest revision on that branch.  If rev is omitted, lock the latest
        revision on the default branch.  There can be no space between -l
        and its argument.

        This can be used in conjunction with the rcslock.pl script in the
        contrib directory of the cvs source distribution to provide reserved
        checkouts (where only one user can be editing a given file at a
        time).  See the comments in that file for details (and see the
        README file in that directory for disclaimers about the unsupported
        nature of contrib).  According to comments in that file, locking
        must set to strict (which is the default).



      -L

        Set locking to strict.  Strict locking means that the owner of an
        RCS file is not exempt from locking for checkin.  For use with cvs,
        strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the -l option
        above.



      -mrev:msg

        Replace the log message of revision rev with msg.



      -Nname[:[rev]]

        Act like -n, except override any previous assignment of name.  For
        use with magic branches, see `Magic branch numbers in the CVS
        manual.



      -nname[:[rev]]

        Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev.
        It is normally better to use cvs tag or cvs rtag instead.  Delete
        the symbolic name if both : and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        error message if name is already associated with another number.  If
        rev is symbolic, it is expanded before association.  A rev
        consisting of a branch number followed by a . stands for the current
        latest revision in the branch.  A : with an empty rev stands for the
        current latest revision on the default branch, normally the trunk.
        For example, cvs admin -nname: associates name with the current
        latest revision of all the RCS files; this contrasts with cvs admin
        -nname:$ which associates name with the revision numbers extracted
        from keyword strings in the corresponding working files.



      -orange

        Deletes (outdates) the revisions given by range.

        Note that this command can be quite dangerous unless you know
        exactly what you are doing (for example see the warnings below about
        how the rev1:rev2 syntax is confusing).

        If you are short on disc this option might help you.  But think
        twice before using it-there is no way short of restoring the latest
        backup to undo this command!  If you delete different revisions than
        you planned, either due to carelessness or (heaven forbid) a cvs
        bug, there is no opportunity to correct the error before the
        revisions are deleted.  It probably would be a good idea to
        experiment on a copy of the repository first.

        Specify range in one of the following ways:


        rev1::rev2

          Collapse all revisions between rev1 and rev2, so that cvs only
          stores the differences associated with going from rev1 to rev2,
          not intermediate steps.  For example, after -o 1.3::1.5 one can
          retrieve revision 1.3, revision 1.5, or the differences to get
          from 1.3 to 1.5, but not the revision 1.4, or the differences
          between 1.3 and 1.4.  Other examples: -o 1.3::1.4 and -o 1.3::1.3
          have no effect, because there are no intermediate revisions to
          remove.


        ::rev

          Collapse revisions between the beginning of the branch containing
          rev and rev itself.  The branchpoint and rev are left intact.  For
          example, -o ::1.3.2.6 deletes revision 1.3.2.1, revision 1.3.2.5,
          and everything in between, but leaves 1.3 and 1.3.2.6 intact.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        rev::

          Collapse revisions between rev and the end of the branch
          containing rev.  Revision rev is left intact but the head revision
          is deleted.


        rev

          Delete the revision rev.  For example, -o 1.3 is equivalent to -o
          1.2::1.4.


        rev1:rev2

          Delete the revisions from rev1 to rev2, inclusive, on the same
          branch.  One will not be able to retrieve rev1 or rev2 or any of
          the revisions in between.  For example, the command cvs admin
          -oR_1_01:R_1_02 . is rarely useful.  It means to delete revisions
          up to, and including, the tag R_1_02.  But beware!  If there are
          files that have not changed between R_1_02 and R_1_03 the file
          will have the same numerical revision number assigned to the tags
          R_1_02 and R_1_03.  So not only will it be impossible to retrieve
          R_1_02; R_1_03 will also have to be restored from the tapes!  In
          most cases you want to specify rev1::rev2 instead.


        :rev

          Delete revisions from the beginning of the branch containing rev
          up to and including rev.


        rev:

          Delete revisions from revision rev, including rev itself, to the
          end of the branch containing rev.

          None of the revisions to be deleted may have branches or locks.

          If any of the revisions to be deleted have symbolic names, and one
          specifies one of the :: syntaxes, then cvs will give an error and
          not delete any revisions.  If you really want to delete both the
          symbolic names and the revisions, first delete the symbolic names
          with cvs tag -d, then run cvs admin -o.  If one specifies the
          non-:: syntaxes, then cvs will delete the revisions but leave the
          symbolic names pointing to nonexistent revisions.  This behavior
          is preserved for compatibility with previous versions of cvs, but
          because it isnt very useful, in the future it may change to be
          like the :: case.




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




          Due to the way cvs handles branches rev cannot be specified
          symbolically if it is a branch.  See `Magic branch numbers in the
          CVS manual for an explanation.

          Make sure that no-one has checked out a copy of the revision you
          outdate.  Strange things will happen if he starts to edit it and
          tries to check it back in.  For this reason, this option is not a
          good way to take back a bogus commit; commit a new revision
          undoing the bogus change instead (see node `Merging two revisions
          in the CVS manual).



      -q

        Run quietly; do not print diagnostics.



      -sstate[:rev]

        Useful with cvs.  Set the state attribute of the revision rev to
        state.  If rev is a branch number, assume the latest revision on
        that branch.  If rev is omitted, assume the latest revision on the
        default branch.  Any identifier is acceptable for state.  A useful
        set of states is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for stable), and Rel
        (for released).  By default, the state of a new revision is set to
        Exp when it is created.  The state is visible in the output from cvs
        log (see node `log in the CVS manual), and in the $Log$ and $State$
        keywords (see node `Keyword substitution in the CVS manual).  Note
        that cvs uses the dead state for its own purposes (see node `Attic
        in the CVS manual); to take a file to or from the dead state use
        commands like cvs remove and cvs add (see node `Adding and removing
        in the CVS manual), not cvs admin -s.



      -t[file]

        Useful with cvs.  Write descriptive text from the contents of the
        named file into the RCS file, deleting the existing text.  The file
        pathname may not begin with -.  The descriptive text can be seen in
        the output from cvs log (see node `log in the CVS manual).  There
        can be no space between -t and its argument.

        If file is omitted, obtain the text from standard input, terminated
        by end-of-file or by a line containing . by itself.  Prompt for the
        text if interaction is possible; see -I.






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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -t-string

        Similar to -tfile. Write descriptive text from the string into the
        rcs file, deleting the existing text.  There can be no space between
        -t and its argument.



      -U

        Set locking to non-strict.  Non-strict locking means that the owner
        of a file need not lock a revision for checkin.  For use with cvs,
        strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the -l option
        above.



      -u[rev]

        See the option -l above, for a discussion of using this option with
        cvs.  Unlock the revision with number rev.  If a branch is given,
        unlock the latest revision on that branch.  If rev is omitted,
        remove the latest lock held by the caller.  Normally, only the
        locker of a revision may unlock it; somebody else unlocking a
        revision breaks the lock.  This causes the original locker to be
        sent a commit notification (see node `Getting Notified in the CVS
        manual).  There can be no space between -u and its argument.



      -Vn

        In previous versions of cvs, this option meant to write an rcs file
        which would be acceptable to rcs version n, but it is now obsolete
        and specifying it will produce an error.



      -xsuffixes

        In previous versions of cvs, this was documented as a way of
        specifying the names of the rcs files.  However, cvs has always
        required that the rcs files used by cvs end in ,v, so this option
        has never done anything useful.



 annotate
    What revision modified each line of a file?




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




      + Synopsis: annotate [options] files...

      + Requires: repository.

      + Synonym: blame

      + Changes: nothing.

        For each file in files, print the head revision of the trunk,
        together with information on the last modification for each line.


 annotate options
      These standard options are supported by annotate (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -l

        Local directory only, no recursion.



      -R

        Process directories recursively.



      -f

        Use head revision if tag/date not found.



      -F

        Annotate binary files.



      -r revision

        Annotate file as of specified revision/tag.



      -D date





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Annotate file as of specified date.


 annotate example
      For example:


        $ cvs annotate ssfile
        Annotations for ssfile
        ***************
        1.1          (mary     27-Mar-96): ssfile line 1
        1.2          (joe      28-Mar-96): ssfile line 2




      The file ssfile currently contains two lines.  The ssfile line 1 line
      was checked in by mary on March 27.  Then, on March 28, joe added a
      line ssfile line 2, without modifying the ssfile line 1 line.  This
      report doesnt tell you anything about lines which have been deleted or
      replaced; you need to use cvs diff for that (see node `diff in the CVS
      manual).

      The options to cvs annotate are listed in `Invoking CVS in the CVS
      manual, and can be used to select the files and revisions to annotate.
      The options are described in more detail there and in `Common options
      in the CVS manual.


 checkout
    Check out sources for editing
      + Synopsis: checkout [options] modules...

      + Requires: repository.

      + Changes: working directory.

      + Synonyms: co, get

        Create or update a working directory containing copies of the source
        files specified by modules.  You must execute checkout before using
        most of the other cvs commands, since most of them operate on your
        working directory.

        The modules are either symbolic names for some collection of source
        directories and files, or paths to directories or files in the
        repository.  The symbolic names are defined in the modules file.
        See `modules in the CVS manual.

        Depending on the modules you specify, checkout may recursively
        create directories and populate them with the appropriate source



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        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 source 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
        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).

        The files created by checkout are created read-write, unless the -r
        option to cvs (see node `Global options in the CVS manual) is
        specified, the CVSREAD environment variable is specified (see node
        `Environment variables in the CVS manual), or a watch is in effect
        for that file (see node `Watches in the CVS manual).

        Note that running checkout on a directory that was already built by
        a prior checkout is also permitted.  This is similar to specifying
        the -d option to the update command in the sense that new
        directories that have been created in the repository will appear in
        your work area.  However, checkout takes a module name whereas
        update takes a directory name.  Also to use checkout this way it
        must be run from the top level directory (where you originally ran
        checkout from), so before you run checkout to update an existing
        directory, dont forget to change your directory to the top level
        directory.

        For the output produced by the checkout command, see node `update
        output in the CVS manual.


 checkout options
      These standard options are supported by checkout (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -D date

        Use the most recent revision no later than date.  This option is
        sticky, and implies -P.  See `Sticky tags in the CVS manual for more
        information on sticky tags/dates.



      -f



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Only useful with the -D date or -r tag flags.  If no matching
        revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision (instead of
        ignoring the file).



      -k kflag

        Process keywords according to kflag.  See `Keyword substitution in
        the CVS manual.  This option is sticky; future updates of this file
        in this working directory will use the same kflag.  The status
        command can be viewed to see the sticky options.  See `Invoking CVS
        in the CVS manual for more information on the status command.



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.



      -n

        Do not run any checkout program (as specified with the -o option in
        the modules file; see node `modules in the CVS manual).



      -P

        Prune empty directories.  See `Moving directories in the CVS manual.



      -p

        Pipe files to the standard output.



      -R

        Checkout directories recursively.  This option is on by default.



      -r tag

        Use revision tag.  This option is sticky, and implies -P.  See
        `Sticky tags in the CVS manual, for more information on sticky



                                   - 23 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        tags/dates.

        In addition to those, you can use these special command options with
        checkout:



      -A

        Reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options.  Does not reset sticky
        -k options on modified files.  See `Sticky tags in the CVS manual
        for more information on sticky tags/dates.



      -c

        Copy the module file, sorted, to the standard output, instead of
        creating or modifying any files or directories in your working
        directory.



      -d dir

        Create a directory called dir for the working files, instead of
        using the module name.  In general, using this flag is equivalent to
        using mkdir dir; cd dir followed by the checkout command without the
        -d flag.

        There is an important exception, however.  It is very convenient
        when checking out a single item to have the output appear in a
        directory that doesnt contain empty intermediate directories.  In
        this case only, cvs tries to ``shorten pathnames to avoid those
        empty directories.

        For example, given a module foo that contains the file bar.c, the
        command cvs co -d dir foo will create directory dir and place bar.c
        inside.  Similarly, given a module bar which has subdirectory baz
        wherein there is a file quux.c, the command cvs co -d dir bar/baz
        will create directory dir and place quux.c inside.

        Using the -N flag will defeat this behavior.  Given the same module
        definitions above, cvs co -N -d dir foo will create directories
        dir/foo and place bar.c inside, while cvs co -N -d dir bar/baz will
        create directories dir/bar/baz and place quux.c inside.



      -j tag




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        With two -j options, merge changes from the revision specified with
        the first -j option to the revision specified with the second j
        option, into the working directory.

        With one -j option, merge changes from the ancestor revision to the
        revision specified with the -j option, into the working directory.
        The ancestor revision is the common ancestor of the revision which
        the working directory is based on, and the revision specified in the
        -j option.

        In addition, each -j option can contain an 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.

        See `Branching and merging in the CVS manual.



      -N

        Only useful together with -d dir.  With this option, cvs will not
        ``shorten module paths in your working directory when you check out
        a single module.  See the -d flag for examples and a discussion.



      -s

        Like -c, but include the status of all modules, and sort it by the
        status string.  See `modules in the CVS manual, for info about the
        -s option that is used inside the modules file to set the module
        status.


 checkout examples
      Get a copy of the module tc:


        $ cvs checkout tc




      Get a copy of the module tc as it looked one day ago:


        $ cvs checkout -D yesterday tc





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)







 commit
    Check files into the repository
      + Synopsis: commit [-lRf] [-m log_message | -F file] [-r revision]
        [files...]

      + Requires: working directory, repository.

      + Changes: repository.

      + Synonym: ci

        Use commit when you want to incorporate changes from your working
        source files into the source repository.

        If you dont specify particular files to commit, all of the files in
        your working current directory are examined.  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.

        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 update (see node `update in the CVS manual).
        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 (see
        node `modules in the CVS manual, and see node `loginfo in the CVS
        manual) and placed in the rcs file inside the repository.  This log
        message can be retrieved with the log command; see node `log in the
        CVS manual.  You can specify the log message on the command line
        with the -m message option, and thus avoid the editor invocation, or
        use the -F file option to specify that the argument file contains
        the log message.


 commit options
      These standard options are supported by commit (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -l




                                   - 26 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Local; run only in current working directory.



      -R

        Commit directories recursively.  This is on by default.



      -r revision

        Commit to revision.  revision must be either a branch, or a revision
        on the main trunk that is higher than any existing revision number
        (see node `Assigning revisions in the CVS manual).  You cannot
        commit to a specific revision on a branch.

        commit also supports these options:



      -F file

        Read the log message from file, instead of invoking an editor.



      -f

        Note that this is not the standard behavior of the -f option as
        defined in `Common options in the CVS manual.

        Force cvs to commit a new revision even if you havent made any
        changes to the file.  If the current revision of file is 1.7, then
        the following two commands are equivalent:


          $ cvs commit -f file
          $ cvs commit -r 1.8 file




        The -f option disables recursion (i.e., it implies -l).  To force
        cvs to commit a new revision for all files in all subdirectories,
        you must use -f -R.



      -m message




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Use message as the log message, instead of invoking an editor.


 commit examples
    Committing to a branch
      You can commit to a branch revision (one that has an even number of
      dots) with the -r option.  To create a branch revision, use the -b
      option of the rtag or tag commands (see node `Branching and merging in
      the CVS manual).  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 disturbing main-line
      development in any way.  For example, if you had to create a patch to
      the 1.2 version of the product, even though the 2.0 version is already
      under development, you might do:


        $ cvs rtag -b -r FCS1_2 FCS1_2_Patch product_module
        $ cvs checkout -r FCS1_2_Patch product_module
        $ cd product_module
        [[ hack away ]]
        $ cvs commit




      This works automatically since the -r option is sticky.


    Creating the branch after editing
      Say you have been working on some extremely experimental 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:


        [[ hacked sources are present ]]
        $ cvs tag -b EXPR1
        $ cvs update -r EXPR1
        $ cvs commit




      The update command will make the -r EXPR1 option sticky on all files.
      Note that your changes to the files will never be removed by the
      update command.  The commit will automatically commit to the correct
      branch, because the -r is sticky.  You could also do like this:



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        [[ hacked sources are present ]]
        $ cvs tag -b EXPR1
        $ cvs commit -r EXPR1




      but then, only those files that were changed by you will have the -r
      EXPR1 sticky flag.  If you hack away, and commit without specifying
      the -r EXPR1 flag, some files may accidentally end up on the main
      trunk.

      To work with you on the experimental change, others would simply do


        $ cvs checkout -r EXPR1 whatever_module





 diff
    Show differences between revisions
      + Synopsis: diff [-lR] [-k kflag] [format_options] [[-r rev1 | -D
        date1] [-r rev2 |  -D date2]] [files...]

      + Requires: working directory, repository.

      + Changes: nothing.

        The diff command is used to compare different revisions of files.
        The default action is to compare your working files with the
        revisions they were based on, and report any differences that are
        found.

        If any file names are given, only those files are compared.  If any
        directories are given, all files under them will be compared.

        The exit status for diff is different than for other cvs commands;
        for details see node `Exit status in the CVS manual.


 diff options
      These standard options are supported by diff (see node `Common options
      in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -D date





                                   - 29 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Use the most recent revision no later than date.  See -r for how
        this affects the comparison.



      -k kflag

        Process keywords according to kflag.  See `Keyword substitution in
        the CVS manual.



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.



      -R

        Examine directories recursively.  This option is on by default.



      -r tag

        Compare with revision tag.  Zero, one or two -r options can be
        present.  With no -r option, the working file will be compared with
        the revision it was based on.  With one -r, that revision will be
        compared to your current working file.  With two -r options those
        two revisions will be compared (and your working file will not
        affect the outcome in any way).

        One or both -r options can be replaced by a -D date option,
        described above.

        The following options specify the format of the output.  They have
        the same meaning as in GNU diff.  Most options have two equivalent
        names, one of which is a single letter preceded by -, and the other
        of which is a long name preceded by --.



      -lines

        Show lines (an integer) lines of context.  This option does not
        specify an output format by itself; it has no effect unless it is
        combined with -c or -u.  This option is obsolete.  For proper
        operation, patch typically needs at least two lines of context.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -a

        Treat all files as text and compare them line-by-line, even if they
        do not seem to be text.



      -b

        Ignore trailing white space and consider all other sequences of one
        or more white space characters to be equivalent.



      -B

        Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.



      --binary

        Read and write data in binary mode.



      --brief

        Report only whether the files differ, not the details of the
        differences.



      -c

        Use the context output format.



      -C lines




      --context[=lines]

        Use the context output format, showing lines (an integer) lines of
        context, or three if lines is not given.  For proper operation,
        patch typically needs at least two lines of context.




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      --changed-group-format=format

        Use format to output a line group containing differing lines from
        both files in if-then-else format.  See `Line group formats in the
        CVS manual.



      -d

        Change the algorithm to perhaps find a smaller set of changes.  This
        makes diff slower (sometimes much slower).



      -e




      --ed

        Make output that is a valid ed script.



      --expand-tabs

        Expand tabs to spaces in the output, to preserve the alignment of
        tabs in the input files.



      -f

        Make output that looks vaguely like an ed script but has changes in
        the order they appear in the file.



      -F regexp

        In context and unified format, for each hunk of differences, show
        some of the last preceding line that matches regexp.



      --forward-ed





                                   - 32 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Make output that looks vaguely like an ed script but has changes in
        the order they appear in the file.



      -H

        Use heuristics to speed handling of large files that have numerous
        scattered small changes.



      --horizon-lines=lines

        Do not discard the last lines lines of the common prefix and the
        first lines lines of the common suffix.



      -i

        Ignore changes in case; consider upper- and lower-case letters
        equivalent.



      -I regexp

        Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.



      --ifdef=name

        Make merged if-then-else output using name.



      --ignore-all-space

        Ignore white space when comparing lines.



      --ignore-blank-lines

        Ignore changes that just insert or delete blank lines.



      --ignore-case



                                   - 33 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Ignore changes in case; consider upper- and lower-case to be the
        same.



      --ignore-matching-lines=regexp

        Ignore changes that just insert or delete lines that match regexp.



      --ignore-space-change

        Ignore trailing white space and consider all other sequences of one
        or more white space characters to be equivalent.



      --initial-tab

        Output a tab rather than a space before the text of a line in normal
        or context format.  This causes the alignment of tabs in the line to
        look normal.



      -L label

        Use label instead of the file name in the context format and unified
        format headers.



      --label=label

        Use label instead of the file name in the context format and unified
        format headers.



      --left-column

        Print only the left column of two common lines in side by side
        format.



      --line-format=format

        Use format to output all input lines in if-then-else format.  See
        `Line formats in the CVS manual.



                                   - 34 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      --minimal

        Change the algorithm to perhaps find a smaller set of changes.  This
        makes diff slower (sometimes much slower).



      -n

        Output RCS-format diffs; like -f except that each command specifies
        the number of lines affected.



      -N




      --new-file

        In directory comparison, if a file is found in only one directory,
        treat it as present but empty in the other directory.



      --new-group-format=format

        Use format to output a group of lines taken from just the second
        file in if-then-else format.  See `Line group formats in the CVS
        manual.



      --new-line-format=format

        Use format to output a line taken from just the second file in if-
        then-else format.  See `Line formats in the CVS manual.



      --old-group-format=format

        Use format to output a group of lines taken from just the first file
        in if-then-else format.  See `Line group formats in the CVS manual.



      --old-line-format=format




                                   - 35 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Use format to output a line taken from just the first file in if-
        then-else format.  See `Line formats in the CVS manual.



      -p

        Show which C function each change is in.



      --rcs

        Output RCS-format diffs; like -f except that each command specifies
        the number of lines affected.



      --report-identical-files




      -s

        Report when two files are the same.



      --show-c-function

        Show which C function each change is in.



      --show-function-line=regexp

        In context and unified format, for each hunk of differences, show
        some of the last preceding line that matches regexp.



      --side-by-side

        Use the side by side output format.



      --speed-large-files





                                   - 36 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Use heuristics to speed handling of large files that have numerous
        scattered small changes.



      --suppress-common-lines

        Do not print common lines in side by side format.



      -t

        Expand tabs to spaces in the output, to preserve the alignment of
        tabs in the input files.



      -T

        Output a tab rather than a space before the text of a line in normal
        or context format.  This causes the alignment of tabs in the line to
        look normal.



      --text

        Treat all files as text and compare them line-by-line, even if they
        do not appear to be text.



      -u

        Use the unified output format.



      --unchanged-group-format=format

        Use format to output a group of common lines taken from both files
        in if-then-else format.  see node `Line group formats in the CVS
        manual.



      --unchanged-line-format=format

        Use format to output a line common to both files in if-then-else
        format.  see node `Line formats in the CVS manual.



                                   - 37 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -U lines




      --unified[=lines]

        Use the unified output format, showing lines (an integer) lines of
        context, or three if lines is not given.  For proper operation,
        patch typically needs at least two lines of context.



      -w

        Ignore white space when comparing lines.



      -W columns




      --width=columns

        Use an output width of columns in side by side format.



      -y

        Use the side by side output format.


 Line group formats
      Line group formats let you specify formats suitable for many
      applications that allow if-then-else input, including programming
      languages and text formatting languages.  A line group format
      specifies the output format for a contiguous group of similar lines.

      For example, the following command compares the TeX file myfile with
      the original version from the repository, and outputs a merged file in
      which old regions are surrounded by \begin{em}-\end{em} lines, and new
      regions are surrounded by \begin{bf}-\end{bf} lines.


        cvs diff \
           --old-group-format=\begin{em}




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        %<\end{em}
         \
           --new-group-format=\begin{bf}
        %>\end{bf}
         \
           myfile




      The following command is equivalent to the above example, but it is a
      little more verbose, because it spells out the default line group
      formats.


        cvs diff \
           --old-group-format=\begin{em}
        %<\end{em}
         \
           --new-group-format=\begin{bf}
        %>\end{bf}
         \
           --unchanged-group-format=%= \
           --changed-group-format=\begin{em}
        %<\end{em}
        \begin{bf}
        %>\end{bf}
         \
           myfile




      Here is a more advanced example, which outputs a diff listing with
      headers containing line numbers in a ``plain English style.


        cvs diff \
           --unchanged-group-format= \
           --old-group-format=-------- %dn line%(n=1?:s) deleted at %df:
        %< \
           --new-group-format=-------- %dN line%(N=1?:s) added after %de:
        %> \
           --changed-group-format=-------- %dn line%(n=1?:s) changed at %df:
        %<-------- to:
        %> \
           myfile







                                   - 39 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




      To specify a line group format, use one of the options listed below.
      You can specify up to four line group formats, one for each kind of
      line group.  You should quote format, because it typically contains
      shell metacharacters.



      --old-group-format=format

        These line groups are hunks containing only lines from the first
        file.  The default old group format is the same as the changed group
        format if it is specified; otherwise it is a format that outputs the
        line group as-is.



      --new-group-format=format

        These line groups are hunks containing only lines from the second
        file.  The default new group format is same as the changed group
        format if it is specified; otherwise it is a format that outputs the
        line group as-is.



      --changed-group-format=format

        These line groups are hunks containing lines from both files.  The
        default changed group format is the concatenation of the old and new
        group formats.



      --unchanged-group-format=format

        These line groups contain lines common to both files.  The default
        unchanged group format is a format that outputs the line group as-
        is.

        In a line group format, ordinary characters represent themselves;
        conversion specifications start with % and have one of the following
        forms.



      %<

        stands for the lines from the first file, including the trailing
        newline.  Each line is formatted according to the old line format
        (see node `Line formats in the CVS manual).




                                   - 40 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      %>

        stands for the lines from the second file, including the trailing
        newline.  Each line is formatted according to the new line format.



      %=

        stands for the lines common to both files, including the trailing
        newline.  Each line is formatted according to the unchanged line
        format.



      %%

        stands for %.



      %cC

        where C is a single character, stands for C.  C may not be a
        backslash or an apostrophe.  For example, %c: stands for a colon,
        even inside the then-part of an if-then-else format, which a colon
        would normally terminate.



      %c\O

        where O is a string of 1, 2, or 3 octal digits, stands for the
        character with octal code O.  For example, %c\0 stands for a null
        character.



      Fn

        where F is a printf conversion specification and n is one of the
        following letters, stands for ns value formatted with F.


        e

          The line number of the line just before the group in the old file.






                                   - 41 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        f

          The line number of the first line in the group in the old file;
          equals e + 1.


        l

          The line number of the last line in the group in the old file.


        m

          The line number of the line just after the group in the old file;
          equals l + 1.


        n

          The number of lines in the group in the old file; equals l - f +
          1.


        E, F, L, M, N

          Likewise, for lines in the new file.


          The printf conversion specification can be %d, %o, %x, or %X,
          specifying decimal, octal, lower case hexadecimal, or upper case
          hexadecimal output respectively.  After the % the following
          options can appear in sequence: a - specifying left-justification;
          an integer specifying the minimum field width; and a period
          followed by an optional integer specifying the minimum number of
          digits.  For example, %5dN prints the number of new lines in the
          group in a field of width 5 characters, using the printf format
          "%5d".



      (A=B?T:E)

        If A equals B then T else E.  A and B are each either a decimal
        constant or a single letter interpreted as above.  This format spec
        is equivalent to T if As value equals Bs; otherwise it is equivalent
        to E.

        For example, %(N=0?no:%dN) line%(N=1?:s) is equivalent to no lines
        if N (the number of lines in the group in the new file) is 0, to 1
        line if N is 1, and to %dN lines otherwise.




                                   - 42 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




 Line formats
      Line formats control how each line taken from an input file is output
      as part of a line group in if-then-else format.

      For example, the following command outputs text with a one-column
      change indicator to the left of the text.  The first column of output
      is - for deleted lines, | for added lines, and a space for unchanged
      lines.  The formats contain newline characters where newlines are
      desired on output.


        cvs diff \
           --old-line-format=-%l
         \
           --new-line-format=|%l
         \
           --unchanged-line-format= %l
         \
           myfile




      To specify a line format, use one of the following options.  You
      should quote format, since it often contains shell metacharacters.



      --old-line-format=format

        formats lines just from the first file.



      --new-line-format=format

        formats lines just from the second file.



      --unchanged-line-format=format

        formats lines common to both files.



      --line-format=format

        formats all lines; in effect, it sets all three above options
        simultaneously.




                                   - 43 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        In a line format, ordinary characters represent themselves;
        conversion specifications start with % and have one of the following
        forms.



      %l

        stands for the contents of the line, not counting its trailing
        newline (if any).  This format ignores whether the line is
        incomplete.



      %L

        stands for the contents of the line, including its trailing newline
        (if any).  If a line is incomplete, this format preserves its
        incompleteness.



      %%

        stands for %.



      %cC

        where C is a single character, stands for C.  C may not be a
        backslash or an apostrophe.  For example, %c: stands for a colon.



      %c\O

        where O is a string of 1, 2, or 3 octal digits, stands for the
        character with octal code O.  For example, %c\0 stands for a null
        character.



      Fn

        where F is a printf conversion specification, stands for the line
        number formatted with F.  For example, %.5dn prints the line number
        using the printf format "%.5d".  see node `Line group formats in the
        CVS manual, for more about printf conversion specifications.





                                   - 44 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        The default line format is %l followed by a newline character.

        If the input contains tab characters and it is important that they
        line up on output, you should ensure that %l or %L in a line format
        is just after a tab stop (e.g. by preceding %l or %L with a tab
        character), or you should use the -t or --expand-tabs option.

        Taken together, the line and line group formats let you specify many
        different formats.  For example, the following command uses a format
        similar to diffs normal format.  You can tailor this command to get
        fine control over diffs output.


        cvs diff \
           --old-line-format=< %l
         \
           --new-line-format=> %l
         \
           --old-group-format=%df%(f=l?:,%dl)d%dE
        %< \
           --new-group-format=%dea%dF%(F=L?:,%dL)
        %> \
           --changed-group-format=%df%(f=l?:,%dl)c%dF%(F=L?:,%dL)
        %<-
        %> \
           --unchanged-group-format= \
           myfile





 diff examples
      The following line produces a Unidiff (-u flag) between revision 1.14
      and 1.19 of backend.c.  Due to the -kk flag no keywords are
      substituted, so differences that only depend on keyword substitution
      are ignored.


        $ cvs diff -kk -u -r 1.14 -r 1.19 backend.c




      Suppose the experimental branch EXPR1 was based on a set of files
      tagged RELEASE_1_0.  To see what has happened on that branch, the
      following can be used:


        $ cvs diff -r RELEASE_1_0 -r EXPR1




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)






      A command like this can be used to produce a context diff between two
      releases:


        $ cvs diff -c -r RELEASE_1_0 -r RELEASE_1_1 > diffs




      If you are maintaining ChangeLogs, a command like the following just
      before you commit your changes may help you write the ChangeLog entry.
      All local modifications that have not yet been committed will be
      printed.


        $ cvs diff -u | less





 export
    Export sources from CVS, similar to checkout
      + Synopsis: export [-flNnR] [-r rev|-D date] [-k subst] [-d dir]
        module...

      + Requires: repository.

      + Changes: current directory.

        This command is a variant of checkout; use it when you want a copy
        of the source for module without the cvs administrative directories.
        For example, you might use 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 (and thus it always prunes empty directories).

        One often would like to use -kv with cvs export.  This causes any
        keywords to be expanded such that an import done at some other site
        will not lose the keyword revision information.  But be aware that
        doesnt handle an export containing binary files correctly.  Also be
        aware that after having used -kv, one can no longer use the ident
        command (which is part of the rcs suite-see ident(1)) which looks
        for keyword strings.  If you want to be able to use ident you must
        not use -kv.


 export options
      These standard options are supported by export (see node `Common



                                   - 46 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




      options in the CVS manual, for a complete description of them):



      -D date

        Use the most recent revision no later than date.



      -f

        If no matching revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision
        (instead of ignoring the file).



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.



      -n

        Do not run any checkout program.



      -R

        Export directories recursively.  This is on by default.



      -r tag

        Use revision tag.

        In addition, these options (that are common to checkout and export)
        are also supported:



      -d dir

        Create a directory called dir for the working files, instead of
        using the module name.  See `checkout options in the CVS manual for
        complete details on how cvs handles this flag.





                                   - 47 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -k subst

        Set keyword expansion mode (see node `Substitution modes in the CVS
        manual).



      -N

        Only useful together with -d dir.  See `checkout options in the CVS
        manual for complete details on how cvs handles this flag.


 history
    Show status of files and users
      + Synopsis:     history [-report] [-flags] [-options args] [files...]

      + Requires: the file $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history

      + Changes: nothing.

        cvs can keep a history file that tracks each use of the checkout,
        commit, rtag, update, and release commands.  You can use history to
        display this information in various formats.

        Logging must be enabled by creating the file
        $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history.

        history uses -f, -l, -n, and -p in ways that conflict with the
        normal use inside cvs (see node `Common options in the CVS manual).


 history options
      Several options (shown above as -report)  control  what kind of report
      is generated:



      -c

        Report on each time commit was used (i.e., each time the repository
        was modified).



      -e

        Everything (all record types).  Equivalent to specifying -x with all
        record types.  Of course, -e will also include record types which
        are added in a future version of cvs; if you are writing a script



                                   - 48 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        which can only handle certain record types, youll want to specify
        -x.



      -m module

        Report on a particular module.  (You can meaningfully use -m more
        than once on the command line.)



      -o

        Report on checked-out modules.  This is the default report type.



      -T

        Report on all tags.



      -x type

        Extract a particular set of record types type from the cvs history.
        The types are indicated by single letters, which you may specify in
        combination.

        Certain commands have a single record type:


        F

          release

        O

          checkout

        E

          export

        T

          rtag

          One of five record types may result from an update:




                                   - 49 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        C

          A merge was necessary but collisions were detected (requiring
          manual merging).

        G

          A merge was necessary and it succeeded.

        U

          A working file was copied from the repository.

        P

          A working file was patched to match the repository.

        W

          The working copy of a file was deleted during update (because it
          was gone from the repository).

          One of three record types results from commit:


        A

          A file was added for the first time.

        M

          A file was modified.

        R

          A file was removed.

          The options shown as -flags constrain or expand the report without
          requiring option arguments:



      -a

        Show data for all users (the default is to show data only for the
        user executing history).



      -l




                                   - 50 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        Show last modification only.



      -w

        Show only the records for modifications done from the same working
        directory where history is executing.

        The options shown as -options args constrain the report 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.  This is slightly different from the normal
        use of -D date, which selects the newest revision older than date.



      -f file

        Show data for a particular file (you can specify several -f options
        on the same command line).  This is equivalent to specifying the
        file on the command line.



      -n module

        Show data for a particular module (you can specify several -n
        options on the same command line).



      -p repository

        Show data for a particular source repository  (you can specify
        several -p options on the same command line).



      -r rev



                                   - 51 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        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.



      -z timezone

        Show times in the selected records using the specified time zone
        instead of UTC.


 import
    Import sources into CVS, using vendor branches
      + Synopsis: import [-options] repository vendortag releasetag...

      + Requires: Repository, source distribution directory.

      + Changes: repository.

        Use import to incorporate an entire source distribution from an
        outside source (e.g., a source vendor) into your source repository
        directory.  You can use this command both for initial creation of a
        repository, and for wholesale updates to the module from the outside
        source.  See `Tracking sources in the CVS manual for a discussion on
        this subject.

        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
        checkout -j to reconcile the differences, as import instructs you to
        do.




                                   - 52 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        If cvs decides a file should be ignored (see node `cvsignore in the
        CVS manual), it does not import it and prints I  followed by the
        filename (see node `import output in the CVS manual for a complete
        description of the output).

        If the file $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/cvswrappers exists, any file whose
        names match the specifications in that file will be treated as
        packages and the appropriate filtering will be performed on the
        file/directory before being imported.  See `Wrappers in the CVS
        manual.

        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 uniquely identify the files at the leaves created each
        time you execute import.  The releasetag should be new, not
        previously existing in the repository file, and uniquely identify
        the imported release,

        Note that import does not change the directory in which you invoke
        it.  In particular, it does not set up that directory as a cvs
        working directory; if you want to work with the sources import them
        first and then check them out into a different directory (see node
        `Getting the source in the CVS manual).


 import options
      This standard option is supported by import (see node `Common options
      in the CVS manual for a complete description):



      -m message

        Use message as log information, instead of invoking an editor.

        There are the following additional special options.



      -b branch

        See `Multiple vendor branches in the CVS manual.





                                   - 53 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -d

        Use each files modification time as the time of import rather than
        the current time.



      -k subst

        Indicate the keyword expansion mode desired.  This setting will
        apply to all files created during the import, but not to any files
        that previously existed in the repository.  See `Substitution modes
        in the CVS manual for a list of valid -k settings.



      -I name

        Specify file names that should be ignored during import.  You can
        use this option repeatedly.  To avoid ignoring any files at all
        (even those ignored by default), specify `-I !.

        name can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can
        specify in the .cvsignore file.  See `cvsignore in the CVS manual.



      -W spec

        Specify file names that should be filtered during import.  You can
        use this option repeatedly.

        spec can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can
        specify in the .cvswrappers file. see node `Wrappers in the CVS
        manual.


 import output
      import keeps you informed of its progress by printing a line for each
      file, preceded by one character indicating the status of the file:



      U file

        The file already exists in the repository and has not been locally
        modified; a new revision has been created (if necessary).






                                   - 54 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      N file

        The file is a new file which has been added to the repository.



      C file

        The file already exists in the repository but has been locally
        modified; you will have to merge the changes.



      I file

        The file is being ignored (see node `cvsignore in the CVS manual).



      L file

        The file is a symbolic link; cvs import ignores symbolic links.
        People periodically suggest that this behavior should be changed,
        but if there is a consensus on what it should be changed to, it
        doesnt seem to be apparent.  (Various options in the modules file
        can be used to recreate symbolic links on checkout, update, etc.;
        see node `modules in the CVS manual.)


 import examples
      See `Tracking sources in the CVS manual, and `From files in the CVS
      manual.


 log
    Print out log information for files
      + Synopsis: log [options] [files...]

      + Requires: repository, working directory.

      + Changes: nothing.

        Display log information for files.  log used to call the rcs utility
        rlog.  Although this is no longer true in the current sources, this
        history determines the format of the output and the options, which
        are not quite in the style of the other cvs commands.

        The output includes the location of the rcs file, the head revision
        (the latest revision on the trunk), all symbolic names (tags) and
        some other things.  For each revision, the revision number, the



                                   - 55 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        author, the number of lines added/deleted and the log message are
        printed.  All times are displayed in Coordinated Universal Time
        (UTC).  (Other parts of cvs print times in the local timezone).

        log uses -R in a way that conflicts with the normal use inside cvs
        (see node `Common options in the CVS manual).


 log options
      By default, log prints all information that is available.  All other
      options restrict the output.  Note that the revision selection options
      (-b, -d, -r, -s, and -w) have no effect, other than possibly causing a
      search for files in Attic directories, when used in conjunction with
      the options that restrict the output to only log header fields (-h,
      -R, and -t) unless the -S option is also specified.



      -b

        Print information about the revisions on the default branch,
        normally the highest branch on the trunk.



      -d dates

        Print information about revisions with a checkin date/time in the
        range given by the semicolon-separated list of dates.  The date
        formats accepted are those accepted by the -D option to many other
        cvs commands (see node `Common options in the CVS manual).  Dates
        can be combined into ranges as follows:


        d1<d2



        d2>d1

          Select the revisions that were deposited between d1 and d2.


        <d



        d>

          Select all revisions dated d or earlier.




                                   - 56 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        d<



        >d

          Select all revisions dated d or later.


        d

          Select the single, latest revision dated d or earlier.

          The > or < characters may be followed by = to indicate an
          inclusive range rather than an exclusive one.

          Note that the separator is a semicolon (;).



      -h

        Print only the name of the rcs file, name of the file in the working
        directory, head, default branch, access list, locks, symbolic names,
        and suffix.



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.  (Default is to run
        recursively).



      -N

        Do not print the list of tags for this file.  This option can be
        very useful when your site uses a lot of tags, so rather than
        "more"ing over 3 pages of tag information, the log information is
        presented without tags at all.



      -n

        Print the list of tags for this file. This option can be very useful
        when your .cvsrc file has a log -N entry as a way to get a full list
        of all of the tags.





                                   - 57 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -R

        Print only the name of the rcs file.



      -rrevisions

        Print information about revisions given in the comma-separated list
        revisions of revisions and ranges.  The following table explains the
        available range formats:


        rev1:rev2

          Revisions rev1 to rev2 (which must be on the same branch).


        rev1::rev2

          The same, but excluding rev1.


        :rev



        ::rev

          Revisions from the beginning of the branch up to and including
          rev.


        rev:

          Revisions starting with rev to the end of the branch containing
          rev.


        rev::

          Revisions starting just after rev to the end of the branch
          containing rev.


        branch

          An argument that is a branch means all revisions on that branch.





                                   - 58 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        branch1:branch2



        branch1::branch2

          A range of branches means all revisions on the branches in that
          range.


        branch.

          The latest revision in branch.

          A bare -r with no revisions means the latest revision on the
          default branch, normally the trunk.  There can be no space between
          the -r option and its argument.



      -S

        Suppress the header if no revisions are selected.



      -s states

        Print information about revisions whose state attributes match one
        of the states given in the comma-separated list states.  Individual
        states may be any text string, though cvs commonly only uses two
        states, Exp and dead.  See `admin options in the CVS manual for more
        information.



      -t

        Print the same as -h, plus the descriptive text.



      -wlogins

        Print information about revisions checked in by users with login
        names appearing in the comma-separated list logins.  If logins is
        omitted, the users login is assumed.  There can be no space between
        the -w option and its argument.

        log prints the intersection of the revisions selected with the
        options -d, -s, and -w, intersected with the union of the revisions



                                   - 59 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        selected by -b and -r.


 log examples
      Contributed examples are gratefully accepted.


 rdiff
    patch format diffs between releases
      + 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 program 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 doesnt
        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 patching the old sources, so that patch is
        able to find the files that are located in other directories.


 rdiff options
      These standard options are supported by rdiff (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -D date

        Use the most recent revision no later than date.



      -f





                                   - 60 -       Formatted:  December 7, 2024






 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        If no matching revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision
        (instead of ignoring the file).



      -k kflag

        Process keywords according to kflag.  See `Keyword substitution in
        the CVS manual.



      -l

        Local; dont descend subdirectories.



      -R

        Examine directories recursively.  This option is on by default.



      -r tag

        Use revision tag.

        In addition to the above, these options are available:



      -c

        Use the context diff format.  This is the default format.



      -s

        Create a summary change report instead of a patch.  The summary
        includes information about files that were changed or added between
        the releases.  It is sent to the standard output device.  This is
        useful for finding out, for example, which files have changed
        between two dates or revisions.



      -t





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        A diff of the top two revisions is sent to the standard output
        device.  This is most useful for seeing what the last change to a
        file was.



      -u

        Use the unidiff format for the context diffs.  Remember that old
        versions of the patch program cant handle the unidiff format, so if
        you plan to post this patch to the net you should probably not use
        -u.



      -V vn

        Expand keywords according to the rules current in rcs version vn
        (the expansion format changed with rcs version 5).  Note that this
        option is no longer accepted.  cvs will always expand keywords the
        way that rcs version 5 does.


 rdiff examples
      Suppose you receive mail from foo@example.net asking for an update
      from release 1.2 to 1.4 of the tc compiler.  You have no such patches
      on hand, but with cvs that can easily be fixed with a command such as
      this:


        $ cvs rdiff -c -r FOO1_2 -r FOO1_4 tc | \
        > Mail -s The patches you asked for foo@example.net




      Suppose you have made release 1.3, and forked a branch called R_1_3fix
      for bug fixes.  R_1_3_1 corresponds to release 1.3.1, which was made
      some time ago.  Now, you want to see how much development has been
      done on the branch.  This command can be used:


        $ cvs patch -s -r R_1_3_1 -r R_1_3fix module-name
        cvs rdiff: Diffing module-name
        File ChangeLog,v changed from revision 1.52.2.5 to 1.52.2.6
        File foo.c,v changed from revision 1.52.2.3 to 1.52.2.4
        File bar.h,v changed from revision 1.29.2.1 to 1.2







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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




 release
    Indicate that a Module is no longer in use
      + release [-d] directories...

      + Requires: Working directory.

      + Changes: Working directory, history log.

        This command is meant to safely cancel the effect of cvs checkout.
        Since cvs doesnt lock files, it isnt 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 forgotten, and
        you leave no trace in the cvs history file (see node `history file
        in the CVS manual) that youve abandoned your checkout.

        Use cvs release to avoid these problems.  This command checks that
        no uncommitted changes are present; that you are executing it from
        immediately above a cvs working directory; and that the repository
        recorded for your files is the same as the repository defined in the
        module database.

        If all these conditions are true, cvs release leaves a record of its
        execution (attesting to your intentionally abandoning your checkout)
        in the cvs history log.


 release options
      The release command supports one command option:



      -d

        Delete your working copy of the file if the release succeeds.  If
        this flag is not given your files will remain in your working
        directory.

        WARNING:  The release command deletes all directories and files
        recursively.  This has the very serious side-effect that any
        directory created inside checked-out sources, and not added to the
        repository (using the add command; see node `Adding files in the CVS
        manual) will be silently deleted-even if it is non-empty!


 release output
      Before release releases your sources it will print a one-line message
      for any file that is not up-to-date.



      U file



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      P file

        There exists a newer revision of this file in the repository, and
        you have not modified your local copy of the file (U and P mean the
        same thing).



      A file

        The file has been added to your private copy of the sources, but has
        not yet been committed to the repository.  If you delete your copy
        of the sources this file will be lost.



      R file

        The file has been removed from your private copy of the sources, but
        has not yet been removed from the repository, since you have not yet
        committed the removal.  See `commit in the CVS manual.



      M file

        The file is modified in your working directory.  There might also be
        a newer revision inside the repository.



      ? 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, and see
        node `cvsignore in the CVS manual).  If you remove your working
        sources, this file will be lost.


 release examples
      Release the tc directory, and delete your local working copy of the
      files.


        $ cd ..         # You must stand immediately above the
                        # sources when you issue cvs release.




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        $ cvs release -d tc
        You have [0] altered files in this repository.
        Are you sure you want to release (and delete) directory `tc: y
        $





 remove
    Remove files from active use
      + Synopsis: remove [-flR] [files...]

      + Requires: repository, working directory.

      + Changes: working directory.

        The remove command is used to remove unwanted files from active use.
        The user normally deletes the files from the working directory prior
        to invocation of the remove command.  Only the working directory is
        updated.  Changes to the repository are not made until the commit
        command is run.

        The remove command does not delete files from from the repository.
        cvs keeps all historical data in the repository so that it is
        possible to reconstruct previous states of the projects under
        revision control.

        To undo cvs remove or to resurrect files that were previously
        removed, see node `add in the CVS manual.


 remove options
      These standard options are supported by remove (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.  See `Recursive
        behavior in the CVS manual.



      -R

        Process directories recursively.  See `Recursive behavior in the CVS
        manual.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        In addition, these options are also supported:



      -f

        Note that this is not the standard behavior of the -f option as
        defined in `Common options in the CVS manual.

        Delete files before removing them.

        Entire directory hierarchies are easily removed using -f, but take
        note that it is not as easy to resurrect directory hierarchies as it
        is to remove them.



 remove examples
    Removing a file
        $ cvs remove remove.me
        cvs remove: file `remove.me still in working directory
        cvs remove: 1 file exists; remove it first
        $ rm -f remove.me
        $ cvs remove remove.me
        cvs remove: scheduling `remove.me for removal
        cvs remove: use cvs commit to remove this file permanently

        $ ls remove.it
        remove.it
        $ cvs remove -f remove.it
        cvs remove: scheduling `remove.it for removal
        cvs remove: use cvs commit to remove this file permanently





    Removing entire directories
        $ tree -d a
        a
        |-- CVS
        `-- b
            `-- CVS

        3 directories
        $ cvs remove -f a
        cvs remove: Removing a
        cvs remove: Removing a/b
        cvs remove: scheduling `a/b/c for removal
        cvs remove: use cvs commit to remove this file permanently




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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)







 update
    Bring work tree in sync with repository
      + update [-ACdflPpR] [-I name] [-j rev [-j rev]] [-k kflag] [-r tag|-D
        date] [-W spec] files...

      + Requires: repository, working directory.

      + Changes: working directory.

        After youve 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 process, you can use the update command from within your
        working directory to reconcile your work with any revisions applied
        to the source repository since your last checkout or update.


 update options
      These standard options are available with update (see node `Common
      options in the CVS manual for a complete description of them):



      -D date

        Use the most recent revision no later than date.  This option is
        sticky, and implies -P.  See `Sticky tags in the CVS manual for more
        information on sticky tags/dates.



      -f

        Only useful with the -D date or -r tag flags.  If no matching
        revision is found, retrieve the most recent revision (instead of
        ignoring the file).



      -k kflag

        Process keywords according to kflag.  See `Keyword substitution in
        the CVS manual.  This option is sticky; future updates of this file
        in this working directory will use the same kflag.  The status
        command can be viewed to see the sticky options.  See `Invoking CVS
        in the CVS manual for more information on the status command.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -l

        Local; run only in current working directory.  See `Recursive
        behavior in the CVS manual.



      -P

        Prune empty directories.  See `Moving directories in the CVS manual.



      -p

        Pipe files to the standard output.



      -R

        Update directories recursively (default).  See `Recursive behavior
        in the CVS manual.



      -r rev

        Retrieve revision/tag rev.  This option is sticky, and implies -P.
        See `Sticky tags in the CVS manual, for more information on sticky
        tags/dates.

        These special options are also available with update.



      -A

        Reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options.  Does not reset sticky
        -k options on modified files.  See `Sticky tags in the CVS manual
        for more information on sticky tags/dates.



      -C

        Overwrite locally modified files with clean copies from the
        repository (the modified file is saved in





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)





      -d

        Create any directories that exist in the repository if theyre
        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.



      -I name

        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 specify several files to ignore.  Use -I ! to avoid ignoring
        any files at all.  See `cvsignore in the CVS manual for other ways
        to make cvs ignore some files.



      -Wspec

        Specify file names that should be filtered during update.  You can
        use this option repeatedly.

        spec can be a file name pattern of the same type that you can
        specify in the .cvswrappers file.  See `Wrappers in the CVS manual.



      -jrevision

        With two -j options, merge changes from the revision specified with
        the first -j option to the revision specified with the second j
        option, into the working directory.

        With one -j option, merge changes from the ancestor revision to the
        revision specified with the -j option, into the working directory.
        The ancestor revision is the common ancestor of the revision which
        the working directory is based on, and the revision specified in the
        -j option.

        Note that using a single -j tagname option rather than -j branchname



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        to merge changes from a branch will often not remove files which
        were removed on the branch.  See `Merging adds and removals in the
        CVS manual for more information.

        In addition, each -j option can contain an 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.

        See `Branching and merging in the CVS manual.



 update output
      update and checkout keep you informed of their progress by printing a
      line for each file, preceded by one character indicating 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 working directory, and for files that you havent changed but
        are not the most recent versions available in the repository.



      P file

        Like U, but the cvs server sends a patch instead of an entire file.
        This accomplishes the same thing as U using less bandwidth.



      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 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 commit on
        the file.  This is a reminder to you that the file needs to be



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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




        committed.



      M file

        The file is modified in  your  working  directory.

        M can indicate one of two states for a file youre working on: either
        there were no modifications 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.

        cvs will print some messages if it merges your work, and a backup
        copy of your working file (as it looked before you ran update) will
        be made.  The exact name of that file is printed while update runs.



      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 directory) is now the result of attempting to merge the two
        revisions; an unmodified copy of your file is also in your working
        directory, with the name is the revision that your modified file
        started from.  Resolve the conflict as described in `Conflicts
        example in the CVS manual.  (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.)  Under vms, the file name starts
        with __ rather than .#.



      ? 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, and see
        node `cvsignore in the CVS manual).

 AUTHORS
      Dick Grune
           Original author of the cvs shell script version posted to
           comp.sources.unix in the volume6 release of December, 1986.
           Credited with much of the cvs conflict resolution algorithms.





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 CVS(1)                                                               CVS(1)




      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 vendor branch
           support and author of the checkin(1) shell script (the ancestor
           of cvs import).

      Larry Jones, Derek R. Price, and Mark D. Baushke
           Have helped maintain cvs for many years.

      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.pdf
      (Portable Document Format), cvs.ps (PostScript), cvs.texinfo (Texinfo
      source), or cvs.html.

      For CVS updates, more information on documentation, software related
      to CVS, development of CVS, and more, see:

          http://cvs.nongnu.org

 ci(1), co(1), cvs(5), cvsbug(8), diff(1), grep(1), patch(1), rcs(1),
 rcsdiff(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1).


























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