Indicate that files/directories should be added to the repository. They are not actually added until they are committed via cvs commit. This command is also used to resurrect files that have been deleted with cvs remove.

The standard meaning of the common client option -k applies. The only additional option that can be used with the add command is -m message. This option is used to provide a description of the file (which appears in the output of the log command).

annotate  
 [ [ -D date | -r rev ] -f ]  
 [ -F ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 file ...

CVS prints a report showing each line of the specified file. Each line is prefixed by information about the most recent change to the line, including the revision number, user, and date. If no revision is specified, the head of the trunk is used.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -l, -r, and -R apply. There is one additional option:

-F

Annotate binary files. CVS normally skips binary files.

checkout  
 [ -A ]  
 [ -c | -s ]  
 [ -d dir [ -N ] ]  
 [ [ -D date | -r rev ] -f ]  
 [ -j rev1 [ -j rev2 ] ] 
 [ -k kflag ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 [ -n ]  
 [ -p ]  
 [ -P ]  
 module ...

Copy files from the repository to the sandbox.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -k, -l, -n, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-A

Reset any sticky tags or dates.

-c

Copy the module file to standard output.

-d dir

Override the default directory name.

-j rev

Join branches together.

-N

Don't shorten module paths.

-p

Pipe the files to standard output, with header lines between them showing the filename, RCS filename, and version.

-P

Prune empty directories.

-s

Show status for each module from the modules file.

commit  
 [ -f | [ -l | -R ] ]  
 [ -F file | -m message ]
 [ -n ]  
 [ -r revision ]  
 [ file ... ]

Commit the changes (if any) made to the specified files in the sandbox to the repository. If no files are specified, commit all modified files.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l, -n, -r, and -R apply. Use of the -r option causes the revision to be sticky, requiring the use of admin -A to continue to use the sandbox. Additional options are:

-f

Force commit, even if no changes were made.

-F file

Use the contents of the file as the message.

-m message

Use the message specified.

diff  
 [ -k kflag ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  [ format ]  
 [ [ -r rev1 | -D date1 ] [ -r rev2 | -D date2 ] ]
 [ file ... ]

Compare two versions of a file and display the differences in a format determined by the options. By default, the sandbox version of the file is compared to the repository version it was originally copied from.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -k, -l, -r, and -R apply. All options for the diff command can also be used.

edit  
 [ -a action ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 [ file ... ]

The edit command is used in conjunction with watch to permit a more coordinated (serialized) development process. It makes the file writable and sends out an advisory to any users that have requested them. A temporary watch is established and will be removed automatically when either the unedit or the commit command is issued.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply. The only additional option that can be used with the edit command is -a actions. This option is used to specify the actions to watch. The legal values for actions are described in the entry for the watch command.

editors  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 [ file ... ]

Display a list of users working on the files specified. This is determined by checking which users have run the edit command on those files. If the edit command has not been used, no results are displayed.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply.

See also watch.

export  
 [ -d dir [ -N ] ]  
 [ -D date | -r rev ]  
 [ -f ]  [ -k kflag ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 [ -n ]  
 [ -P ]  
 module ...

Export files from the repository, much like the checkout command, except that the result is not a sandbox (i.e., CVS subdirectories are not created). This can be used to prepare a directory for distribution. For example:

$ cvs export -r foo-1_0 -d foo-1.0 foo
$ tar czf foo-1.0.tar.gz foo-1.0

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -k, -l, -n, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-d dir

Use dir as the directory name instead of using the module name.

-n

Don't run any checkout programs.

-N

Don't shorten paths.

When checking out a single file located one or more directories down in a module's directory structure, the -N option can be used with -d to prevent the creation of intermediate directories.

help

Display helpful information about using the cvs program.

history  
 [ -a | -u user ]  
 [ -b string ]  
 [ -c ]  
 [ -D date ]  
 [ -e | -x type ]  
 [ -f file | -m module | -n module | -p repository ]...   
 [ -l ]  
 [ -o ]  
 [ -r rev ]  
 [ -t tag ]  
 [ -T ]  
 [ -w ]  
 [ -x types ]  
 [ -z zone ]  
 [ file ... ]

NOTE:

When used with the history command, the functions of -f, -l, -n, and -p are not the same as elsewhere in CVS.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D and -r apply. History is reported for activity subsequent to the date or revision indicated. Additional options are:

Table 15-19. Update-related history record types

Table 15-20. Commit-related history record types

Table 15-21. Other history record types

import  
 [ -b branch ]  
 [ -d ]  
 [ -I pattern ]  
 [ -k kflag ]  
 [ -m message ]  
 [ -W spec ]  
 module  
 vendor_tag  
 release_tag ...

Import an entire directory into the repository as a new module. Used to incorporate code from outside sources or other code that was initially created outside the control of the CVS repository. More than one release_tag may be specified, in which case multiple symbolic tags will be created for the initial revision.

The vendor_tag argument is used to track third-party code that may be used in your project. By using different values for this argument, you can track the third-party code separately, and upgrade that portion of your code to a new release with a subsequent cvs import command. Since the argument is not optional, use some conventional value such as "vendor" whenever the code being imported should not be tracked separately.

The release_tag argument is used to associate a symbolic tag with the initial version of every file being imported. Since this argument is not optional, use some conventional value such as "start" whenever you don't have a more meaningful value to provide.

The standard meaning of the common client option -k applies. Additional options are:

-b branch

Import to a vendor branch.

-d

Use the modification date and time of the file instead of the current date and time as the import date and time. For local repository locators only.

-I pattern

Filename patterns for files to ignore.

-m message

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

-W spec

Wrapper specification.

The -k setting applies only to files imported during this execution of the command. The keyword substitution modes of files already in the repository are not modified.

Table 15-22. import status codes

log  
 [ -b ]  
 [ -d dates ]  
 [ -h ]  
 [ -N ]  
 [ -rrevisions ]  
 [ -R ]  
 [ -s states ]  
 [ -t ]  
 [ -wlogins ]  
 [ file ... ]

Print an activity log for the files.

The standard meaning of the common client option -l applies. Additional options are:

-b

List revisions on default branch.

-d dates

Report on these dates.

-h

Print header only.

-N

Don't print tags.

-r[revisions]

Report on the listed revisions. There is no space between -r and its argument. Without an argument, the latest revision of the default branch is used.

-R

Print RCS filename only. The usage of -R here is different from elsewhere in CVS (-R usually causes CVS to operate recursively).

-s states

Print only those revisions having one of the specified states.

-S

Don't print the header if the output would otherwise be empty.

-t

Print only header and descriptive text.

-wlogins

Report on checkins by the listed logins. There is no space between -w and its argument.

Table 15-23. log date range specifications

Table 15-24. log revision specifications

login

Log into a remote repository. The password entered will be cached in the ~/.cvspass file, since a connection to the server is not maintained across invocations.

logout

Log out of a remote repository. The password cached in the ~/.cvspass file will be deleted.

rannotate  
 [ [ -D date | -r rev ] -f ]  
 [ -F ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 module ...

CVS prints a report showing each line of the specified module or module file. Each line is prefixed by information about the most recent change to the line, including the revision number, user, and date. If no revision is specified, the head of the trunk is used.

The rannotate command differs from the annotate command in that it refers directly to modules (and their files) in the repository rather than inferring the module based on the sandbox from which it is run. The first path component of each module argument must be a valid module for the repository.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -l, -r, and -R apply. There is one additonal option:

-F

Annotate binary files. CVS normally skips binary files.

rdiff  
 [ -c | -s | -u ]  
 [ { { -D date1 | -r rev1 } [ -D date2 | -r rev2 ] } | -t ]  
 [ -f ]  
 [ -l | -R ]  
 [-V vn]  
 file ...

Create a patch file that can be used to convert a directory containing one release into a different release.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -l, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-c

Use context diff format (the default).

-s

Output a summary of changed files instead of a patch file.

-t

Show the differences between the two most recent revisions.

-u

Use unidiff format.

-V rcsver

Obsolete. Used to specify version of RCS to emulate for keyword expansion. (Keyword expansion emulates RCS Version 5.)

release
  [ -d ]
  directory ...

Sandboxes can be abandoned or deleted without using cvs release, but using the release command will log an entry to the history file (if this mechanism is configured) about the sandbox being destroyed. In addition, it will check the disposition (recursively) of each sandbox file before deleting anything. This can prevent destroying work that has not yet been committed.

There is only one option that can be used with the release command, -d. The -d option will delete the sandbox copy if no uncommitted changes are present.

NOTE: New directories (including any files in them) in the sandbox will be deleted if the -d option is used with release.

Table 15-25. release status Codes

remove
  [ -f ]
  [ -l | -R ]
  [ file ... ]

Indicate that files should be removed from the repository. The files will not actually be removed until they are committed. Use cvs add to resurrect files that have been removed if you change your mind later.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply. Only one other option may be used with the remove command, -f. When used, -f will delete the file from the sandbox first.

rlog
  [ -b ]
  [ -d dates ]
  [ -h ]  [ -N ]  [ -rrevisions ]
  [ -R ]
  [ -s state ]
  [ -t ]
  [ -wlogins ]
  [ module ... ]

Print an activity log for the modules.

The standard meaning of the common client option -l applies. Additional options are:

-b

List revisions on default branch.

-d dates

Report on these dates.

-h

Print header only.

-N

Don't print tags.

-r[revisions]

Report on the listed revisions. There is no space between -r and its argument. Without an argument, the latest revision of the default branch is used.

-R

Print RCS filename only. The usage of -R here is different from elsewhere in CVS (-R usually causes CVS to operate recursively).

-s state

Print only those revisions having the specified state.

-t

Print only header and descriptive text.

-wlogins

Report on checkins by the listed logins. There is no space between -w and its argument.

rtag
  [ -a ]
  [ -b ]
  [ -B ]
  [ -d ]
  [ -D date | -r rev ]
  [ -f ]
  [ -F ]
  [ -l | - R ]
  [ -n ]
  tag
  file ...

Assign a tag to a particular revision of a set of files. If the file already uses the tag for a different revision, cvs rtag will complain unless the -F option is used. This command does not refer to the sandbox file revisions (use cvs tag for that), so it can be run outside of a sandbox if desired.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -l, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-a

Search the attic for removed files containing the tag.

-b

Make it a branch tag.

-B

Allow movement or deletion of branch tags (used with -d or -F.)

-d

Delete the tag.

-F

Force. Move the tag from its current revision to the one specified.

-n

Don't run any tag program from the modules file.

status
  [ -l | -R ]
  [ -v ]
  [ file ... ]

Display the status of the files.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply. You can use status -v to include tag information.

tag
  [ -b ]
  [ -c ]
  [ -d ]
  [ -D date | -r rev ]
  [ -f ]
  [ -F ]
  [ -l | R ]
  tag
  [ file ... ]

Assign a tag to the sandbox revisions of a set of files. You can use the status -v command to list the existing tags for a file.

The tag must start with a letter and consist entirely of letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores. Therefore, while you might want to tag your hello project with 1.0 when you release Version 1.0, you'll need to tag it with something like hello-1_0 instead.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -l, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-b

Make a branch.

-c

Check for changes. Make sure the files are not locally modified before tagging.

-d

Delete the tag.

-F

Force. Move the tag from its current revision to the one specified.

Since the -d option throws away information that might be important, it is recommended that you use it only when absolutely necessary. It is usually better to create a different tag with a similar name.

unedit
  [ -l | -R ]
  [ file ... ]

Abandon file modifications and make the file read-only again. Watchers will be notified.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply.

update
  [ -A ]
  [ -C ]
  [ -d ]
  [ -D date | -r rev ]
  [ -f ]
  [ -I pattern ]
  [ -j rev1 [ -j rev2 ] ]
  [ -k kflag ]
  [ -l | -R ]
  [ -p ]
  [ -P ]
  [ -W spec ]
  [ file ... ]

Update the sandbox, merging in any changes from the repository. For example:

cvs -n -q update -AdP

can be used to do a quick status check of the current sandbox versus the head of the trunk of development.

The standard meanings of the common client options -D, -f, -k, -l, -r, and -R apply. Additional options are:

-A

Reset sticky tags.

-C

Replace modified files with clean copies.

-d

Create and update new directories.

-I pattern

Provide filename patterns for files to ignore.

-j revision

Merge in (join) changes between two revisions.

-p

Check out files to standard output.

-P

Prune empty directories.

-W spec

Provide wrapper specification.

When using -C, CVS makes backups of modified files before copying the clean version. The backup files are named .#file.revision.

Using -D or -r results in sticky dates or tags, respectively, on the affected files (using -p along with these prevents stickiness). Use -A to reset any sticky tags or dates.

If two -j specifications are made, the differences between them are computed and applied to the current file. If only one is given, then the common ancestor of the sandbox revision and the specified revision is used as a basis for computing differences to be merged. For example, suppose a project has an experimental branch, and important changes to the file foo.c were introduced between revisions 1.2.2.1 and 1.2.2.2. Once those changes have proven stable, you want them reflected in the main line of development. From a sandbox with the head revisions checked out, run:

$ cvs update -j 1.2.2.1 -j 1.2.2.2 foo.c

CVS finds the differences between the two revisions and applies those differences to the file in your sandbox.

Table 15-26. update status codes

version

Display the version of the CVS client (and server, if appropriate) being used.

watch
  { { on | off } | { add | remove } [ -a action ] }
  [ -l | -R ]
  file ...

The watch command controls CVS's edit tracking mechanism. By default, CVS operates in its concurrent development mode, allowing any user to edit any file at any time. CVS includes this watch mechanism to support developers who would rather be notified of edits made by others proactively than discover them when doing an update. The CVSROOT/notify file determines how notifications are performed.

Table 15-27. watch subcommands

Table 15-28. watch Actions

See also edit, editors, unedit, and watchers.

watchers
  [ -l | -R ]
  [ file ... ]

Display a list of users watching the specified files. This is determined by checking which users have run the watch command on a particular file (or set of files). If the watch command has not been used, no results will be displayed.

The standard meanings of the common client options -l and -R apply.