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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  docu
       mentation,  please consult the Cederqvist manual (via the info CVS com
       mand or otherwise, as described in the SEE ALSO section	of  this  man
       page).  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

	 One  of  several  different  sub-commands.  Some of the commands have
	 aliases that can be used instead; those aliases are noted in the ref
	 erence  manual for that command.  There are only two situations where
	 you may omit cvs_command: cvs -H elicits a  list  of  available  com
	 mands, 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 com
	 mand_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 doc
	 umentation instead.


Exit status
   CVS's 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 suc
       cessful status if it found no differences, or a failure status if there
       were  differences or if there was an error.  Because this behavior pro
       vides 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  spec
       ify that option.  One example (the one that drove the implementation of
       the .cvsrc support, actually) is that many people find the default out
       put  of	the diff command to be very hard to read, and that either con
       text diffs or unidiffs are much easier to understand.

       The ~/.cvsrc file is a way that you can add default options to cvs_com
       mands 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  user's  ~/.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 doesn't 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 follow
       ing line in .cvsrc


	 cvs -z6




       causes cvs to use compression level 6.


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



       --allow-root=rootdir

	 May  be invoked multiple times to specify one legal cvsroot directory
	 with each invocation.	Also causes CVS to preparse the  configuration
	 file  for  each  specified root, which can be useful when configuring
	 write proxies,  See see node Password authentication server' in  the
	 CVS manual & see node Write proxies' 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.

	 The cvs client and server store temporary files in a temporary direc
	 tory.	 The  path to this temporary directory is set via, in order of
	 precedence:


	  The argument to the global -T option.


	  The value set for TmpDir in the config file (server only - see node
	   config' in the CVS manual).


	  The  contents of the $TMPDIR environment variable (%TMPDIR% on Win
	   dows - see node Environment variables' in the CVS manual).


	  /tmp


	   Temporary directories should always be  specified  as  an  absolute
	   pathname.   When  running  a  CVS client, -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 reposi
	 tory.	Overrides the setting of the  $CVSROOT	environment  variable.
	 see node Repository' in the CVS manual.



       -e editor

	 Use  editor to enter revision log information.  Overrides the setting
	 of the $CVSEDITOR and $EDITOR environment variables.  For more infor
	 mation, see see node 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 don't specify a command name,
	 cvs -H displays overall help for cvs, including a list of other  help
	 options.



       -R

	 Turns	on  read-only  repository  mode.  This allows one to check out
	 from a read-only repository, such as within  an  anoncvs  server,  or
	 from a cd-rom repository.

	 Same  effect  as  if  the  CVSREADONLYFS environment variable is set.
	 Using -R can also considerably speed up checkouts over NFS.



       -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.



       -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

	 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  authen
	 ticated'  in the CVS manual) or a Kerberos connection (see node Ker
	 beros 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  config
	 ure option, --enable-encryption, when you build cvs.



       -z level

	 Request  compression level for network traffic.  cvs interprets level
	 identically to the gzip program.  Valid levels are 1 (high speed, low
	 compression) to 9 (low speed, high compression), or 0 to disable com
	 pression (the default).  Data sent to the server will	be  compressed
	 at the requested level and the client will request the server use the
	 same compression level for data returned.  The server	will  use  the
	 closest  level  allowed  by  the  server  administrator  to  compress
	 returned data.  This option only has an effect when passed to 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 dif
       ferent behavior from one cvs command to the other).

       Note: 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,
	 ls, rdiff, rls, rtag, tag, and update commands.  (The history command
	 uses this option in a	slightly  different  way;  see	node  history
	 options' in the CVS manual).

	 For  a  complete description of the date formats accepted by cvs, see
	 node Date input formats' in the CVS manual.

	 Remember to quote the argument to the -D  flag  so  that  your  shell
	 doesn't interpret spaces as argument separators.  A command using the
	 -D flag can look like this:


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






       -f

	 When you specify a particular date or tag to cvs commands, they  nor
	 mally	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 see node commit
	 options'  in the CVS manual, and see node Removing files' in the CVS
	 manual.



       -k kflag

	 Override the default processing of RCS keywords other than -kb.   see
	 node  Keyword	substitution'  in  the CVS manual, for the meaning of
	 kflag.  Used with the checkout and update commands, your kflag speci
	 fication is sticky; that is, when you use this option with a checkout
	 or update command, cvs associates your selected kflag with any  files
	 it  operates on, and continues to use that kflag with future commands
	 on the same files until you specify otherwise.

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

	 WARNING:  Prior  to  CVS version 1.12.2, the -k flag overrode the -kb
	 indication for a binary file.	This could  sometimes  corrupt	binary
	 files.   see node Merging and keywords' in the CVS manual, for more.



       -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

	 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).

	 Note:	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, commit, export, and rtag commands.



       -P

	 Prune empty directories.  See see node 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 the default for all cvs
	 commands, with the exception of ls & rls.

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



       -r tag




       -r tag[:date]

	 Use the revision specified by the tag argument (and the date argument
	 for  the  commands which accept it) instead of the default head revi
	 sion.	As well as arbitrary tags defined with the tag	or  rtag  com
	 mand,	two special tags are always available: HEAD refers to the most
	 recent version available in the repository, and BASE  refers  to  the
	 revision you last checked out into the current working directory.

	 The  tag  specification  is sticky when you use this 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 oth
	 erwise (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 see
	 node Tags' in the CVS manual, or the name of a branch, as  described
	 in  see  node Branching and merging' in the CVS manual.  When tag is
	 the name of a branch, some commands accept the optional date argument
	 to  specify  the revision as of the given date on the branch.	When a
	 command expects a specific revision, the name of a branch  is	inter
	 preted 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.

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

	 -r tag is available with the commit and history commands.

	 -r tag[:date] is available with the annotate, checkout, diff, 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.



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 his
	 torical 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 commands, except for those specified using
	 the UserAdminOptions configuration option in the CVSROOT/config file.
	 Options specified using UserAdminOptions can be run by any user.  See
	 see node config' in the CVS manual for more on UserAdminOptions.

	 The cvsadmin group should exist on the server, or any system  running
	 the non-client/server cvs.  To disallow cvs admin for all users, cre
	 ate 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
	 file.



       -b[rev]

	 Set the default branch to rev.  In cvs, you normally do  not  manipu
	 late 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 vendor's
	 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 node Keyword substitution' in the CVS  man
	 ual.



       -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, with
	 out depositing a revision.  With cvs, add files with the cvs add com
	 mand (see node Adding files' in the CVS manual).



       -ksubst

	 Set the default keyword substitution to  subst.   see	node  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 see node 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
	 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 exam
	 ple, cvs admin -nname: associates name with the current latest  revi
	 sion  of  all	the  RCS files; this contrasts with cvs admin -nname:$
	 which associates name with the revision numbers extracted  from  key
	 word 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 itthere 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.


	 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 isn't very useful, in the future it  may	change	to  be
	   like the :: case.

	   Due to the way cvs handles branches rev cannot be specified symbol
	   ically if it is a branch.  see node 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 $State$ key
	 words (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.



       -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  notifica
	 tion  (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 specify
	 ing  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?
	Synopsis: annotate [options] files...

	Requires: repository.

	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 tag[:date]

	 Annotate file as of specified revision/tag or, when date is specified
	 and tag is a branch tag, the  version	from  the  branch  tag	as  it
	 existed on date.  See see node Common options' in the CVS manual.



       -D date

	 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 doesn't 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 see node  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  see
       node 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 repos
	 itory.  The symbolic names are defined in the modules file.  see node
	 modules' in the CVS manual.

	 Depending on the modules you specify, checkout may recursively create
	 directories and populate them with the appropriate source files.  You
	 can  then  edit these source files at any time (regardless of whether
	 other software  developers  are  editing  their  own  copies  of  the
	 sources); update them to include new changes applied by others to the
	 source repository; or commit your work as a permanent change  to  the
	 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 dif
	 ferent 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 speci
	 fied, the CVSREAD environment variable is specified (see node	Envi
	 ronment  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, don't forget
	 to change your directory to the top level directory.

	 For the output produced by the checkout command see 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 see node Sticky tags' in the CVS man
	 ual, for more information on sticky tags/dates.



       -f

	 Only useful with the -D or -r 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 see node Keyword substitu
	 tion'	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 see node
	 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 see node 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[:date]

	 Checkout the revision specified by tag or, when date is specified and
	 tag is a branch tag, the version from the branch tag as it existed on
	 date.	 This  option is sticky, and implies -P.  See see node Sticky
	 tags' in the CVS manual, for more information on  sticky  tags/dates.
	 Also, see see node Common options' in the CVS manual.

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



       -A

	 Reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options.  See  see  node  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 cre
	 ating or modifying any files or directories in  your  working	direc
	 tory.



       -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 doesn't contain empty intermediate directories.	In  this  case
	 only,	cvs tries to ``shorten'' pathnames to avoid those empty direc
	 tories.

	 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

	 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 specifica
	 tion 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 node 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 node 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





commit
   Check files into the repository
	Synopsis:  commit  [-lnRf] [-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 don't 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 cur
	 rent revisions in the source repository; it will notify you, and exit
	 without  committing,  if any of the specified files must be made cur
	 rent 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 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.

	 At commit, a unique commitid is placed in the	rcs  file  inside  the
	 repository.  All  files  committed at once get the same commitid. The
	 commitid can be retrieved with the log and status  command;  see  see
	 node  log' in the CVS manual, see node File status' in the CVS man
	 ual.


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



       -l

	 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 com
	 mit to a specific revision on a branch.

	 commit also supports these options:



       -c

	 Refuse to commit files unless the user has registered a valid edit on
	 the  file  via cvs edit.  This is most useful when commit -c and edit
	 -c have been placed in all .cvsrc files.  A commit can be forced any
	 ways  by  either  regestering	an edit retroactively via cvs edit (no
	 changes to the file will be lost) or using the -f option  to  commit.
	 Support  for  commit  -c  requires  both client and a server versions
	 1.12.10 or greater.



       -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 see node Common options' in the CVS manual.

	 Force	cvs  to  commit  a  new  revision even if you haven't made any
	 changes to the file.  As of cvs version 1.12.10, it also  causes  the
	 -c  option  to  be  ignored.  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

	 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 com
       mit  changes  made  within  these working sources will be automatically
       added to a branch revision, thereby not disturbing  main-line  develop
       ment  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:


	 [[ 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[:date1]  |
	 -D date1) [-r rev2[:date2] | -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  revi
	 sions	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

	 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 see node Keyword substitu
	 tion' in the CVS manual.



       -l

	 Local; run only in current working directory.



       -R

	 Examine directories recursively.  This option is on by default.



       -r tag[:date]

	 Compare with revision specified by tag or, when date is specified and
	 tag is a branch tag, the version from the branch tag as it existed on
	 date.	 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 cur
	 rent 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 spec
	 ify  an  output  format by itself; it has no effect unless it is com
	 bined with -c or -u.  This option is obsolete.  For proper operation,
	 patch typically needs at least two lines of context.



       -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 differ
	 ences.



       -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.



       --changed-group-format=format

	 Use format to output a line group  containing	differing  lines  from
	 both  files in if-then-else format.  see node 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

	 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 equiv
	 alent.



       -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

	 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  for
	 mat.



       --line-format=format

	 Use  format  to  output  all input lines in if-then-else format.  see
	 node Line formats' in the CVS manual.



       --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 node 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 node 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  node Line group formats' in the CVS
	 manual.



       --old-line-format=format

	 Use format to output a line taken from just the  first  file  in  if-
	 then-else format.  see node 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

	 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 man
	 ual.



       --unchanged-line-format=format

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



       -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 applica
       tions that allow if-then-else input,  including	programming  languages
       and  text formatting languages.	A line group format specifies the out
       put 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}
	 %<\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  for
       mats.


	 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




       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 for
	 mat  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 new
	 line.	 Each  line is formatted according to the old line format (see
	 node Line formats' in the CVS manual).



       %>

	 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 for
	 mat.



       %%

	 stands for %.



       %c'C'

	 where	C  is  a single character, stands for C.  C may not be a back
	 slash 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  char
	 acter with octal code O.  For example, %c'\0' stands for a null char
	 acter.



       Fn

	 where F is a printf conversion specification and n is one of the fol
	 lowing letters, stands for n's value formatted with F.


	 e

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


	 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, spec
	   ifying decimal, octal, lower case hexadecimal, or upper  case  hex
	   adecimal  output  respectively.   After the % the following options
	   can appear in sequence: a - specifying left-justification; an inte
	   ger 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  con
	 stant	or  a single letter interpreted as above.  This format spec is
	 equivalent to T if A's value equals B's; 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.


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 simul
	 taneously.

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



       %l

	 stands for the contents of the line, not counting its	trailing  new
	 line (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	incom
	 pleteness.



       %%

	 stands for %.



       %c'C'

	 where	C  is  a single character, stands for C.  C may not be a back
	 slash 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  char
	 acter with octal code O.  For example, %c'\0' stands for a null char
	 acter.



       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.


	 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 diff's normal format.  You can tailor this command to  get
	 fine control over diff's 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  substi
       tuted,  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 fol
       lowing can be used:


	 $ cvs diff -r RELEASE_1_0 -r EXPR1




       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[:date] | -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
	 doesn't  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 suitesee 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
       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[:date]

	 Export  the  revision specified by tag or, when date is specified and
	 tag is a branch tag, the version from the branch tag as it existed on
	 date.	See see node Common options' in the CVS manual.

	 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 node checkout options' in the CVS manual, for
	 complete details on how cvs handles this flag.



       -k subst

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



       -N

	 Only useful together with -d dir.  see node 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 log that tracks each use of most cvs commands.
	 You can use history to display this information in various formats.

	 To  enable  logging, the LogHistory config option must be set to some
	 value other than the empty string and the history file  specified  by
	 the  HistoryLogPath  option must be writable by all users who may run
	 the cvs executable (see node config' in the CVS manual).

	 To enable the history command, logging must be enabled as  above  and
	 the  HistorySearchPath  config  option  (see node config' in the CVS
	 manual) must be set to specify some number of the history  logs  cre
	 ated  thereby and these files must be readable by each user who might
	 run the history command.

	 Creating a repository via the cvs init command will enable logging of
	 all  possible	events	to  a  single  history log file ($CVSROOT/CVS
	 ROOT/history) with read and write permissions for all users (see node
	 Creating a repository' in the CVS manual).

	 Note:	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 which
	 can only handle certain record types, you'll 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:


	 C

	   A  merge was necessary but collisions were detected (requiring man
	   ual 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

	 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  sev
	 eral -p options on the same command line).



       -r rev

	 Show  records	referring to revisions since the revision or tag named
	 rev appears in individual rcs files.  Each rcs file is  searched  for
	 the revision or tag.



       -t tag

	 Show  records since tag tag was last added to the history file.  This
	 differs from the -r flag above in that  it  reads  only  the  history
	 file, not the rcs files, and is much faster.



       -u name

	 Show records for user name.



       -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  out
	 side  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 node Tracking sources' in the CVS manual, for a discus
	 sion on this subject.

	 The repository argument gives a directory name (or a path to a direc
	 tory) 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.

	 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 node 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 iden
	 tify 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 previ
	 ously 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  work
	 ing 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 see node Multiple vendor branches' in the CVS manual.



       -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  see  node  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 node 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.



       -X

	 Modify the algorithm used by cvs when importing new files so that new
	 files do not immediately appear on the main trunk.

	 Specifically,	this flag causes cvs to mark new files as if they were
	 deleted on the main trunk, by taking the  following  steps  for  each
	 file  in  addition  to those normally taken on import: creating a new
	 revision on the main trunk indicating that  the  new  file  is  dead,
	 resetting  the new file's default branch, and placing the file in the
	 Attic (see node Attic' in the CVS manual) directory.

	 Use of this option can be forced on a repository-wide basis  by  set
	 ting  the  ImportNewFilesToVendorBranchOnly  option in CVSROOT/config
	 (see node config' 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).



       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  modi
	 fied; 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.  Peo
	 ple periodically suggest that this behavior should be changed, but if
	 there	is  a  consensus  on  what  it should be changed to, it is not
	 apparent.  (Various options in the modules file can be used to recre
	 ate  symbolic	links on checkout, update, etc.; see node modules' in
	 the CVS manual.)


import examples
       See see node Tracking sources' in the CVS manual, and see  node	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 date,
	 the  author,  the number of lines added/deleted, the commitid and the
	 log message are printed.  All dates are displayed in  local  time  at
	 the  client. This is typically specified in the $TZ environment vari
	 able, which can be set to govern how log displays dates.

	 Note: 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
       (-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 (-b, -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  for
	 mats  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:


	 d1d1

	   Select the revisions that were deposited between d1 and d2.


	 

	   Select all revisions dated d or earlier.


	 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.



       -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 contain
	   ing rev.


	 branch

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


	 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 see node 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 user's 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
	 selected by -b and -r.


log examples
       Since  log  shows  dates  in  local time, you might want to see them in
       Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or some other timezone.   To  do  this
       you can set your $TZ environment variable before invoking cvs:


	 $ TZ=UTC cvs log foo.c
	 $ TZ=EST cvs log bar.c




       (If  you are using a csh-style shell, like tcsh, you would need to pre
       fix the examples above with env.)


ls & rls
	ls [-e | -l] [-RP] [-r tag[:date]] [-D date] [path...]

	Requires: repository for rls, repository & working directory for  ls.

	Changes: nothing.

	Synonym: dir & list are synonyms for ls and rdir & rlist are synonyms
	 for rls.

	 The ls and rls commands are used to list files and directories in the
	 repository.

	 By  default  ls  lists  the files and directories that belong in your
	 working directory, what would be there after an update.

	 By default rls lists the files and directories  on  the  tip  of  the
	 trunk in the topmost directory of the repository.

	 Both  commands  accept  an optional list of file and directory names,
	 relative to the working directory for ls and the topmost directory of
	 the repository for rls.  Neither is recursive by default.


ls & rls options
       These standard options are supported by ls & rls:



       -d

	 Show dead revisions (with tag when specified).



       -e

	 Display in CVS/Entries format.  This format is meant to remain easily
	 parsable by automation.



       -l

	 Display all details.



       -P

	 Don't list contents of empty directories when recursing.



       -R

	 List recursively.



       -r tag[:date]

	 Show files specified by tag or, when date is specified and tag  is  a
	 branch  tag,  the  version from the branch tag as it existed on date.
	 See see node Common options' in the CVS manual.



       -D date

	 Show files from date.


rls examples
	 $ cvs rls
	 cvs rls: Listing module: `.'
	 CVSROOT
	 first-dir





	 $ cvs rls CVSROOT
	 cvs rls: Listing module: `CVSROOT'
	 checkoutlist
	 commitinfo
	 config
	 cvswrappers
	 loginfo
	 modules
	 notify
	 rcsinfo
	 taginfo
	 verifymsg






rdiff
   'patch' format diffs between releases
	rdiff [-flags] [-V vn] (-r tag1[:date1] | -D date1) [-r  tag2[:date2]
	 | -D date2] 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 com
	 mands that operates directly from the repository, and doesn't require
	 a  prior  checkout.)  The  diff output is sent to the standard output
	 device.

	 You can specify (using the standard -r and -D options)  any  combina
	 tion  of one or two revisions or dates.  If only one revision or date
	 is specified, the patch file reflects differences between that  revi
	 sion 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

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



       -k kflag

	 Process keywords according to kflag.  See see node Keyword substitu
	 tion' in the CVS manual.



       -l

	 Local; don't descend subdirectories.



       -R

	 Examine directories recursively.  This option is on by default.



       -r tag

	 Use  the revision specified by tag, or when date is specified and tag
	 is a branch tag, the version from the branch tag  as  it  existed  on
	 date.	See see node Common options' in the CVS manual.

	 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

	 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 ver
	 sions of the patch program can't 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





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 doesn't lock files, it isn't strictly necessary to use this
	 command.  You can always simply delete your working directory, if you
	 like;	but  you  risk	losing changes you may have forgotten, and you
	 leave no trace in the cvs history file (see node  history  file'  in
	 the CVS manual) that you've 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 imme
	 diately  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	direc
	 tory.

	 WARNING:   The  release  command  deletes  all  directories and files
	 recursively.	This  has  the	very  serious  side-effect  that   any
	 directory  that you have created inside your checked-out sources, and
	 not added to the repository (using the add command; see node  Adding
	 files' in the CVS manual) will be silently deletedeven 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




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





server & pserver
   Act as a server for a client on stdin/stdout
	pserver [-c path]

	 server [-c path]

	Requires: repository, client conversation on stdin/stdout

	Changes: Repository or, indirectly, client working directory.

	 The  cvs  server  and pserver commands are used to provide repository
	 access to remote clients and expect a client conversation on stdin  &
	 stdout.   Typically these commands are launched from inetd or via ssh
	 (see node Remote repositories' in the CVS manual).

	 server expects that the client has already been  authenticated  some
	 how,  typically  via  ssh,  and  pserver attempts to authenticate the
	 client itself.

	 Only one option is available with the server and pserver commands:



       -c path

	 Load configuration from path rather than the default  location  $CVS
	 ROOT/CVSROOT/config (see node config' in the CVS manual).  path must
	 be /etc/cvs.conf or prefixed by /etc/cvs/.  This option is  supported
	 beginning with cvs release 1.12.13.


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

	Requires: repository, working directory.

	Changes: working directory.

	 After you've run checkout to create your private copy of source  from
	 the  common  repository,  other developers will continue changing the
	 central source.  From time to time, when it  is  convenient  in  your
	 development  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.  Without
	 the -C option, update will also merge	any  differences  between  the
	 local	copy  of  files  and their base revisions into any destination
	 revisions specified with -r, -D, or -A.


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 see node Sticky tags' in the  CVS  man
	 ual, for more information on sticky tags/dates.



       -f

	 Only  useful  with  the  -D  or -r 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 see node Keyword substitu
	 tion' 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 see node
	 Invoking  CVS' in the CVS manual, for more information on the status
	 command.



       -l

	 Local; run only in current working directory.	 see  node  Recursive
	 behavior' in the CVS manual.



       -P

	 Prune	empty  directories.   See see node Moving directories' in the
	 CVS manual.



       -p

	 Pipe files to the standard output.



       -R

	 Update directories recursively (default).  see node Recursive behav
	 ior' in the CVS manual.



       -r tag[:date]

	 Retrieve  the	revisions  specified by tag or, when date is specified
	 and tag is a branch tag, the  version	from  the  branch  tag	as  it
	 existed  on  date.   This  option is sticky, and implies -P.  See see
	 node Sticky tags' in the CVS manual, for more information on  sticky
	 tags/dates. Also see see node Common options' in the CVS manual.

	 These special options are also available with update.



       -A

	 Reset	any  sticky  tags, dates, or -k options.  See see node Sticky
	 tags' in the CVS manual, for more information on sticky tags/dates.



       -C

	 Overwrite locally modified files with clean copies from  the  reposi
	 tory (the modified file is saved in .#file.revision, however).



       -d

	 Create  any directories that exist in the repository if they're miss
	 ing from the working directory.  Normally, update acts only on direc
	 tories  and  files  that were already enrolled in your working direc
	 tory.

	 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  directo
	 ries you wanted on the command line), then updating with -d will cre
	 ate those directories, which may not be what you want.



       -I name

	 Ignore files whose names match name (in your working directory)  dur
	 ing  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 node 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 node 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
	 to merge changes from a branch will often not remove files which were
	 removed on the branch.  see node Merging adds and removals'  in  the
	 CVS manual, for more.

	 In  addition,	each -j option can contain an optional date specifica
	 tion 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 node 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 haven't 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 committed.



       M file

	 The file is modified in  your	working  directory.

	 M can indicate one of two states for a file you're working on: either
	 there were no modifications to the same file in  the  repository,  so
	 that  your  file  remains as you last saw it; or there were modifica
	 tions 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 .#file.revision where revision is the revi
	 sion that your modified file started from.  Resolve the  conflict  as
	 described  in	see node 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 any
	 thing 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.

       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://www.nongnu.org/cvs/

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



									CVS(1)




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