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(cvs.info)Accessing branches

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Accessing branches
==================

   You can retrieve a branch in one of two ways: by checking it out
fresh from the repository, or by switching an existing working copy
over to the branch.

   To check out a branch from the repository, invoke `checkout' with
the `-r' flag, followed by the tag name of the branch (Note: Creating a
branch):

     $ cvs checkout -r rel-1-0-patches tc

   Or, if you already have a working copy, you can switch it to a given
branch with `update -r':

     $ cvs update -r rel-1-0-patches tc

   or equivalently:

     $ cd tc
     $ cvs update -r rel-1-0-patches

   It does not matter if the working copy was originally on the main
trunk or on some other branch - the above command will switch it to the
named branch.  And similarly to a regular `update' command, `update -r'
merges any changes you have made, notifying you of conflicts where they
occur.

   Once you have a working copy tied to a particular branch, it remains
there until you tell it otherwise.  This means that changes checked in
from the working copy will add new revisions on that branch, while
leaving the main trunk and other branches unaffected.

   To find out what branch a working copy is on, you can use the
`status' command.  In its output, look for the field named `Sticky tag'
(Note: Sticky tags) - that's CVS's way of telling you the branch, if
any, of the current working files:

     $ cvs status -v driver.c backend.c
     ===================================================================
     File: driver.c          Status: Up-to-date
     
         Version:            1.7     Sat Dec  5 18:25:54 1992
         RCS Version:        1.7     /u/cvsroot/yoyodyne/tc/driver.c,v
         Sticky Tag:         rel-1-0-patches (branch: 1.7.2)
         Sticky Date:        (none)
         Sticky Options:     (none)
     
         Existing Tags:
             rel-1-0-patches             (branch: 1.7.2)
             rel-1-0                     (revision: 1.7)
     
     ===================================================================
     File: backend.c         Status: Up-to-date
     
         Version:            1.4     Tue Dec  1 14:39:01 1992
         RCS Version:        1.4     /u/cvsroot/yoyodyne/tc/backend.c,v
         Sticky Tag:         rel-1-0-patches (branch: 1.4.2)
         Sticky Date:        (none)
         Sticky Options:     (none)
     
         Existing Tags:
             rel-1-0-patches             (branch: 1.4.2)
             rel-1-0                     (revision: 1.4)
             rel-0-4                     (revision: 1.4)

   Don't be confused by the fact that the branch numbers for each file
are different (`1.7.2' and `1.4.2' respectively).  The branch tag is the
same, `rel-1-0-patches', and the files are indeed on the same branch.
The numbers simply reflect the point in each file's revision history at
which the branch was made.  In the above example, one can deduce that
`driver.c' had been through more changes than `backend.c' before this
branch was created.

   See Note: Branches and revisions for details about how branch
numbers are constructed.