GNU Info

(cvsbook.info)Getting Rid Of A Working Copy

---

Next: History -- A Summary Of Repository Activity Prev: Changing A Log Message After Commit Up: Advanced CVS

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Getting Rid Of A Working Copy
=============================

In typical CVS usage, the way to get rid of a working copy directory
tree is to remove it like any other directory tree:

     paste$ rm -rf myproj

However, if you eliminate your working copy this way, other developers
will not know that you have stopped using it.  CVS provides a command to
relinquish a working copy explicitly.  Think of release as the opposite
of checkout - you're telling the repository that you're done with the
working copy now.  Like checkout, release is invoked from the parent
directory of the tree:

     paste$ pwd
     /home/qsmith/myproj
     paste$ cd ..
     paste$ ls
     myproj
     paste$ cvs release myproj
     You have [0] altered files in this repository.
     Are you sure you want to release directory 'myproj': y
     paste$

If there are any uncommitted changes in the repository, the release
fails, meaning that it just lists the modified files and otherwise has
no effect.  Assuming the tree is clean (totally up to date), release
records in the repository that the working copy has been released.

You can also have release automatically delete the working tree for you,
by passing the -d flag:

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

As of CVS version 1.10.6, the release command is not able to deduce the
repository's location by examining the working copy (this is because
release is invoked from above the working copy, not within it).  You
must pass the `-d <REPOS>' global option or make sure that your CVSROOT
environment variable is set correctly.  (This bug may be fixed in
future versions of CVS.)

The Cederqvist claims that if you use release instead of just deleting
the working tree, people with watches set on the released files will be
notified just as if you had run `unedit'.  However, I tried to verify
this experimentally, and it does not seem to be true.