RCS(1)RCS(1)NAMErcs - change RCS file attributes
SYNOPSISrcs [ options ] file ...
DESCRIPTIONrcs creates new RCS files or changes attributes of existing ones. An
RCS file contains multiple revisions of text, an access list, a change
log, descriptive text, and some control attributes. For rcs to work,
the caller's login name must be on the access list, except if the access
list is empty, the caller is the owner of the file or the superuser, or
the -i option is present.
File names ending in ,v denote RCS files; all others denote working
files. If a working file is given, rcs tries to find the corresponding
RCS file first in an RCS subdirectory and then in the working file's
directory, as explained in co(1).
OPTIONS-i Create and initialize a new RCS file, but do not deposit any
revision. If the RCS file has no path prefix, try to place it
first into the subdirectory ./RCS, and then into the current
directory. If the RCS file already exists, print an error mes-
sage.
-alogins
Append the login names appearing in the comma-separated list
logins to the access list of the RCS file.
-Aoldfile
Append the access list of oldfile to the access list of the RCS
file.
-e[logins]
Erase the login names appearing in the comma-separated list
logins from the access list of the RCS file. If logins is omit-
ted, erase the entire access list.
-b[rev]
Set the default branch to rev. If rev is omitted, the default
branch is reset to the (dynamically) highest branch on the trunk.
-cstring
sets the comment leader to string. The comment leader is printed
before every log message line generated by the keyword $Log$ dur-
ing checkout (see co(1)). This is useful for programming lan-
guages without multi-line comments. An initial ci , or an rcs-i
without -c, guesses the comment leader from the suffix of the
working file.
-ksubst
Set the default keyword substitution to subst. The effect of
keyword substitution is described in co(1). Giving an explicit
-k option to co, rcsdiff, and rcsmerge overrides this default.
Beware rcs-kv, because -kv is incompatible with co -l. Use
rcs-kkv to restore the normal default keyword substitution.
-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. Locking prevents overlap-
ping changes. A lock is removed with ci or rcs-u (see below).
-u[rev]
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 a mail message to be sent
to the original locker. The message contains a commentary
solicited from the breaker. The commentary is terminated by end-
of-file or by a line containing . by itself.
-L Set locking to strict. Strict locking means that the owner of an
RCS file is not exempt from locking for checkin. This option
should be used for files that are shared.
-U Set locking to non-strict. Non-strict locking means that the
owner of a file need not lock a revision for checkin. This
option should not be used for files that are shared. Whether
default locking is strict is determined by your system adminis-
trator, but it is normally strict.
-nname[:rev]
Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev.
Print an error message if name is already associated with another
number. If rev is omitted, the symbolic name is deleted.
-Nname[:rev]
Act like -n, except override any previous assignment of name.
-orange
deletes (outdates) the revisions given by range. A range con-
sisting of a single revision number means that revision. A range
consisting of a branch number means the latest revision on that
branch. A range of the form rev1-rev2 means revisions rev1 to
rev2 on the same branch, -rev means from the beginning of the
branch containing rev up to and including rev, and rev- means
from revision rev to the end of the branch containing rev. None
of the outdated revisions may have branches or locks.
-q Run quietly; do not print diagnostics.
-I Run interactively, even if the standard input is not a terminal.
-sstate[:rev]
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, ci(1) sets the state of a revision to
Exp.
-t[file]
Write descriptive text from the contents of the named file into
the RCS file, deleting the existing text. The file name may not
begin with -. 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.
With -i, descriptive text is obtained even if -t is not given.
-t-string
Write descriptive text from the string into the RCS file, delet-
ing the existing text.
-Vn Emulate RCS version n. See co(1) for details.
COMPATIBILITY
The -brev option generates an RCS file that cannot be parsed by RCS ver-
sion 3 or earlier.
The -ksubst options (except -kkv) generate an RCS file that cannot be
parsed by RCS version 4 or earlier.
Use rcs-Vn to make an RCS file acceptable to RCS version n by discard-
ing information that would confuse version n.
DIAGNOSTICS
The RCS file name and the revisions outdated are written to the diagnos-
tic output. The exit status is zero if and only if all operations were
successful.
FILESrcs accesses files much as ci(1) does, except that it does not need to
access the working file or its directory.
IDENTIFICATION
Author: Walter F. Tichy.
Revision Number: 5.3; Release Date: 1990/12/04.
Copyright (C) 1982, 1988, 1989 by Walter F. Tichy.
Copyright (C) 1990 by Paul Eggert.
SEE ALSOco(1), ci(1), ident(1), rcsdiff(1), rcsintro(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1),
rcsfile(5)
Walter F. Tichy, RCS--A System for Version Control, Software--Practice &
Experience 15, 7 (July 1985), 637-654.
GNU 1990/12/04 3
