Essential CVS

Committing Changes to the Repository

Files are edited in the sandbox, but changes to the sandbox have no effect on the repository until they are committed. The cvs commit command uploads changes from the sandbox to the repository. After determining which files need to be changed in the repository, cvs commit opens an editor and expects you to enter a log message.

Tip

Section 3.1.3 earlier in this chapter explains how to change the default editor.

The syntax of cvs commit is:

 cvs [cvs-options] commit [command-options] [filename]

cvs commit has only a few options:

-l

Perform a local, nonrecursive commit operation on the current working directory only.

-R

Perform a recursive commit operation on all subdirectories, as well as the current directory (default).

-m message

Provide a log message.

-F filename

Provide a log message from the specified file.

-r revision

Set an updated revision number (not recommended for novice users).

Example 3-3 shows a typical cvs commit. The vertical ellipsis denotes the point at which CVS normally calls the editor. Example 3-4 shows the default text displayed in the editor and the log message for this commit.

Example 3-3. Using cvs commit

/home/jenn/cvs/wizzard$ cvs commit cvs commit: Examining . cvs commit: Examining doc cvs commit: Examining lib cvs commit: Examining man cvs commit: Examining src . . . RCS file: /var/lib/cvs/wizzard/src/main.c,v done Checking in src/main.c; /var/lib/cvs/wizzard/src/main.c,v <-- main.c initial revision: 1.1 done RCS file: ...