Version Control with Subversion, 2nd Edition

Name

svn switch — Update working copy to a different URL.

Synopsis

svn switch URL[@PEGREV] [PATH]

switch --relocate FROM TO [PATH...]

Description

The first variant of this subcommand (without the --relocate option) updates your working copy to point to a new URL—usually a URL that shares a common ancestor with your working copy, although not necessarily. This is the Subversion way to move a working copy to a new branch. If specified, PEGREV determines in which revision the target is first looked up. See Traversing Branches for an in-depth look at switching.

If --force is used, unversioned obstructing paths in the working copy do not automatically cause a failure if the switch attempts to add the same path. If the obstructing path is the same type (file or directory) as the corresponding path in the repository, it becomes versioned but its contents are left untouched in the working copy. This means that an obstructing directory’s unversioned children may also obstruct and become versioned. For files, any content differences between the obstruction and the repository are treated like a local modification to the working copy. All properties from the repository are applied to the obstructing path.

As with most subcommands, you can limit the scope of the switch operation to a particular tree depth using the --depth option. Alternatively, you can use the --set-depth option to set a new “sticky” working copy depth on the switch target. Currently, the depth of a working copy directory can only ...