add

Before a file is known to cvs, it must be added to the repository using this command. Adding a file does not actually publish the contents of the file: the commit command must also be used to publish it into the repository, and thus let others access the file.

Note: since directories have no versioning system, it is sufficient to add them with the add command alone; the commit command is not necessary.

usage: cvs add [-k mode] [-m msg] file ...

The add command takes the following options:

Aliases: ad, new.

admin

The admin command is used to directly modify the RCS files.

usage: cvs admin [-Iq] [-b branch] [-k mode] [-m rev:msg]
                 [-N tag[:rev]] [-n tag[:rev]] [-o rev]
                 [-s state[:rev]] [-t file | str]

The admin command takes the following options:

Aliases: adm, rcs.

annotate

For each line of any files specified, show information about its last revision. The information given is the last revision when a modification occurred, the author's name, and the date of the revision.

usage: cvs annotate [-flR] [-D date | -r rev] [file ...]

The annotate command takes the following options:

Aliases: ann, blame.

checkout

The checkout command is used to create a local copy of one or more modules present on the target CVS repository.

usage: cvs checkout [-AcflNnPpRs] [-d dir] [-j rev] [-k mode]
                    -D date | -r rev module ...

The checkout command takes the following options:

Aliases: co, get.

commit

The commit command is used to send local changes back to the server and update the repository's information to reflect the changes.

usage: cvs commit [-flnR] [-F logfile | -m msg] [-r rev] [file ...]

The commit command takes the following options:

Aliases: ci, com.

diff

The diff command is very similar to the diff(1) program, except that the differential comparisons that it generates are between local or remote revisions of files stored in the CVS repository.

usage: cvs diff [-abcdilNnpRuw]
                [[-D date1 | -r rev1] [-D date2 | -r rev2]]
                [-k mode] [file ...]

The diff command takes the following options:

Aliases: di, dif.

edit

The edit command is used to make a file that is being watched (and therefore read-only) readable and writable and to inform others that it is in the process of being changed. Notifications terminate when the commit command is issued. Editing rights on the file can be given up using the unedit command, which terminates the temporary notifications.

usage: cvs edit [-lR] [-a action] [file ...]

The edit command takes the following options:

editors

The editors command lists the users with edition rights on a file. For that, pseudo-lock mode must be enabled (see the watch command). The email address of the user editing the file, the timestamp when the edition first started, the host from where the edition has been requested and the path to the edited file are listed.

usage: cvs editors [-lR] [file ...]

The editors command takes the following options:

export

The export command extracts a copy of module without including the directories used for management by cvs. This eases production of a software release. A date or a revision must be specified for the command to be valid, which ensures that later extractions can be reproduced with the same options as the release.

The checked out module's files will be placed in a directory bearing the same name as the checked out module, by default.

usage: cvs export [-flNnR] [-d dir] [-k mode]
                  -D date | -r rev module ...

The export command takes the following options:

Aliases: ex, exp.

history

The history command is used to display the history of actions done in the base repository. This functionality is only available if the CVSROOT/history file has been created. Only the checkout, commit, export, release, rtag, and update commands are logged into this file.

usage: cvs history [-aceloTw] [-b str] [-D date] [-f file]
                   [-m module] [-n module] [-p path] [-r rev]
                   [-t tag] [-u user] [-x ACEFGMORTUW] [-z tz]
                   [file ...]

The history command takes the following options:

All records have the following five first columns:

• The record type (the -x option).
• The date of the action.
• The time of the action.
• The time zone.
• The user who made the action.

The other columns vary depending on the command issued:

For records coming from the rtag command, the additional columns are as follows:

<module> [<tag>:<argument>] {<working directory>}

For records coming from the checkout and export commands, the additional columns are as follows:

<request> <repository> =<module>= <working directory>

For records coming from the release command, the additional columns are as follows:

=<module>= <working directory>

For records coming from the commit and update commands, the additional columns are as follows:

<version> <file> <module> == <working directory>

Aliases: hi, his.

import

Import sources into CVS using vendor branches.

At least three arguments are required: module specifies the location of the sources to be imported; vendortag is a tag for the entire branch; releasetag is used to identify the files created with cvs import.

usage: cvs import [-d] [-b branch] [-I ign] [-k mode] [-m msg]
                  [-W spec] module vendortag releasetag

The import command takes the following options:

Aliases: im, imp.

init

Create a CVS repository if it doesn't exist.

kserver

Start a Kerberos authentication server.

log

The log command displays information on a file such as its different revisions, description, different tags, as well as the comments, dates, and authors of these revisions. By default, the log command displays all the available information; the options are only used to restrict the displayed information.

usage: cvs log [-bhlNRt] [-d dates] [-r revs] [-s state]
               [-w users] [file ...]

The log command takes the following options:

Aliases: lo.

rannotate

For each line of any files specified, show information about its last revision. The information given is the last revision when a modification occurred, the author's name, and the date of the revision. This command does not need a local checkout of the repository to work.

usage: cvs rannotate [-flR] [-D date | -r rev] module ...

The rannotate command takes the following options:

Aliases: rann, ra.

rdiff

The rdiff command lists differences between two revisions in a patch(1) compatible format. This command does not need a local checkout of the repository to work.

usage: cvs rdiff [-flR] [-c | -u] [-s | -t] [-V ver]
                 -D date | -r rev [-D date2 | -r rev2]
                 module ...

The rdiff command takes the following options:

Aliases: pa, patch.

release

The release command indicates to cvs that the working copy of a module is no longer in use and checks that non archived modifications in the base repository do exist. This command is not mandatory. Local directories could always be removed without using it, but in this case the handling of history information will no longer be correct (see the history command).

usage: cvs release [-d] dir ...

The release command takes the following options:

For each file not being synchronized with the base repository, a single letter prefix is given to specify the state of the file. The possible prefixes are as follows:

?

The file is unknown to cvs and is not in the list of files to ignore. Any new directories which have not been added with the add command are silently ignored as well as their content.

A

The file has been added with the add command, but has not been committed to the repository with the commit command.

M

The file has been locally modified; a more recent version might exist in the base repository.

R

The file has been removed with the remove command, but has not been committed to the repository with the commit command.

U

A more recent version of the file does exist but it is not locally up to date.

Aliases: re, rel.

remove

The remove command is used to inform cvs that file is scheduled to be removed from the repository. Files are not actually removed from the repository until the commit command has been run subsequently.

There is no way to remove a directory with the remove command. cvs will only remove a directory if it is empty and if the checkout or update commands are run with the -P option. (Note that the export command always removes empty directories.)

usage: cvs remove [-flR] [file ...]

The remove command takes the following options:

Aliases: rm, delete.

rlog

The rlog command displays information on a file such as its different revisions, description, different tags, as well as the comments, dates, and authors of these revisions. By default, the rlog command displays all the available information; the options are only used to restrict the displayed information. This command does not need a local checkout of the repository to work.

usage: cvs rlog [-bhlNRt] [-d dates] [-r revs] [-s state]
               [-w users] module ...

The rlog command takes the following options:

Aliases: rlo.

rtag

The rtag command adds a symbolic tag to one or more modules. It is often used to create a new branch using the -b option.

usage: cvs rtag [-abdFflnR] [-D date | -r rev]
                symbolic_tag module ...

The rtag command takes the following options:

Aliases: rt, rfreeze.

server

Server mode.

status

The status command is used to display the state of checked out files.

usage: cvs status [-lRv] [file ...]

The status command takes the following options:

Aliases: st, stat.

tag

The tag command adds a symbolic tag to a checked out version of one or more files.

usage: cvs tag [-bcdFflR] [-D date | -r rev] [symbolic_tag]
               [file ...]

The tag command takes the following options:

Aliases: ta, freeze.

unedit

The unedit command is used to give up an edition on a file and thus cancel the wanted temporary notifications. If the file has been modified since the edit command has been issued, cvs will ask if it should go back to the previous version, and lose the modifications done on the file, or stay in edition mode on it.

usage: cvs unedit [-lR] [file ...]

The unedit command takes the following options:

update

The update command is used to merge any of the changes that have occurred on the remote repository into the local one where the command was run.

usage: cvs update [-ACdflPpR] [-D date | -r rev] [-I ign]
                  [-j rev] [-k mode] [-W spec] [file ...]

The update command takes the following options:

By default, the update command does not create new directories; the -d option must be used for that.

For each file updated, a single letter prefix is given to specify the state of the file. The possible prefixes are as follows:

?

The file is unknown to cvs.

A

The file has been added with the add command, but has not been committed to the repository with the commit command.

C

A merge, with a more recent version of the file, has been done, but unresolved conflicts still remain.

M

The file has been locally modified; if a more recent version is available, the merge has been done without conflict.

P

The same as ‘U’, but, in client-server mode, only differences are sent to save network resources.

R

The file has been removed with the remove command, but has not been committed to the repository with the commit command.

U

The file is up to date.

Aliases: up, upd.

version

Causes cvs to print its version information. If this command is issued within a local copy of a remote repository or if either the CVSROOT environment variable or the -d flag specify a remote repository, cvs will also connect to the server and ask it to print its version information.

Aliases: ve, ver.

watch

The watch command switches a file from normal mode to pseudo-lock mode as well as handling the notifications associated with it. Pseudo-lock mode means knowing who is editing a file: for that, cvs extracts the file in read-only mode. Users must use the edit command to get the editing rights on the file.

One of the following arguments to the watch command is mandatory: on, off, add, or remove. on switches the file into pseudo-lock mode; off switches it back to normal mode; add adds notifications for specific actions on the file; remove removes those notifications.

The notifications are permanent. They remain in place until the watch remove command is issued while the temporary notifications are made available with the edit command.

usage: cvs watch on | off | add | remove [-lR] [-a action]
                 [file ...]

The watch command takes the following options:

watchers

The watchers command lists the users who asked for notifications as well as the notification details. The possible notifications are as follows:

commit

Permanent watch of a commit of a new version of a file.

edit

Permanent watch of the start of file edition.

tcommit

Temporary watch of a commit of new version of a file.

tedit

Temporary watch of the start of file edition.

tunedit

Temporary watch of the end of file edition.

unedit

Permanent watch of the end of file edition.

The temporary watches are set using the edit command, until the commit or unedit command is issued on a file.

usage: cvs watchers [-lR] [file ...]

The watchers command takes the following options: