CVS Update without making changes

+1 :)

it would be really helpful if it did support
cvs -n -q up -dP

cheers

N

Topic says it. CVS developers are used to issue a "cvs -n update" command to get a glimpse of what changed in the repository. "cvs -n update" output is somewhat clean and readable, as opposed to the more complete, but hard to read "cvs status" command.

Now, I agree with you that IDEA needs to be able to show the current status of the repository to the developer: which files have changed or not, which tags they've attached and such. However, to accomplish this IDEA should issue a "cvs status" command, not "cvs update".

Oh yes, and in recent EAP builds you may be able to get what you want by simply issuing a commit. Press CTRL+K and see all files that have been modified before commiting proper.

Thanks Marcus,

Couple of points tho...

I agree with you to some extent the "cvs status -v ]]>" does indeed provide you with more information than the update command. However you dont always need that much information, particularly if all you really want is to know which files you modified locally and/or which files have been updated on the server by another developer. And possibly equally importantly if there are going to be any conflicts if you attempt to update or commit. The simple ?,C,M,U notation used to prefix the file name and path makes the exercise for me as a developer simple and obvious.

Additionally if you use a formal build generation tool like AntHill to run regression tests and tag the repository every time a build succeeds then the output from the cvs status command, especially if you the -v option ( which you'd need to, to gain visibilty of tags ), can become quite lengthy.

I just feel the "cvs -n -q update -dP" gives me what I want far more succinctly than the "cvs status -v", but ofcourse if the Idea team are going to wrap that up in the user interface somehow then how its done becomes less important than how the results of the command are presented to the developer.

Cheers

Nad

Marcus,

I take it all back...I hadnt spotted that yet....thats exactly the kind of functionality I was looking for....

cheers


Nad

Actually It does almost everything...
As I mentioned earlier doing a CVS -n -q up -dP command will also warn you of potential conflicts as well as files that are missing in your local sources...I'd still like to see those two bits of functionality...
aside from that it is really neat.

One really has to be careful when just using this to look at project cvs
status though, as it is a commit dialog... just the other day I accidentally
committed my sandbox because I clicked Commit instead of Cancel by accident
(luckily it wasn't too serious) but I'm now very wary of using it at all.
What does everyone else think... do we need an alternative to look overall
current project status, or at least an extra confirmation step here?

Nathan.

Marcus Brito wrote:

Oh yes, and in recent EAP builds you may be able to get what you want
by simply issuing a commit. Press CTRL+K and see all files that have
been modified before commiting proper.

Nathan

As I said before all I want, and I suspect you want judging from your comment is a way to see the following :-
a) Which files you modified locally
b) If any files have been updated on the server
c) If there are any potential conflicts.

At the moment as far as I can tell 818 only does a). Which only gives us a partial picture in terms of the state of repository we are developing against. I'd like to see the other two catered for as well, and again all three are supported by the ubiquitous "cvs -n -q up -dP".

Anyway thats my two penneth work.

cheers

Nad