Re: Problem importing files using '-I !'

[Eric Siegerman]

On Tue, Aug 06, 2002 at 03:19:15PM -0400, Harig, Mark A. wrote:
> The distribution contains some '.cvsignore' files
> in the directory tree.
> [...]
> During the 'import', cvs is ignoring these files
> (marked with 'I' in the first column) instead of checking
> them into the CVS repository.  I was expecting to be
> able to circumvent these '.cvsignore' files using
> the '-I !' option of the 'cvs import' command:

It's debatable, I suppose, whether this is a bug or a misfeature;
either way, it's annoying.

There's no way that I know of to work around it in a single CVS
command.  You have to do some cleanup after the fact.  Two
approaches:
  1. - Delete the .cvsignore files
     - "cvs import"
     - import the .cvsignore files manually (or don't bother)

  2. - Do the (partial) "cvs import"
     - import the omitted sources manually

By "import manually", I mean:
  - create a tiny fixup tree with the appropriate directory
    structure so that the files will show up in the right place
    in the repo

  - import that fixup tree with the SAME release tag as you used
    for the main import.  N.B. Reusing a release tag is ALMOST
    NEVER the right thing to do; this is one of the rare
    exceptions :-)

Example: suppose that <pkg-root>/src/stuff/generated.c is being
ignored.  Option (2) would look something like:
    #
    # Do the main import
    #
    $ cd <pkg-root>
    $ cvs import module-name vendor rel-1_3
    ...
    N foo
    N bar
    I src/stuff/generated.c
    N src/baz
    I other/ignored/file
    $

    #
    # Build the vestigial fixup directory
    #
    $ mkdir -p /tmp/fix/src/stuff
    $ cp -p src/stuff/generated.c /tmp/fix/src/stuff
    # Repeat the previous two steps for any other
    # files/directories that need it, putting each such file into
    # the same relative location within /tmp/fix as it was within
    # <pkg-root>

    #
    # Import the fixup directory
    #
    $ cd /tmp/fix
    $ cvs import module-name vendor rel-1_3
    N src/stuff/generated.c
    N other/ignored/file
    $ 

    #
    # Check out a sandbox
    #
    $ cd $HOME
    cvs co module-name
    U foo
    U bar
    U src/stuff/generated.c
    U src/baz
    U other/ignored/file

    #
    # Sanity-check that you got everything right
    #
    $ diff -rq <pkg-root> module-name   # Ignore the many complaints about CVS 
subdirectories
    $

> These '.cvsignore' files
> (strangely, erroneously?) list some of the source files
> (header files and directories) that are in the 
> directory tree.

More likely, they're "source" files that are generated by the
build process (Yacc or Lex output or the like).  Such files are
neither fish nor fowl; they behave like source files in some
respects (you feed them to a compiler), but like objects in other
respects (they're program-generated, not typed in by a human).
There's been mucho debate over the years as to how they *should*
be handled in an open-source context.  There's no totally
satisfactory answer; CVS-tracking them, including them in the
source distribution, but mentioning them in .cvsignore is one of
the only-partially-satisfactory approaches.

--

|  | /\
|-_|/  >   Eric Siegerman, Toronto, Ont.        address@hidden
|  |  /
Anyone who swims with the current will reach the big music steamship;
whoever swims against the current will perhaps reach the source.
        - Paul Schneider-Esleben