


RCS(1)                                                     RCS(1)


NAME
       rcs - change RCS file attributes

SYNOPSIS
       rcs [ options ] file ...

DESCRIPTION
       rcs creates new RCS files or changes attributes of
       existing ones.  An RCS file contains multiple revisions of
       text, an access list, a change log, descriptive text, and
       some control attributes.  For rcs to work, the caller's
       login name must be on the access list, except if the
       access list is empty, the caller is the owner of the file
       or the superuser, or the -i option is present.

       Pathnames matching an RCS suffix denote RCS files; all
       others denote working files.  Names are paired as
       explained in ci(1).  Revision numbers use the syntax
       described in ci(1).

OPTIONS
       -i     Create and initialize a new RCS file, but do not
              deposit any revision.  If the RCS file has no path
              prefix, try to place it first into the subdirectory
              ./RCS, and then into the current directory.  If the
              RCS file already exists, print an error message.

       -alogins
              Append the login names appearing in the comma-
              separated list logins to the access list of the RCS
              file.

       -Aoldfile
              Append the access list of oldfile to the access
              list of the RCS file.

       -e[logins]
              Erase the login names appearing in the comma-
              separated list logins from the access list of the
              RCS file.  If logins is omitted, erase the entire
              access list.

       -b[rev]
              Set the default branch to rev.  If rev is omitted,
              the default branch is reset to the (dynamically)
              highest branch on the trunk.

       -cstring
              sets the comment leader to string.  The comment
              leader is printed before every log message line
              generated by the keyword $Log$ during checkout (see
              co(1)).  This is useful for programming languages
              without multi-line comments.  An initial ci , or an
              rcs -i without -c, guesses the comment leader from



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RCS(1)                                                     RCS(1)


              the suffix of the working file.

       -ksubst
              Set the default keyword substitution to subst.  The
              effect of keyword substitution is described in
              co(1).  Giving an explicit -k option to co,
              rcsdiff, and rcsmerge overrides this default.
              Beware rcs -kv, because -kv is incompatible with
              co -l.  Use rcs -kkv to restore the normal default
              keyword substitution.

       -l[rev]
              Lock the revision with number rev.  If a branch is
              given, lock the latest revision on that branch.  If
              rev is omitted, lock the latest revision on the
              default branch.  Locking prevents overlapping
              changes.  If someone else already holds the lock,
              the lock is broken as with rcs -u (see below).

       -u[rev]
              Unlock the revision with number rev.  If a branch
              is given, unlock the latest revision on that
              branch.  If rev is omitted, remove the latest lock
              held by the caller.  Normally, only the locker of a
              revision may unlock it.  Somebody else unlocking a
              revision breaks the lock.  This causes a mail
              message to be sent to the original locker.  The
              message contains a commentary solicited from the
              breaker.  The commentary is terminated by end-of-
              file or by a line containing . by itself.

       -L     Set locking to strict.  Strict locking means that
              the owner of an RCS file is not exempt from locking
              for checkin.  This option should be used for files
              that are shared.

       -U     Set locking to non-strict.  Non-strict locking
              means that the owner of a file need not lock a
              revision for checkin.  This option should not be
              used for files that are shared.  Whether default
              locking is strict is determined by your system
              administrator, but it is normally strict.

       -mrev:msg
              Replace revision rev's log message with msg.

       -M     Do not send mail when breaking somebody else's
              lock.  This option is not meant for casual use; it
              is meant for programs that warn users by other
              means, and invoke rcs -u only as a low-level lock-
              breaking operation.

       -nname[:[rev]]
              Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or



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RCS(1)                                                     RCS(1)


              revision rev.  Delete the symbolic name if both :
              and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an error
              message if name is already associated with another
              number.  If rev is symbolic, it is expanded before
              association.  A rev consisting of a branch number
              followed by a . stands for the current latest
              revision in the branch.  A : with an empty rev
              stands for the current latest revision on the
              default branch, normally the trunk.  For example,
              rcs -nname: RCS/* associates name with the current
              latest revision of all the named RCS files; this
              contrasts with rcs -nname:$ RCS/* which associates
              name with the revision numbers extracted from
              keyword strings in the corresponding working files.

       -Nname[:[rev]]
              Act like -n, except override any previous
              assignment of name.

       -orange
              deletes (``outdates'') the revisions given by
              range.  A range consisting of a single revision
              number means that revision.  A range consisting of
              a branch number means the latest revision on that
              branch.  A range of the form rev1:rev2 means
              revisions rev1 to rev2 on the same branch, :rev
              means from the beginning of the branch containing
              rev up to and including rev, and rev: means from
              revision rev to the end of the branch containing
              rev.  None of the outdated revisions may have
              branches or locks.

       -q     Run quietly; do not print diagnostics.

       -I     Run interactively, even if the standard input is
              not a terminal.

       -sstate[:rev]
              Set the state attribute of the revision rev to
              state.  If rev is a branch number, assume the
              latest revision on that branch.  If rev is omitted,
              assume the latest revision on the default branch.
              Any identifier is acceptable for state.  A useful
              set of states is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for
              stable), and Rel (for released).  By default, ci(1)
              sets the state of a revision to Exp.

       -t[file]
              Write descriptive text from the contents of the
              named file into the RCS file, deleting the existing
              text.  The file pathname may not begin with -.  If
              file is omitted, obtain the text from standard
              input, terminated by end-of-file or by a line
              containing . by itself.  Prompt for the text if



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RCS(1)                                                     RCS(1)


              interaction is possible; see -I.  With -i,
              descriptive text is obtained even if -t is not
              given.

       -t-string
              Write descriptive text from the string into the RCS
              file, deleting the existing text.

       -T     Preserve the modification time on the RCS file
              unless a revision is removed.  This option can
              suppress extensive recompilation caused by a
              make(1) dependency of some copy of the working file
              on the RCS file.  Use this option with care; it can
              suppress recompilation even when it is needed, i.e.
              when a change to the RCS file would mean a change
              to keyword strings in the working file.

       -V     Print s version number.

       -Vn    Emulate RCS version n.  See co(1) for details.

       -xsuffixes
              Use suffixes to characterize RCS files.  See ci(1)
              for details.

COMPATIBILITY
       The -brev option generates an RCS file that cannot be
       parsed by RCS version 3 or earlier.

       The -ksubst options (except -kkv) generate an RCS file
       that cannot be parsed by RCS version 4 or earlier.

       Use rcs -Vn to make an RCS file acceptable to RCS version
       n by discarding information that would confuse version n.

       RCS version 5.5 and earlier does not support the -x
       option, and requires a ,v suffix on an RCS pathname.

FILES
       rcs accesses files much as ci(1) does, except that it uses
       the effective user for all accesses, it does not write the
       working file or its directory, and it does not even read
       the working file unless a revision number of $ is
       specified.

ENVIRONMENT
       RCSINIT
              options prepended to the argument list, separated
              by spaces.  See ci(1) for details.

DIAGNOSTICS
       The RCS pathname and the revisions outdated are written to
       the diagnostic output.  The exit status is zero if and
       only if all operations were successful.



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RCS(1)                                                     RCS(1)


IDENTIFICATION
       Author: Walter F. Tichy.
       Revision Number: 5.9; Release Date: 1992/07/28.
       Copyright 1982, 1988, 1989 by Walter F. Tichy.
       Copyright 1990, 1991, 1992 by Paul Eggert.

SEE ALSO
       co(1), ci(1), ident(1), rcsdiff(1), rcsintro(1),
       rcsmerge(1), rlog(1), rcsfile(5)
       Walter F. Tichy, RCS--A System for Version Control,
       Software--Practice & Experience 15, 7 (July 1985),
       637-654.

BUGS
       The separator for revision ranges in the -o option used to
       be - instead of :, but this leads to confusion when
       symbolic names contain -.  For backwards compatibility rcs
       -o still supports the old - separator, but it warns about
       this obsolete use.

       Symbolic names need not refer to existing revisions or
       branches.  For example, the -o option does not remove
       symbolic names for the outdated revisions; you must use -n
       to remove the names.

































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