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.

File names ending in ,v denote RCS files; all others denote working files. If a working file is given, rcs tries to find the corresponding RCS file first in an RCS subdirectory and then in the working file's directory, as explained in co(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 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. A lock is removed with ci or 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.

-nname[:rev]
    Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. Print an error message if name is already associated with another number. If rev is omitted, the symbolic name is deleted.

-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 name 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 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.

-Vn Emulate RCS version n. See co(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.

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The RCS file name and the revisions outdated are written to the diagnostic output.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

FILES
rcs accesses files much as ci(1) does, except that it does not need to access the working file or its directory.

IDENTIFICATION
Author: Walter F. Tichy.
Revision Number: ; Release Date: .
Copyright © 1982, 1988, 1989 by Walter F. Tichy.
Copyright © 1990 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.