Re: Converting binary files to text

[Larry Jones]

Dennis Jones writes:
> 
> So the question I have is, how do I convert the files to text and remove =
> the "-kb" option, while minimizing the impact on developers that already =
> have those files checked out?  Will CVS handle this automatically -- =
> effectively removing the binary files and replacing them with text files =
> during a normal "cvs update"?  Or will I have to tell the developers to =
> first delete the files and THEN do an update?  If the latter will be =
> required, can I prevent developers from doing updates while the =
> conversion takes place?

By far the best way to do this is by changing the names of the files;
since the form has changed, it would be reasonable to expect the file
extension to change as well (e.g., .doc files are binary, .rtf files are
text).  Unfortunately, the binary flag is more-or-less permanently
associated with the repository file and it's not versioned, so if you
change the binary status (which you can only do with cvs admin), it's as
though it was always that way.  Equally unfortunately, binary files are
marked so in the users' working directories as well, so changing the
binary flag in a repository file doesn't affect working directories at
all.  I think an update -A will update the working directory
appropriately, but I'm not sure.

-Larry Jones

Your gender would be a lot more tolerable if it wasn't so darn cynical!
-- Calvin