Re: New born File Error/Status

[Eric Siegerman]

On Fri, Apr 06, 2001 at 08:36:06AM +1000, Peter Disiot wrote:
> Hello All
> 
> A fellow developer managed to get a new born file
> error/status.  This was done, by:
> 1 - We were working with binary files at the time.
> 2 - He removed the file,  from cvs, and committed - hence putting it in
> the Attic?
> 3 - Did a checkout of this directory and found that the files weren't
> removed, due to operator error I think/perhaps.
> 4 - He removed the files,  from cvs, and committed - hence putting it in
> the Attic?
> 5 - Copied the same file (filename) into the same directory in the
> sandbox.
> 6 - Added the new file (essentially the same file) to CVS.

I think there was an extra step here, between 6 and 7:
  6.5 Deleted the file from the sandbox (but didn't not "cvs rm" it)

> 7 - Tried to commit and got the "could not commit error new born"

The actual error message is:
        warning: new-born g has disappeared
It means that a new file (ie. created and "cvs add"ed but not yet
committed) has disappeared from the sandbox.

The fact that there was already a deleted version in the Attic
probably didn't affect anything -- in other words, things would
be the same if steps 1-4 had never occurred -- nor did the fact
that it's a binary file.


> 2)  How do we now add the file to CVS?

First, get the sandbox back to a known state, with no memory of
the problem file:
  - make sure the problem file is NOT in the sandbox
  - do a "cvs update problem-file"
  - do "cvs status problem-file"; the output should look
    something like:
        ===================================================================
        File: no file problem-file              Status: Up-to-date

           Working revision:    No entry for problem-file
           Repository revision: 1.6     
/home/erics/Repos/foo/Attic/problem-file,v

    (ie. the only thing it *does* know about the file is the
    deleted version in the Attic)

Then start over at step 5; don't do 6.5 this time :-)


> We have backups of the repo before this occurred.

You shouldn't need to go there; this isn't that big a problem.


> On a side note, How are the files in Repository linked together, as in;
> If I delete the directory "mydir" from the repository, does CVS still
> maintain a reference to it.

They aren't, at all; CVS doesn't maintain a reference.  Except
for entries in the history log, it's as though the directory
never existed.  (This can be construed as a bug or a feature,
depending on what you're trying to do at the moment :-)

--

|  | /\
|-_|/  >   Eric Siegerman, Toronto, Ont.        address@hidden
|  |  /
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is not
necessarily a good idea.
        - RFC 1925 (quoting an unnamed source)