Re: Doc files in CVS

[dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com]

Valerie Hazel wrote:
> 
> Has anyone successfully used CVS for document control?

Yep, daily. 

But CVS doesn't store "deltas" (changes) for binary files the way it does for text files--it stores the whole file every time you commit.  If you're committing changes to a 2MB file even once a day, the archive copy is going to get *h*u*g*e* and s-l-o-o-w.  We change filenames as soon as committing and updating start to take too long.

By the way, when you add a binary file to a CVS archive, be sure to use the "-kb" (keyword=binary) option; otherwise, it'll look like you've checked it in, but it will be "garbage" to anyone else who tries to use it (including you, if you lose your local copy).  The command is:

  cvs  add  -kb  filename.ext
  cvs  commit  -m  "comment"  filename.ext

If you forget and add a file without the -kb option, follow these steps:

  cp  filename.ext  save-me.ext
  cvs  admin  -kb  filename.ext
  cvs  update  filename.ext
  mv  save-me.ext  filename.ext
  cvs  commit  -m  "comment"  filename.ext

OK, you don't have to use those filenames; but you have to "update" after you "admin," so be sure to save a copy of the file first.  If you don't, the update will overwrite your clean copy with the garbage from the archive.

>
> Are there any other products out there that can do the job?

Sure--most of our clients use SourceSafe, and it's certainly easier to use than the command-line version of CVS; but it's not going to be able to "diff" binary files in a meaningful way, either.

We let Word do the diffing for us with its invaluable Compare Documents feature.  (Sounds like at least *one* thing Word does better than Framemaker.)

Another useful CVS tidbit:  If you want to get an older version of a file out of CVS to compare changes to a newer version, be sure to use the "-p" option on the checkout; otherwise, you're effectively creating a branch (which will bite you bad if you really do use branches for parallel development).  The command is:

  cvs  update  -r  olderVersionNumber  -p  filename.ext  >  someOtherFilename.ext

Have fun!

--David

P.S.  As for the Windows UI to CVS, I don't use it--I prefer knowing 
      what's happening)--but I've work with a few folks who like it. 
      It does a good job with side-by-side comparisons, but (again)
      only for text files, not binaries.

=============================
 David M. Brown - Brown Inc.
    dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com
=============================

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