Re: [boost] [SVN] Repository branches/libs experiments

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-08-26 10:58:03

on Sat Aug 25 2007, "Robert Ramey" <ramey-AT-rrsd.com> wrote:

> The merging into the trunk was very confusing to me and
> I had to spend a lot of time getting things on my machine
> balled up and then unballed up.  Here are a couple of things.
>
> First of all, i had hoped I could just "merge" the changes
> on my branch directly into the trunk.  There  may be a way
> to do this with the command line interface but the windows
> interface doesn't let you do it.

Subversion is a command-line tool, not a GUI.  There is no "windows
interface to Subversion."  Somebody built a GUI that is an imperfect
reflection of the underlying tool.  

  Learn to use the command line; I mean this for everybody.  

I know some people love the GUIs, but first with CVS and now with SVN,
I've repeatedly seen confusion or problems with those who are not
familiar with, and unwilling to use, the command line.  The built-in
help is extremely good, and for those people who need more, the online
book is written in terms of the command-line tool, not the GUIs, so
how can you hope to learn the usage model if you only relate to the
GUI?  Once you understand the command line, it's easy to go back to a
GUI and have a sense of what it's really doing.

  $ svn --help

  ...
  Available subcommands:
     ...
     list (ls)
     lock
     log
     merge
     ...

  $ svn --help merge

  merge: Apply the differences between two sources to a working copy path.
  usage: 1. merge sourceURL1[@N] sourceURL2[@M] [WCPATH]
         2. merge sourceWCPATH1_at_N sourceWCPATH2_at_M [WCPATH]
         3. merge [-c M | -r N:M] SOURCE[@REV] [WCPATH]
         ...
         <long exposition of details>

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
http://www.boost-consulting.com
The Astoria Seminar ==> http://www.astoriaseminar.com