RCS(1) General Commands Manual 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 call‐
er'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.
Filenames matching an RCS suffix denote RCS files; all others denote working files. Names are paired as
explained in ci(1). Revision numbers use the syntax described in ci(1).
OPTIONS
-i Create and initialize a new RCS file, but do not deposit any revision. If the RCS file name has no
directory component, 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
Set the comment leader to string. An initial ci, or an rcs -i without -c, guesses the comment leader
from the suffix of the working file name.
This option is obsolescent, since RCS normally uses the preceding $Log$ line's prefix when inserting
log lines during checkout (see co(1)). However, older versions of RCS use the comment leader instead
of the $Log$ line's prefix, so if you plan to access a file with both old and new versions of RCS, make
sure its comment leader matches its $Log$ line prefix.
-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.
If someone else already holds the lock, the lock is broken as with rcs -u (see below).
-u[rev]
Unlock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, unlock the latest revision on that branch.
-mrev:[msg]
Replace revision rev's log message with msg. If msg is omitted, it defaults to "*** empty log message
***".
-M Do not send mail when breaking somebody else's lock. This option is not meant for casual use; it is
meant for programs that warn users by other means, and invoke rcs -u only as a low-level lock-breaking
operation.
-nname[:[rev]]
Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. Delete the symbolic name if both :
and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an error message if name is already associated with another num‐
ber. If rev is symbolic, it is expanded before association. A rev consisting of a branch number fol‐
lowed by a . stands for the current latest revision in the branch. A : with an empty rev stands for
the current latest revision on the default branch, normally the trunk. For example, rcs -nname: RCS/*
associates name with the current latest revision of all the named RCS files; this contrasts with
rcs -nname:$ RCS/* which associates name with the revision numbers extracted from keyword strings in
the corresponding working files.
-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 can 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 sta‐
ble), 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 cannot 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.
-T Preserve the modification time on the RCS file unless a revision is removed. This option can suppress
extensive recompilation caused by a make(1) dependency of some copy of the working file on the RCS
file. Use this option with care; it can suppress recompilation even when it is needed, i.e. when a
change to the RCS file would mean a change to keyword strings in the working file.
-V Print RCS's version number.
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 ver‐
sion n.
RCS version 5.5 and earlier does not support the -x option, and requires a ,v suffix on an RCS file name.
FILES
rcs accesses files much as ci(1) does, except that it uses the effective user for all accesses, it does not
write the working file or its directory, and it does not even read the working file unless a revision number
of $ is specified.
ENVIRONMENT
RCSINIT
Options prepended to the argument list, separated by spaces. A backslash escapes spaces within an
option. The RCSINIT options are prepended to the argument lists of most RCS commands. Useful RCSINIT
options include -q, -V, -x, and -z.
RCS_MEM_LIMIT
An integer lim, measured in kilobytes, specifying the threshold under which commands will try to use
memory-based operations for processing the RCS file. (For RCS files of size lim kilobytes or greater,
RCS will use the slower standard input/output routines.) Default value is 256.
TMPDIR Name of the temporary directory. If not set, the environment variables TMP and TEMP are inspected
instead and the first value found is taken; if none of them are set, a host-dependent default is used,
typically /tmp.
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.
IDENTIFICATION
Author: Walter F. Tichy.
Manual Page Revision: 5.9.0; Release Date: 2014-06-10.
Copyright © 2010-2013 Thien-Thi Nguyen.
Copyright © 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Paul Eggert.
Copyright © 1982, 1988, 1989 Walter F. Tichy.
SEE ALSO
co(1), ci(1), ident(1), rcsclean(1), rcsdiff(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.
The full documentation for RCS is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info(1) and RCS programs are prop‐
erly installed at your site, the command
info rcs
should give you access to the complete manual. Additionally, the RCS homepage:
Symbolic names need not refer to existing revisions or branches. For example, the -o option does not remove
symbolic names for the outdated revisions; you must use -n to remove the names.
GNU RCS 5.9.0 2014-06-10 RCS(1)
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