clearexport_rcs

Converts RCS files to ClearCase elements

APPLICABILITY

ClearCase (administrative command)

SYNOPSIS

clearexport_rcs [ -r ] [ -s date-time | -I { now | date-time } ]

[ -V ] [ -S ] [ -t temp-dir-pname ] [ -T translation-file ]
[ -o datafile-pname ] [ source-name ... ]

DESCRIPTION

The clearexport_rcs command processes Revision Control System (RCS) files so they can be imported into ClearCase elements and versions. The source data can range from a single file to an entire directory tree.

During the export stage, you invoke clearexport_rcs in the area where the RCS files reside. clearexport_rcs creates a datafile (by default, named cvt_data), and places in it descriptions of elements, branches, and versions. clearexport_rcs follows symbolic links it encounters during the export stage.

In the import stage, you invoke clearimport on the datafile to import information into the new VOB.

clearexport_rcs ignores most information in RCS files that is not related to version-tree structure. clearexport_rcs converts each RCS symbol, which names a revision or branch, into the appropriate ClearCase construct: version label or branch. You can specify a translation file to control naming, enforcing consistency over multiple invocations of clearexport_rcs. You can use the -S and -V options to preserve RCS state attributes and RCS revision numbers as attributes of the corresponding ClearCase versions.

clearexport_rcs and clearimport use ClearCase magic files to determine which element type to use for each element clearimport creates. For more information on magic files and file typing, see the cc.magic reference page.

NOTE: You cannot run clearexport_rcs on UNIX and then run clearimport on Windows to import the data, or vice-versa. However, you can transfer data in either direction between UNIX and Windows by mounting the UNIX VOB or file-system on the Windows machine and running both clearexport_rcs and clearimport on the Windows machine.

RCS Files, Working Files, and Locks

clearexport_rcs works directly with the structured RCS files. It does not process the working files created with co and co -l commands. Be sure to check in working files with the ci command before running the exporter. clearexport_rcs issues warning messages when it encounters checked-out files, but it still processes them.

clearexport_rcs ignores all RCS locks.

If RCS files are stored in RCS (or rcs; case is not important) subdirectories, clearexport_rcs collapses the subdirectory level in the export process. For example, RCS file .\proj\RCS\main.c,v becomes element .\proj\main.c.

SPECIAL CHARACTERS IN FILE NAMES

During import, clearimport invokes a shell to extract data from the datafile. clearimport can handle some, but not all, characters that are special to shells. Import fails for any file name that includes any of these characters:

`  '  "  <Tab>  [  ]  ?  *  %

For example:

Before running clearexport_rcs, rename any file whose name contains these characters.

NOTE: If you specify datafile-pname or source-name and any of the names include spaces, you must enclose the name in double quotes. For example:

> clearexport_rcs "src files"

HANDLING OF RCS SYMBOLS

An RCS symbol is a mnemonic name for a particular revision or branch of an RCS file. clearexport_rcs translates the symbols to version labels and branch names (more precisely, to names of label types and branch types).

• Translation to version labels - Suppose an RCS symbol, RLS_1.3, names a revision, 3.5. clearexport_rcs places a description of label type RLS_1.3 in the datafile, and clearimport imports that label type and assigns a label of that type to the ClearCase version created from the RCS revision.
• Translation to branch names - Suppose an RCS symbol, rls_1.3_fixes, names a branch 3.5.1. clearexport_rcs outputs a description of branch type rls_1.3_fixes, and clearimport creates a branch of that type at the ClearCase version created from RCS revision 3.5.

Because there is no ClearCase concept of a subbranch of the main branch, clearexport_rcs does not process single-digit symbols that name RCS branches. If an RCS symbol includes characters that are not valid in names of label types or branch types, clearexport_rcs replaces the offending name. For example, the RCS symbol C++ can be renamed to "C..".

A label type cannot have the same name as a branch type within the same VOB. If the same RCS symbol names both a revision and a branch-not necessarily in the same RCS file-clearexport_rcs renames one of them. For example, after exporting a symbol FX354, which names a branch, it may encounter the same symbol as the name of a revision in another RCS file. In this case, it creates label type FX354_1.

Translation File

This renaming of RCS symbols can introduce inconsistencies over multiple runs of clearexport_rcs. The same symbol may be renamed during processing of some RCS files, but not chang during processing of other files. You can enforce consistency by using the same translation file in multiple invocations of clearexport_rcs. If you name such a file, using the -T option, clearexport_rcs uses it as follows:

• To look up each RCS symbol to see how to translate it to a ClearCase label type or branch type. If a match is found, the symbol is translated the same way.
• To record each translation of a new RCS symbol for use in future lookups.

The first time you use clearexport_rcs, use -T to create a new translation file. On subsequent invocations of clearexport_rcs, use -T again, specifying the same translation file for consistent name translation.

The translation file consists of one or more lines in the following form:

{ label | branch } old-name new-name

For example, to rename the branch type pre_import_work to post_import_work and the label BL1.7 to IMPORT_BASE, the translation file contains the lines:

branch pre_import_work post_import_work
label BL1.7 IMPORT_BASE

No blank lines are allowed in the file.

VERSION TREE STRUCTURE AFTER CONVERSION

Revisions on the main branch of an RCS file have two-digit identifiers (for example, 1.2). These revisions become versions on the main branch of the ClearCase element, as illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4 Conversion of RCS Revisions

Note that the major revision substructure in the RCS revision tree is lost in the translation-all the RCS revisions become versions on the main branch. However, you can use the -V option to preserve this information in the form of attributes attached to the versions.

Revisions on subbranches of an RCS file have identifiers consisting of an even number of digits; no fewer than four (for example, 1.2.1.5, 1.2.1.5.1.3). These revisions become versions on subbranches of the ClearCase element, as illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 5 Conversion of RCS Subbranches

clearimport creates branch types with three-digit names (1.2.1 in the example above). Thus, RCS revision 1.2.1.3 becomes version 3 on branch 1.2.1.

HANDLING OF OBJECTS THAT CANNOT BE EXPORTED

When clearexport_rcs encounters a file or directory that cannot be exported (for example, a file with format problems, or a broken symbolic link), it prints an error and continues. After creating the data file, the command prints a summary of the files and directories that could not be exported.

PERMISSIONS AND LOCKS

Permissions Checking: No special permissions required. Locks: No locks apply.

OPTIONS AND ARGUMENTS

HANDLING OF DIRECTORY ARGUMENTS.  Default: If you specify a directory as a source-name argument: (1) clearexport_rcs Processes the files in that directory but ignores the contents of the subdirectories; (2) clearimport creates a directory element for source-name and for each of its subdirectories.

-r

clearexport_rcs descends recursively into all source-name arguments that are directories.

SELECTIVE CONVERSION OF FILES.  Default: clearexport_rcs processes all RCS revisions it finds.

-s date-time

clearexport_rcs processes only RCS revisions that have been modified since the time specified. Use this option for regular, incremental updating of an element from an RCS file that is still under development. Be sure to specify a date-time that covers the entire period since the preceding update. In other situations, it is probably better to use -I instead of -s.

clearexport_rcs determines whether to process an RCS archive by using the last-modified date/time of the archive. If this date/time is before the date-time you specify with -s, clearexport_rcs does not process any of the revisions in the archive. If the archive's date/time is after the date-time you specify, clearexport_rcs processes the following revisions in the archive:

NOTE: In an incremental updating situation, if you remove a label or branch from an RCS revision, clearimport does not remove the label or branch from the ClearCase element.

Specify the time in one of the following formats:

date.time | date | time | now
where:

Specify time in 24-hour format, relative to the local time zone. If you omit the time, the default value is 00:00:00. If you omit date, the default is today. If you omit the century, year, or a specific date, the most recent one is used. Specify UTC if you want ClearCase to resolve the time to the same moment in time regardless of time zone. Use the plus (+) or minus (-) operator to specify a positive or negative offset to the UTC time. If you specify UTC without hour or minute offsets, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is used. (Dates before January 1, 1970 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) are invalid.)

-I { now | date-time }

Processes important revisions only, but includes all revisions created since the specified time. A revision is important if any of these conditions is true:

PRESERVATION OF RCS INFORMATION AS ATTRIBUTES.  Default: clearexport_rcs does not attach attributes to versions exported from RCS revisions.

-V

Attaches an attribute of type RCS_REVISION to each newly created version. The string value of the attribute is the RCS revision number of the exported revision. (clearimport creates attribute type RCS_REVISION, if necessary.)

If you use the -s option with this option, clearimport attaches RCS_REVISION attributes only to revisions created after the date-time you specified.

Each attribute requires about 1 KB of storage in the VOB database.

-S

If an RCS revision's state is not the default (Exp), attaches an attribute of type RCS_STATE to the newly created version. The string value of the attribute is the RCS state attribute of the exported revision.

DIRECTORY FOR TEMPORARY FILES. Default: clearexport_rcs uses the value of the TMP environment variable as the directory for temporary files.

-t temp-dir-pname

Specifies an alternate directory for temporary files. This directory must already exist.

HANDLING OF BRANCHES AND LABELS.  Default: As described in the section HANDLING OF RCS SYMBOLS, clearexport_rcs may rename a branch or label type to avoid naming conflicts.

-T translation-file

Uses the specified translation file to control and record the conversion of RCS symbols to version labels and branch names.

STORAGE LOCATION OF DATAFILE.  Default: clearexport_rcs creates datafile cvt_data in the current working directory.

-o datafile-pname

Stores the datafile at the specified location. An error occurs if datafile already exists.

SPECIFYING FILES TO BE EXPORTED.  Default: clearexport_rcs processes the current working directory (equivalent to specifying "." as the source-name argument). If you specify a directory as a source-name argument: (1) clearexport_rcs processes the files in that directory but ignores the contents of the subdirectories; (2) clearimport creates a directory element for source-name and for each of its subdirectories (except one named RCS or rcs).

source-name ...

One or more pathnames, specifying RCS files and/or directories:

Each source-name must be a simple file or directory name. This enables clearimport to reliably access the source data when it is executed. Specifying the parent directory (..) causes an error, as does any pathname that includes a backslash (\).

Thus, before entering this command, you should change to the directory in or under which the RCS files to be exported reside. If the RCS files reside in RCS subdirectories, use the -r option to enable clearexport_rcs to find them.

EXAMPLES

• Create a datafile for a single RCS file.

c:\> clearexport_rcs myprogram.c,v

• Process three RCS files in the current working directory and store the datafile in file cvt_include.

c:\> clearexport_rcs -o cvt_include bgr1.h,v bgr2.h,v bgr3.h,v

SEE ALSO

clearexport_*, clearimport, events_ccase, relocate