"cvs rtag -D" not working with removed files?

[Daniel Kabs]

Hello there,

I want to use "cvs rtag -D" to create a tag based by a certain date.

Example:
cvs rtag -D '2008-12-01 10:00' branch_name module_name

Unfortunately that does not tag files that have been removed in HEAD
revision. Nevertheless, those files _did_ exist at the time in the -D
option and were still available in the attic.

Strangely enough, those "untaggable" files can be checked out using the
same -D option with command "checkout":

cvs co -D '2008-12-01 10:00' module_name

I wonder why "rtag -D" does not work as I expect it to since it seems to
me that it should work, which means that I'm either misunderstanding
something basic or that something else is wrong.

Thanks.

Daniel

PS: using cvs version 1.12.13

[Larry Jones]

Post by Daniel Kabs
cvs rtag -D '2008-12-01 10:00' branch_name module_name
Unfortunately that does not tag files that have been removed in HEAD
revision. Nevertheless, those files _did_ exist at the time in the -D
option and were still available in the attic.

Have you tried adding the -a flag?

[Daniel Kabs]

Hello!

Post by Larry Jones

Post by Daniel Kabs
Unfortunately that does not tag files that have been removed in HEAD
revision. Nevertheless, those files _did_ exist at the time in the -D
option and were still available in the attic.

Have you tried adding the -a flag?

I would have never tried -a, if you hadn't referred me to it. The help
says about this option "clear tag from removed files" so I thought this
option would only remove tags from files.

Now I tried

cvs rtag -a -D '2008-12-01 10:00' branch_name module_name

and it does the trick. I tested this by
a) creating a tag by date using "rtag -a -D"
b) checking out by date and tagging the working copy

If I checkout tags created using a) or b), the working copies do not
differ any more. Great! Thanks a alot!

The only difference I see is that
- using a) files that had been deleted by the given time get the tag on
the dead revision, where as
- using b) deleted files do not get the tag.

This may make a difference if I "revive" dead revisions and later on use
that tag for e.g. joining. Thus I will prefer the rtag approach over
tagging the working copy. Is that a reasonable approach?

Cheers
Daniel