import

Synopsis: import [OPTIONS] REPOSITORY VENDOR_TAG RELEASE_TAG(S)

• Alternate names – im, imp
• Requires – Repository, current directory (the source directory)
• Changes – Repository

Imports new sources into the repository, either creating a new project or creating a new vendor revision on a vendor branch of an existing project. (See Advanced CVS for a basic explanation of vendor branches in import, which will help you to understand the following.)

It's normal to use import to add many files or directories at once or to create a new project. To add single files, you should use add.

Options:

• -b BRANCH – Imports to vendor branch BRANCH. (BRANCH is an actual branch number, not a tag.) This is rarely used but can be helpful if you get sources for the same project from different vendors. A normal import command assumes that the sources are to be imported on the default vendor branch, which is "1.1.1". Because it is the default, you normally don't bother to specify it with -b:

            floss$ cvs import -m "importing from vendor 1" theirproj THEM1 THEM1-0
       

  To import to a vendor branch other than the default, you must specify a different branch number explicitly:

            floss$ cvs import -b 1.1.3 -m "from vendor 2" theirproj THEM2 THEM2-0
       

  The 1.1.3 branch can absorb future imports and be merged like any other vendor branch. However, you must make sure any future imports that specify -b 1.1.3 also use the same vendor tag (THEM2). CVS does not check to make sure that the vendor branch matches the vendor tag. However, if they mismatch, odd and unpredictable things will happen.

  Vendor branches are odd-numbered, the opposite of regular branches.

• -d – Takes the file's modification time as the time of import instead of using the current time. This does not work with client/server CVS.
• -I NAME – Gives file names that should be ignored in the import. You can use this option multiple times in one import. Wildcard patterns are supported: *.foo means ignore everything ending in .foo. (See cvsignore in Repository Administrative Files for details about wildcards.)

  The following file and directory names are ignored by default:

            	.
            	..
            	.#*
            	#*
            	,*
            	_$*
            	*~
            	*$
            	*.a
            	*.bak
            	*.BAK
            	*.elc
            	*.exe
            	*.ln
            	*.o
            	*.obj
            	*.olb
            	*.old
            	*.orig
            	*.rej
            	*.so
            	*.Z
            	.del-*
            	.make.state
            	.nse_depinfo
            	core
            	CVS
            	CVS.adm
            	cvslog.*
            	RCS
            	RCSLOG
            	SCCS
            	tags
            	TAGS
       

  You can suppress the ignoring of those file name patterns, as well as any specified in .cvsignore, CVSROOT/cvsignore, and the $CVSIGNORE environment variable, by using -I !. That is,

            floss$ cvs import -I ! -m "importing the universe" proj VENDOR VENDOR_0
       

  imports all files in the current directory tree, even those that would otherwise be ignored.

  Using a -I ! clears whatever ignore list has been created to that point, so any -I options that came before it would be nullified, but any that come after will still count. Thus,

            floss$ cvs import -I ! -I README.txt -m "some msg" theirproj THEM THEM_0
       

  is not the same as

            floss$ cvs import -I README.txt -I ! -m "some msg" theirproj THEM THEM_0
       

  The former ignores (fails to import) README.txt, whereas the latter imports it.

• -k MODE – Sets the default RCS keyword substitution mode for the imported files. (See Keyword Substitution (RCS Keywords) later in this chapter for a list of valid modes.)
• -m MESSAGE – Records MESSAGE as the import log message.
• -W SPEC – Specifies filters based on file names that should be in effect for the import. You can use this option multiple times. (See cvswrappers in Repository Administrative Files for details about wrapper specs.)