Re: Can you set properties on a file without having it checked out?

On 5/12/05, Ben Collins-Sussman <sussman@collab.net> wrote:
>
> On May 12, 2005, at 11:22 AM, David Weintraub wrote:
> >
> > By the way, I was too shocked by the fact that I cannot add or modify
> > properties to files without a working directory. I can make
> > directories, copy files, etc. without a working directory, but
> > apparently I can not add or change properties.
> >
>
> Nor can you change a file's text without a working copy. It's a
> safety feature.
>
> If you were able to run 'svn propset color green fileURL', or 'svn
> put localfile fileURL', then you might overwrite changes that you've
> never seen.

I'm not interested in changing the file itself -- just the metadata
attached to this file. For example, I want to attach a defect ID to
the file. Even properties like svn:keywords, svn:eol-style, and
svn:mime-type don't affect the file's content in unpredictable ways.

It would be one thing to argue that you aren't allowed to make any
changes in the archive without a working directory and a commit. Yet,
I am allowed to make changes in the archive's tree structure without a
working directory. And, that probably has more affects on the build
and development process than any metadata that is attached to the
file.

> That said, there *is* an svnput.c example file in svn's source tree.
> It does what you think, but it's plastered with these same warnings.
> Use at your own risk.

svnput.c is making changes in the files themselves. I'm not asking to
change a file, just the metadata attached to that file.

--
David Weintraub
qazwart@gmail.com
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