Hi Dave,
Yes, you understand correctly.
Subversion does not have any equivalent
to "use-file-modify-times".
Subversion destroys that information
when it puts the file into the repository.
When you "svn co" or "svn update", the
bastardized file comes out of the repository
with the modification date set to the commit date.
In my opinion, this destruction of the most
important information in a file (its modification date)
constitutes the biggest design flaw in subversion.
Svn serves its one use case well.
Keeping the modification date intact
would expand its usefulness to other use cases.
Mike Brenner
Dave Nadler wrote:
> Right Mike, thanks for clarifying. If a file was last edited
> back in 1991, we need the file timestamp to remain 1991
> until somebody really changes it.
>
> Do I understand correctly that "use-file-modify-times"
> or equivalent just doesn't exist ?
>
> Thanks again,
> Best Regards, Dave
>
> At 11:19 AM 1/2/2007, Mike Brenner wrote:
>> Hi Andreas,
>>
>> That ("use-commit-times") did not answer the question
>> "when it's checked into and out of the respository"
>> "how can I get subversion to preserve the date-time "
>> "when the file was last *really* changed?".
>>
>> The "use-commit-times" specifically uses the time
>> you committed into the library, as opposed to
>> the time you last CHANGED the file. And it does not
>> even do that! If you change a file in 1999, then you
>> move it into subversion in 2005, then you
>> take it out of subversion and re-check it into
>> subversion in 2007, it will have the date 2007,
>> not 2005. So it is not the time it last changed
>> its check-in date into subversion, but rather the
>> MOST RECENT check-in date into subversion.
>>
>> What subversion needs is the option to
>> "use-file-modify-times" instead of commit times.
>> If that option were to become available, then
>> the first time someone started copying files
>> around, they would see the problem and
>> start using that "use-file-modify-times"
>> option!
>>
>> Mike Brenner
>
>> Date: Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:41:19 -0500
>> To: users@subversion.tigris.org
>> From: Dave Nadler <Dave.Nadler@nadler.com>
>> Subject: preserving date-time of files in repository
>>
>> OK, I know that pulling out a file with an old date may cause a build
>> to not do something; happy to do a clean/build if I must revert to an
>> older version of a file.
>>
>> How can I get subversion to preserve the date-time of a file when its
>> checked into and out of the repository ? The real time-stamp of when
>> the file was last *really* changed is an important piece of
>> information, and we need to preserve this. Especially during
>> migration to use of subversion !
>>
>> Help ! I read the pragmatic book, searched the documentation, and
>> cannot find out how to do this (or if it is indeed possible).
>> Apologies if it is documented and I've somehow overlooked it...
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Best Regards, Dave
>
> Dave Nadler, USA East Coast voice (978) 263-0097, drn@nadler.com
>
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Received on Wed Jan 3 15:56:35 2007