[ On Tuesday, March 7, 2000 at 21:23:34 (-0600), Michael Gersten wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: removing the need for "cvs add file" to contact the server....
>
> Even still, what's wrong with an 'all-in-one' to add something to the module
> file as well? (or are you of the 'if it can be in a script, it mustn't be in
> the regular program' camp?)
The problem with an 'all-in-one' command to start a new module is that
you're then mixing two very different kinds of actions and in doing so
it is impossible to enforce a local policy that might say that only the
repository administrator(s) can create new modules. Besides the act of
creating a module isn't something to be done lightly -- having to
manually commit the entry to the modules file is a way of trying to get
the committer to think a little about their actions.
I suppose one might argue that the checkin of the CVSROOT/modules file
should maybe be what triggers the initial creation of the first "module
root" directory in the repository. There's no really efficient way to
do that right now though -- you'd essentially have to call mkdir() for
every directory name on the right-hand-side and ignore the errors for
already existing directories. There's also a chance that the repository
administrator won't actually be permitted to commit to the module he or
she creates and in that case you'd need to have an authorised committer
create the directory anyway (or a system administrator would have to
change the permissions and/or ownership on the resulting directory).
In any case I've never seen anyone use CVS in such a way that having to
do a separate commit to the modules file is even a measurable burden.
People who use the modules file today have to do two steps; they have to
both edit the modules file *and* create the initial directory, either by
hand or with an empty "cvs import" or whatever. I'd be more than happy
to elimitate just the second step and of course this also enhances the
usability of CVS in client/server mode (ie.e. you don't have to login to
the repository machine to manually create the directory, or play tricks
with "cvs import", or whatever).
--
Greg A. Woods
+1 416 218-0098 VE3TCP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <robohack!woods>
Planix, Inc. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Secrets of the Weird <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
