{ "mode": "man", "parameter": "RCS", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/RCS/1/json", "generated": "2026-05-30T07:08:45Z", "synopsis": "rcs options file ...", "sections": { "NAME": { "content": "rcs - change RCS file attributes\n", "subsections": [] }, "SYNOPSIS": { "content": "rcs options file ...\n", "subsections": [] }, "DESCRIPTION": { "content": "rcs creates new RCS files or changes attributes of existing ones. An RCS file contains mul‐\ntiple revisions of text, an access list, a change log, descriptive text, and some control at‐\ntributes. For rcs to work, the caller's login name must be on the access list, except if the\naccess list is empty, the caller is the owner of the file or the superuser, or the -i option\nis present.\n\nFilenames matching an RCS suffix denote RCS files; all others denote working files. Names\nare paired as explained in ci(1). Revision numbers use the syntax described in ci(1).\n", "subsections": [] }, "OPTIONS": { "content": "", "subsections": [ { "name": "-i", "content": "file name has no directory component, try to place it first into the subdirectory\n./RCS, and then into the current directory. If the RCS file already exists, print an\nerror message.\n", "flag": "-i" }, { "name": "-a", "content": "Append the login names appearing in the comma-separated list logins to the access list\nof the RCS file.\n", "flag": "-a" }, { "name": "-A", "content": "Append the access list of oldfile to the access list of the RCS file.\n", "flag": "-A" }, { "name": "-e", "content": "Erase the login names appearing in the comma-separated list logins from the access\nlist of the RCS file. If logins is omitted, erase the entire access list.\n", "flag": "-e" }, { "name": "-b", "content": "Set the default branch to rev. If rev is omitted, the default branch is reset to the\n(dynamically) highest branch on the trunk.\n", "flag": "-b" }, { "name": "-c", "content": "Set the comment leader to string. An initial ci, or an rcs -i without -c, guesses the\ncomment leader from the suffix of the working file name.\n\nThis option is obsolescent, since RCS normally uses the preceding $Log$ line's prefix\nwhen inserting log lines during checkout (see co(1)). However, older versions of RCS\nuse the comment leader instead of the $Log$ line's prefix, so if you plan to access a\nfile with both old and new versions of RCS, make sure its comment leader matches its\n$Log$ line prefix.\n", "flag": "-c" }, { "name": "-k", "content": "Set the default keyword substitution to subst. The effect of keyword substitution is\ndescribed in co(1). Giving an explicit -k option to co, rcsdiff, and rcsmerge over‐\nrides this default. Beware rcs -kv, because -kv is incompatible with co -l. Use\nrcs -kkv to restore the normal default keyword substitution.\n", "flag": "-k" }, { "name": "-l", "content": "Lock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, lock the latest revision on\nthat branch. If rev is omitted, lock the latest revision on the default branch.\nLocking prevents overlapping changes. If someone else already holds the lock, the\nlock is broken as with rcs -u (see below).\n", "flag": "-l" }, { "name": "-u", "content": "Unlock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, unlock the latest revision\non that branch. If rev is omitted, remove the latest lock held by the caller. Nor‐\nmally, only the locker of a revision can unlock it. Somebody else unlocking a revi‐\nsion breaks the lock. If RCS was configured --with-mailer, then this causes a mail\nmessage to be sent to the original locker. The message contains a commentary so‐\nlicited from the breaker. The commentary is terminated by end-of-file or by a line\ncontaining . by itself.\n", "flag": "-u" }, { "name": "-L", "content": "empt from locking for checkin. This option should be used for files that are shared.\n", "flag": "-L" }, { "name": "-U", "content": "lock a revision for checkin. This option should not be used for files that are\nshared. Whether default locking is strict is determined by your system administrator,\nbut it is normally strict.\n", "flag": "-U" }, { "name": "-m", "content": "Replace revision rev's log message with msg. If msg is omitted, it defaults to \"*\nempty log message *\".\n", "flag": "-m" }, { "name": "-M", "content": "sual use; it is meant for programs that warn users by other means, and invoke rcs -u\nonly as a low-level lock-breaking operation.\n", "flag": "-M" }, { "name": "-n", "content": "Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. Delete the symbolic\nname if both : and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an error message if name is al‐\nready associated with another number. If rev is symbolic, it is expanded before asso‐\nciation. A rev consisting of a branch number followed by a . stands for the current\nlatest revision in the branch. A : with an empty rev stands for the current latest\nrevision on the default branch, normally the trunk. For example, rcs -nname: RCS/*\nassociates name with the current latest revision of all the named RCS files; this con‐\ntrasts with rcs -nname:$ RCS/* which associates name with the revision numbers ex‐\ntracted from keyword strings in the corresponding working files.\n", "flag": "-n" }, { "name": "-N", "content": "Act like -n, except override any previous assignment of name.\n", "flag": "-N" }, { "name": "-o", "content": "deletes (“outdates”) the revisions given by range. A range consisting of a single re‐\nvision number means that revision. A range consisting of a branch number means the\nlatest revision on that branch. A range of the form rev1:rev2 means revisions rev1 to\nrev2 on the same branch, :rev means from the beginning of the branch containing rev up\nto and including rev, and rev: means from revision rev to the end of the branch con‐\ntaining rev. None of the outdated revisions can have branches or locks.\n", "flag": "-o" }, { "name": "-q", "content": "", "flag": "-q" }, { "name": "-I", "content": "", "flag": "-I" }, { "name": "-s", "content": "Set the state attribute of the revision rev to state. If rev is a branch number, as‐\nsume the latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, assume the latest revi‐\nsion on the default branch. Any identifier is acceptable for state. A useful set of\nstates is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for stable), and Rel (for released). By de‐\nfault, ci(1) sets the state of a revision to Exp.\n", "flag": "-s" }, { "name": "-t", "content": "Write descriptive text from the contents of the named file into the RCS file, deleting\nthe existing text. The file name cannot begin with -. If file is omitted, obtain the\ntext from standard input, terminated by end-of-file or by a line containing . by it‐\nself. Prompt for the text if interaction is possible; see -I. With -i, descriptive\ntext is obtained even if -t is not given.\n", "flag": "-t" }, { "name": "-t-", "content": "Write descriptive text from the string into the RCS file, deleting the existing text.\n" }, { "name": "-T", "content": "tion can suppress extensive recompilation caused by a make(1) dependency of some copy\nof the working file on the RCS file. Use this option with care; it can suppress re‐\ncompilation even when it is needed, i.e. when a change to the RCS file would mean a\nchange to keyword strings in the working file.\n", "flag": "-T" }, { "name": "-V", "content": "", "flag": "-V" }, { "name": "-V", "content": "", "flag": "-V" }, { "name": "-x", "content": "Use suffixes to characterize RCS files. See ci(1) for details.\n", "flag": "-x" }, { "name": "-z", "content": "patibility with other RCS commands.\n\nAt least one explicit option must be given, to ensure compatibility with future planned ex‐\ntensions to the rcs command.\n", "flag": "-z" } ] }, "COMPATIBILITY": { "content": "The -brev option generates an RCS file that cannot be parsed by RCS version 3 or earlier.\n\nThe -ksubst options (except -kkv) generate an RCS file that cannot be parsed by RCS version 4\nor earlier.\n\nUse rcs -Vn to make an RCS file acceptable to RCS version n by discarding information that\nwould confuse version n.\n\nRCS version 5.5 and earlier does not support the -x option, and requires a ,v suffix on an\nRCS file name.\n", "subsections": [] }, "FILES": { "content": "rcs accesses files much as ci(1) does, except that it uses the effective user for all ac‐\ncesses, it does not write the working file or its directory, and it does not even read the\nworking file unless a revision number of $ is specified.\n", "subsections": [] }, "ENVIRONMENT": { "content": "RCSINIT\nOptions prepended to the argument list, separated by spaces. A backslash escapes spa‐\nces within an option. The RCSINIT options are prepended to the argument lists of most\nRCS commands. Useful RCSINIT options include -q, -V, -x, and -z.\n\nRCSMEMLIMIT\nNormally, for speed, commands either memory map or copy into memory the RCS file if\nits size is less than the memory-limit, currently defaulting to ``unlimited''. Other‐\nwise (or if the initially-tried speedy ways fail), the commands fall back to using\nstandard i/o routines. You can adjust the memory limit by setting RCSMEMLIMIT to a\nnumeric value lim (measured in kilobytes). An empty value is silently ignored. As a\nside effect, specifying RCSMEMLIMIT inhibits fall-back to slower routines.\n\nTMPDIR Name of the temporary directory. If not set, the environment variables TMP and TEMP\nare inspected instead and the first value found is taken; if none of them are set, a\nhost-dependent default is used, typically /tmp.\n", "subsections": [] }, "DIAGNOSTICS": { "content": "The RCS file name and the revisions outdated are written to the diagnostic output. The exit\nstatus is zero if and only if all operations were successful.\n", "subsections": [] }, "IDENTIFICATION": { "content": "Author: Walter F. Tichy.\nManual Page Revision: 5.10.1; Release Date: 2022-02-19.\nCopyright © 2010-2022 Thien-Thi Nguyen.\nCopyright © 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Paul Eggert.\nCopyright © 1982, 1988, 1989 Walter F. Tichy.\n", "subsections": [] }, "SEE ALSO": { "content": "co(1), ci(1), ident(1), rcsclean(1), rcsdiff(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1), rcsfile(5).\n\nWalter F. Tichy, RCS--A System for Version Control, Software--Practice & Experience 15, 7\n(July 1985), 637-654.\n\nThe full documentation for RCS is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info(1) and RCS\nprograms are properly installed at your site, the command\n\ninfo rcs\n\nshould give you access to the complete manual. Additionally, the RCS homepage:\n\nhttp://www.gnu.org/software/rcs/\n\nhas news and links to the latest release, development site, etc.\n", "subsections": [] }, "BUGS": { "content": "A catastrophe (e.g. a system crash) can cause RCS to leave behind a semaphore file that\ncauses later invocations of RCS to claim that the RCS file is in use. To fix this, remove\nthe semaphore file. A semaphore file's name typically begins with , or ends with .\n\nThe separator for revision ranges in the -o option used to be - instead of :, but this leads\nto confusion when symbolic names contain -. For backwards compatibility rcs -o still sup‐\nports the old - separator, but it warns about this obsolete use.\n\nSymbolic names need not refer to existing revisions or branches. For example, the -o option\ndoes not remove symbolic names for the outdated revisions; you must use -n to remove the\nnames.\n\n\n\nGNU RCS 5.10.1 2022-02-19 RCS(1)", "subsections": [] } }, "summary": "rcs - change RCS file attributes", "flags": [ { "flag": "-i", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "file name has no directory component, try to place it first into the subdirectory ./RCS, and then into the current directory. If the RCS file already exists, print an error message." }, { "flag": "-a", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Append the login names appearing in the comma-separated list logins to the access list of the RCS file." }, { "flag": "-A", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Append the access list of oldfile to the access list of the RCS file." }, { "flag": "-e", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Erase the login names appearing in the comma-separated list logins from the access list of the RCS file. If logins is omitted, erase the entire access list." }, { "flag": "-b", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Set the default branch to rev. If rev is omitted, the default branch is reset to the (dynamically) highest branch on the trunk." }, { "flag": "-c", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Set the comment leader to string. An initial ci, or an rcs -i without -c, guesses the comment leader from the suffix of the working file name. This option is obsolescent, since RCS normally uses the preceding $Log$ line's prefix when inserting log lines during checkout (see co(1)). However, older versions of RCS use the comment leader instead of the $Log$ line's prefix, so if you plan to access a file with both old and new versions of RCS, make sure its comment leader matches its $Log$ line prefix." }, { "flag": "-k", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Set the default keyword substitution to subst. The effect of keyword substitution is described in co(1). Giving an explicit -k option to co, rcsdiff, and rcsmerge over‐ rides this default. Beware rcs -kv, because -kv is incompatible with co -l. Use rcs -kkv to restore the normal default keyword substitution." }, { "flag": "-l", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Lock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, lock the latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, lock the latest revision on the default branch. Locking prevents overlapping changes. If someone else already holds the lock, the lock is broken as with rcs -u (see below)." }, { "flag": "-u", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Unlock the revision with number rev. If a branch is given, unlock the latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, remove the latest lock held by the caller. Nor‐ mally, only the locker of a revision can unlock it. Somebody else unlocking a revi‐ sion breaks the lock. If RCS was configured --with-mailer, then this causes a mail message to be sent to the original locker. The message contains a commentary so‐ licited from the breaker. The commentary is terminated by end-of-file or by a line containing . by itself." }, { "flag": "-L", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "empt from locking for checkin. This option should be used for files that are shared." }, { "flag": "-U", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "lock a revision for checkin. This option should not be used for files that are shared. Whether default locking is strict is determined by your system administrator, but it is normally strict." }, { "flag": "-m", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Replace revision rev's log message with msg. If msg is omitted, it defaults to \"* empty log message *\"." }, { "flag": "-M", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "sual use; it is meant for programs that warn users by other means, and invoke rcs -u only as a low-level lock-breaking operation." }, { "flag": "-n", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. Delete the symbolic name if both : and rev are omitted; otherwise, print an error message if name is al‐ ready associated with another number. If rev is symbolic, it is expanded before asso‐ ciation. A rev consisting of a branch number followed by a . stands for the current latest revision in the branch. A : with an empty rev stands for the current latest revision on the default branch, normally the trunk. For example, rcs -nname: RCS/* associates name with the current latest revision of all the named RCS files; this con‐ trasts with rcs -nname:$ RCS/* which associates name with the revision numbers ex‐ tracted from keyword strings in the corresponding working files." }, { "flag": "-N", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Act like -n, except override any previous assignment of name." }, { "flag": "-o", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "deletes (“outdates”) the revisions given by range. A range consisting of a single re‐ vision number means that revision. A range consisting of a branch number means the latest revision on that branch. A range of the form rev1:rev2 means revisions rev1 to rev2 on the same branch, :rev means from the beginning of the branch containing rev up to and including rev, and rev: means from revision rev to the end of the branch con‐ taining rev. None of the outdated revisions can have branches or locks." }, { "flag": "-q", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "" }, { "flag": "-I", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "" }, { "flag": "-s", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Set the state attribute of the revision rev to state. If rev is a branch number, as‐ sume the latest revision on that branch. If rev is omitted, assume the latest revi‐ sion on the default branch. Any identifier is acceptable for state. A useful set of states is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for stable), and Rel (for released). By de‐ fault, ci(1) sets the state of a revision to Exp." }, { "flag": "-t", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Write descriptive text from the contents of the named file into the RCS file, deleting the existing text. The file name cannot begin with -. If file is omitted, obtain the text from standard input, terminated by end-of-file or by a line containing . by it‐ self. Prompt for the text if interaction is possible; see -I. With -i, descriptive text is obtained even if -t is not given." }, { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Write descriptive text from the string into the RCS file, deleting the existing text." }, { "flag": "-T", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "tion can suppress extensive recompilation caused by a make(1) dependency of some copy of the working file on the RCS file. Use this option with care; it can suppress re‐ compilation even when it is needed, i.e. when a change to the RCS file would mean a change to keyword strings in the working file." }, { "flag": "-V", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "" }, { "flag": "-V", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "" }, { "flag": "-x", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Use suffixes to characterize RCS files. See ci(1) for details." }, { "flag": "-z", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "patibility with other RCS commands. At least one explicit option must be given, to ensure compatibility with future planned ex‐ tensions to the rcs command." } ], "examples": [], "see_also": [ { "name": "co", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/co/1/json" }, { "name": "ci", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ci/1/json" }, { "name": "ident", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ident/1/json" }, { "name": "rcsclean", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rcsclean/1/json" }, { "name": "rcsdiff", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rcsdiff/1/json" }, { "name": "rcsmerge", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rcsmerge/1/json" }, { "name": "rlog", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rlog/1/json" }, { "name": "rcsfile", "section": "5", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/rcsfile/5/json" }, { "name": "info", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/info/1/json" } ] }