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.. into HTML or text. In the future we plan to extract the example commands
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3
.. and automatically test them.
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.. This text was previously on the wiki at
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.. This text was previously on the wiki at
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.. http://bazaar.canonical.com/IntroductionToBzr
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.. but has been moved into the source tree so it can be kept in sync with
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.. the source and possibly automatically checked.
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Current for bzr-0.8, 2006-04
18
If you are already familiar with decentralized version control, then
19
please feel free to skip ahead to "Introducing Yourself to Bazaar". If,
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on the other hand, you are familiar with version control but not
21
decentralized version control, then please start at "How DVCS is
20
If you are already familiar with decentralized revision control, then
21
please feel free to skip ahead to "Introducing Yourself to Bazaar-NG". If,
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on the other hand, you are familiar with revision control but not
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decentralized revision control, then please start at "How DRCS is
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different." Otherwise, get some coffee or tea, get comfortable and get
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The purpose of version control
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==============================
27
The Purposes of Revision Control
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================================
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Odds are that you have worked on some sort of textual data -- the sources
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to a program, web sites or the config files that Unix system
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the web template to close the table" and "Added sftp suppport. Fixes #595"
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We keep these logs so that if later there is some sort of problem with
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sftp, we can figure out when the problem probably happened.
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Many Version Control Systems (VCS) are stored on servers. If one wants to
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work on the code stored within a VCS, then one needs to connect to the
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sftp, we can figure out when the problem probably happened.
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Many Revision Control Systems (RCS) are stored on servers. If one wants to
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work on the code stored within an RCS, then one needs to connect to the
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server and "checkout" the code. Doing so gives one a directory in which a
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person can make changes and then commit. The VCS client then connects to
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the VCS server and stores the changes. This method is known as the
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person can make changes and then commit. The RCS client then connects to
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the RCS server and stores the changes. This method is known as the
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The centralized model can have some drawbacks. A centralized VCS requires
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The centralized model can have some drawbacks. A centralized RCS requires
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that one is able to connect to the server whenever one wants to do version
70
control work. This can be a bit of a problem if your server is on some other
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machine on the internet and you are not. Or, worse yet, you **are** on the
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control work. This can be a bit of a problem if your server on some other
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machine on the internet and you are not. Or, worse yet, you ''are'' on the
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internet but the server is missing!
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Decentralized Version Control Systems (which I'll call DVCS after this
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Decentralized Revision Control Systems (which I'll call DRCS after this
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point) deal with this problem by keeping branches on the same machine as
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the client. In Bazaar's case, the branch is kept in the same place as
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the client. In Bazaar-NG's case, the branch is kept in the same place as
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the code that is being version controlled. This allows the user to save
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his changes (**commit**) whenever he wants -- even if he is offline. The
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user only needs internet access when he wants to access the changes in
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someone else's branch that are somewhere else.
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A common requirement that many people have is the need to keep track of
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the changes for a directory such as file and subdirectory changes.
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Performing this tracking by hand is a awkward process that over time
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becomes unwieldy. That is, until one considers version control tools such
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as Bazaar. These tools automate the process of storing data by creating
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a **revision** of the directory tree whenever the user asks.
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Version control software such as Bazaar can do much more than just
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storage and performing undo. For example, with Bazaar a developer can
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take the modifications in one branch of software and apply them to a
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related branch -- even if those changes exist in a branch owned by
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somebody else. This allows developers to cooperate without giving
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write access to the repository.
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Bazaar remembers the ''ancestry'' of a revision: the previous revisions
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as Bazaar-NG. These tools automate the process of storing data by creating
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a **revision** of the directory tree whenever the user asks.
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Revision control software such as Bazaar-NG can do much more than just
93
storage and performing undo. For example, with Bazaar-NG developer can
94
take the modifications in one branch of software and apply them to
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another, related, branch -- even if those changes exist in a branch owned
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by somebody else. This allows developers to cooperate without giving write
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Bazaar-NG remembers the ''ancestry'' of a revision: the previous revisions
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that it is based upon. A single revision may have more than one direct
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descendant, each with different changes, representing a divergence in the
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evolution of the tree. By branching, Bazaar allows multiple people to
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evolution of the tree. By branching, Bazaar-NG allows multiple people to
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cooperate on the evolution of a project, without all needing to work in
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strict lock-step. Branching can be useful even for a single developer.
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Introducing yourself to Bazaar
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==============================
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Introducing yourself to Bazaar-NG
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=================================
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Bazaar installs a single new command, **bzr**. Everything else is a
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subcommand of this. You can get some help with ``bzr help``. Some arguments
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are grouped in topics: ``bzr help topics`` to see which topics are available.
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Bazaar-NG installs a single new command, **bzr**. Everything else is a
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subcommand of this. You can get some help with `bzr help`. There will be
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One function of a version control system is to keep track of who changed
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what. In a decentralized system, that requires an identifier for each
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author that is globally unique. Most people already have one of these: an
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email address. Bazaar is smart enough to automatically generate an email
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email address. Bzr is smart enough to automatically generate an email
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address by looking up your username and hostname. If you don't like the
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guess that Bazaar makes, then three options exist:
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1. Set an email address via ``bzr whoami``. This is the simplest way.
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To set a global identity, use::
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% bzr whoami "Your Name <email@example.com>"
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If you'd like to use a different address for a specific branch, enter
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the branch folder and use::
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% bzr whoami --branch "Your Name <email@example.com>"
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#. Setting the email address in the ``~/.bazaar/bazaar.conf`` [1]_ by
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adding the following lines. Please note that ``[DEFAULT]`` is case
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email=Your Name <email@isp.com>
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As above, you can override this settings on a branch by branch basis
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by creating a branch section in ``~/.bazaar/locations.conf`` and
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adding the following lines::
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[/the/path/to/the/branch]
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email=Your Name <email@isp.com>
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#. Overriding the two previous options by setting the global environment
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variable ``$BZR_EMAIL`` or ``$EMAIL`` (``$BZR_EMAIL`` will take
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precedence) to your full email address.
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.. [1] On Windows, the users configuration files can be found in the
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application data directory. So instead of ``~/.bazaar/branch.conf``
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the configuration file can be found as:
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``C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Bazaar\2.0\branch.conf``.
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The same is true for ``locations.conf``, ``ignore``, and the
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``plugins`` directory.
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guess that Bazaar-NG makes, then three options exist:
120
1. Set an email address via ``bzr whoami``. This is the simplest way.
121
To set a global identity, use::
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% bzr whoami 'Your Name <email@example.com>'
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If you'd like to use a different address for a specific branch, enter
126
the branch folder and use::
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% bzr whoami --branch 'Your Name <email@example.com>'
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1. Setting the email address in the
131
``~/.bazaar/bazaar.conf`` by adding the following lines. Please note that
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``[DEFAULT]`` is case sensitive::
135
email= Your Name <email@isp.com>
137
As above, you can override this settings on a branch by branch basis by
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creating a branch section in ``~/.bazaar/locations.conf`` and adding the
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[/the/directory/to/the/branch]
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email=Your Name <email@isp.com>
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1. Overriding the two previous options by setting the global environment
145
variable ``$BZREMAIL`` or ``$EMAIL`` (``$BZREMAIL`` will take precedence)
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to your full email address.
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Creating a branch
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149
=================
158
History is by default stored in the .bzr directory of the branch. In a
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future version of Bazaar, there will be a facility to store it in a
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separate repository, which may be remote.
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We create a new branch by running ``bzr init`` in an existing directory::
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History is by default stored in the .bzr directory of the branch. There
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will be a facility to store it in a separate repository, which may be
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remote. We create a new branch by running **bzr init** in an existing
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''patch'', ''diffstat'', ''filterdiff'' and ''colordiff''::
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=== added file 'hello.txt'
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--- hello.txt 1970-01-01 00:00:00 +0000
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+++ hello.txt 2005-10-18 14:23:29 +0000
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*** added file 'hello.txt'
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With the ``-r`` option, the tree is compared to an earlier revision, or
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With the ''-r'' option, the tree is compared to an earlier revision, or
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the differences between two versions are shown::
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% bzr diff -r 1000.. # everything since r1000
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% bzr diff -r 1000..1100 # changes from 1000 to 1100
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The ``--diff-options`` option causes bzr to run the external diff program,
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The --diff-options option causes bzr to run the external diff program,
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passing options. For example::
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% bzr diff --diff-options --side-by-side foo
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Some projects prefer patches to show a prefix at the start of the path
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for old and new files. The ``--prefix`` option can be used to provide
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As a shortcut, ``bzr diff -p1`` produces a form that works with the
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Some projects prefer patches to show a prefix at the start of the path for
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old and new files. The --prefix option can be used to provide such a prefix.
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As a shortcut, ``bzr diff -p1`` produces a form that works with the
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command ``patch -p1``.
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Committing changes
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265
==================
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When the working tree state is satisfactory, it can be **committed** to
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the branch, creating a new revision holding a snapshot of that state.
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the branch, creating a new revision holding a snapshot of that state.
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% bzr commit -m "added my first file"
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You can also use the ``-F`` option to take the message from a file. Some
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You can also use the -F option to take the message from a file. Some
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people like to make notes for a commit message while they work, then
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review the diff to make sure they did what they said they did. (This file
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can also be useful when you pick up your work after a break.)
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Message from an editor
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----------------------
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======================
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If you use neither the ``-m`` nor the ``-F`` option then bzr will open an
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If you use neither the `-m` nor the `-F` option then bzr will open an
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editor for you to enter a message. The editor to run is controlled by
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your ``$VISUAL`` or ``$EDITOR`` environment variable, which can be overridden
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by the ``editor`` setting in ``~/.bazaar/bazaar.conf``; ``$BZR_EDITOR`` will
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override either of the above mentioned editor options. If you quit the
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editor without making any changes, the commit will be cancelled.
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The file that is opened in the editor contains a horizontal line. The part
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of the file below this line is included for information only, and will not
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form part of the commit message. Below the separator is shown the list of
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files that are changed in the commit. You should write your message above
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the line, and then save the file and exit.
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If you would like to see the diff that will be committed as you edit the
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message you can use the ``--show-diff`` option to ``commit``. This will include
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the diff in the editor when it is opened, below the separator and the
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information about the files that will be committed. This means that you can
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read it as you write the message, but the diff itself wont be seen in the
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commit message when you have finished. If you would like parts to be
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included in the message you can copy and paste them above the separator.
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Marking bugs as fixed
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---------------------
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Many changes to a project are as a result of fixing bugs. Bazaar can keep
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metadata about bugs you fixed when you commit them. To do this you use the
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``--fixes`` option. This option takes an argument that looks like this::
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% bzr commit --fixes <tracker>:<id>
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Where ``<tracker>`` is an identifier for a bug tracker and ``<id>`` is an
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identifier for a bug that is tracked in that bug tracker. ``<id>`` is usually
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a number. Bazaar already knows about a few popular bug trackers. They are
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bugs.launchpad.net, bugs.debian.org, and bugzilla.gnome.org. These trackers
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have their own identifiers: lp, deb, and gnome respectively. For example,
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if you made a change to fix the bug #1234 on bugs.launchpad.net, you would
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use the following command to commit your fix::
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% bzr commit -m "fixed my first bug" --fixes lp:1234
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For more information on this topic or for information on how to configure
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other bug trackers please read `Bug Tracker Settings`_.
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.. _Bug Tracker Settings: ../user-reference/index.html#bug-tracker-settings
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your `$EDITOR` environment variable or
295
add `editor` to ~/.bazaar/bazaar.conf; `$BZR_EDITOR` will override
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the above mentioned editor options. If you quit the editor without
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making any changes, the commit will be cancelled.
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they only determine whether unversioned files are reported as unknown or
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The ``.bzrignore`` file should normally be versioned, so that new copies
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The ''.bzrignore'' file should normally be versioned, so that new copies
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of the branch see the same patterns::
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% bzr add .bzrignore
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% bzr commit -m "Add ignore patterns"
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As an alternative to editing the ``.bzrignore`` file, you can use the
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``bzr ignore`` command. The ``bzr ignore`` command takes filenames and/or
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patterns as arguments and then adds them to the ``.bzrignore`` file. If a
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``.bzrignore`` file does not exist the ``bzr ignore`` command will
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automatically create one for you, and implicitly add it to be versioned::
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Just like when editing the ``.bzrignore`` file on your own, you should
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commit the automatically created ``.bzrignore`` file::
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% bzr commit -m "Added tags to ignore file"
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There are some ignored files which are not project specific, but more user
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specific. Things like editor temporary files, or personal temporary files.
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Rather than add these ignores to every project, bzr supports a global
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ignore file in ``~/.bazaar/ignore`` [1]_. It has the same syntax as the
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per-project ignore file.
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Examining history
461
369
=================
466
The ``bzr log`` command shows a list of previous revisions. The ``bzr log
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--forward`` command does the same in chronological order to get most
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The **bzr log** command shows a list of previous revisions. The **bzr log
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--forward** command does the same in chronological order to get most
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recent revisions printed at last.
470
As with ``bzr diff``, ``bzr log`` supports the ``-r`` argument::
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As with bzr diff, bzr log supports the -r argument::
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% bzr log -r 1000.. # Revision 1000 and everything after it
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381
% bzr log -r ..1000 # Everything up to and including r1000
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501
directory. One can push a branch (or the changes for a branch) by one of
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502
the following three methods:
607
* The best method is to use bzr itself to do it.
611
% bzr push sftp://servername.com/path/to/directory
613
(The destination directory must already exist unless the
614
``--create-prefix`` option is used.)
616
* Another option is the ``rspush`` plugin that comes with BzrTools, which
617
uses rsync to push the changes to the revision history and the working
620
* You can also copy the files around manually, by sending a tarball, or using
621
rsync, or other related file transfer methods. This is usually less safe
622
than using ``push``, but may be faster or easier in some situations.
625
Moving changes between trees
626
============================
628
It happens to the best of us: sometimes you'll make changes in the wrong
629
tree. Maybe because you've accidentally started work in the wrong directory,
630
maybe because as you're working, the change turns out to be bigger than you
631
expected, so you start a new branch for it.
633
To move your changes from one tree to another, use
638
% bzr merge --uncommitted OLDDIR
640
This will apply all of the uncommitted changes you made in OLDDIR to NEWDIR.
641
It will not apply committed changes, even if they could be applied to NEWDIR
642
with a regular merge. The changes will remain in OLDDIR, but you can use ``bzr
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revert OLDDIR`` to remove them, once you're satisfied with NEWDIR.
645
NEWDIR does not have to be a copy of OLDDIR, but they should be related.
646
The more different they are, the greater the chance of conflicts.
504
* Rsync: rsync -avrz LOCALBRANCH servername.com/this/directory/here
506
(or any other tool for publishing a directory to a web site.)
508
* bzr push sftp://servername.com/this/directory/here
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(The directory that must already exist)
512
* The rspush plugin that comes with BzrTools
added
removed
doc/tutorial.txt
