[Gnu-arch-users] CVS gateway using cscvs -- tags and branches?

[Martin Langhoff]

I am experimenting with a CVS->Arch gateway to make it easier to track
local changes to an upstream project (http://moodle.org/). Seems to be
a mouthful for an Arch newbie like me ;-)

The plan is to use the cronjobs shown here:
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-arch-users/2003-12/msg00794.html

The problem is that I want to track branches and tags from CVS, and I
am not clear how. If anyone could help with a bit of insight, I am
happy to craft the required shell/perl/python.

As far as branching goes, the conventions are quite simple for the
branches I care about (MOODLE_$VERSION_STABLE, for the long-lived
release branches, as seen in http://moodle.org/doc/?file=cvs.html#4 ).

My current plan is to

    - scan cvs log for branches, if any new branch of the form
MOODLE_NN_STABLE shows up,
        - issue a corresponding `tla make-version
moodle--upstream--NN`. How do I manage to make-version against the
right patchset? Is make-version good enough for what I want, or should
I be using make-branch moodle--branchNN--1.0?
        - `tla get` a new working copy for that version
        - `cvs co` a new working copy for that branch... unless I can
count on cscvs not needing that.
 
    - loop over existing working copies, using the cscvs-cron.sh
script. That's easy.

As you can see, non-branch cvs tags are not addressed, and I find that
troubling. Reading through the wiki, I can't find any reference to
anything that looks like good old cvs tagging. The practice, as I see
it, is to refer to patchsets
(repo/project--branch--version--patchset-NN) as a lightweight means of
refering to a particular point in the project history.

In fact, and looking at it in detail, cvs tags can tag across
unrelated versions of  files, so they are, in a sense,
patchset-independent. Is there anything equivalent in Arch as it
stands? Any hints as to how you would translate it?

Also, I am using cscvs from Debian Sarge, which reports its version thus:
address@hidden:~/arching/moodle/upstream_cvs_wc]$ cscvs -v

ChangeSet Concurrent Versions System (CSCVS) 1.0pre25 (client)

Copyright (c) 2003 Mark Ferrell
(Specify the --help option for a list of other help options)

Is this new enough, or should I be using something else? 

cheers,






martin