Providing customized source code control with CVS

Operating System:

This is applicable to users who are running CVS on Unix systems. Users on other systems will find similar functionality in what their client uses as preferences.

Decisions:

The administrator and users need to decide what options they want on CVS commands. These commands have many options, and typing them all in when in use is not a good idea. This requires some knowledge of CVS commands and options, which can be found in additional information or the user guide here.

Process:

It is necessary to create a file called ".cvsrc" in the user's home directory that has the appropriate command options. This can be placed there by the system administrator, or changed or created by the individual user.

For example, cvs diff -u creates the file difference output that I find most readable, and cvs update -d updates new directories in the repository. Therefore, I would have the following .cvsrc file:
cvs diff -u
cvs update -d
All contents of these pages Copyright 2002 by David H. Thornley.
Permission granted for verbatim copying and use within an organization.