Re: [PATCH] make "svn help import" explain its DWIMness better

[Julian Foad <ju...@btopenworld.com>]

Branden Robinson wrote:
> Maybe I am just brain-damaged or stupid, but I always do imports wrong, and
> have to revert them.  Moreover, I do this even after reading "svn help
> import".

Same here.  I agree that the behaviour is often difficult to remember and that 
it needs (at least) a better description.

> +       "If PATH is not a directory, it is added to the repository at URL.  If "
> +       "URL is a\n"
> +       "directory, the basename of PATH is added to it.  If URL does not "
> +       "exist, the\n"
> +       "basename of PATH is added to the repository with the name URL (any "
> +       "parent\n"
> +       "directories in the repository must already exist).\n"
> +       "\n"
> +       "If PATH is a directory, it is recursed into and added to the "
> +       "repository at URL.\n"
> +       "The basename of PATH itself is not added.  If URL already exists, it "
> +       "must be a\n"
> +       "directory.  Directory structure within PATH is created as necessary "
> +       "in the repository.\n"
> +       "\n"
> +       "If PATH is omitted, '.' is assumed.\n"
> +       "\n"
> +       "  Examples:\n"
> +       "    svn import foo.c http://www.example.com/repo/project/\n"
> +       "    svn import foo.c http://www.example.com/repo/project/bar.c\n"
> +       "    svn import ../projects/foo/ http://www.example.com/repo/project/\n"
> +       "    svn import http://www.example.com/repo/project/\n"),

The examples are not very useful without saying what the reult of each one is. 
  For instance, in your first example, what happens if "project" does not 
exist?  (I don't know the answer.)

Also, I think the normal usage is to import directories, so I think that should 
come first in the description and in the examples.

- Julian

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Re: [PATCH] make "svn help import" explain its DWIMness better

[Branden Robinson <br...@deadbeast.net>]

On Thu, Jan 13, 2005 at 03:13:21PM +0000, Julian Foad wrote:
> Branden Robinson wrote:
> >Maybe I am just brain-damaged or stupid, but I always do imports wrong, and
> >have to revert them.  Moreover, I do this even after reading "svn help
> >import".
> 
> Same here.  I agree that the behaviour is often difficult to remember and 
> that it needs (at least) a better description.

Glad to hear I'm not alone.  :)

[snip]
> The examples are not very useful without saying what the reult of each one 
> is. For instance, in your first example, what happens if "project" does 
>  not exist?  (I don't know the answer.)
> 
> Also, I think the normal usage is to import directories, so I think that 
> should come first in the description and in the examples.

Okay.  I was nervous about making the help text too long, but it seems
import requires a lot of explanation.

-- 
G. Branden Robinson            |      Lowery's Law:
Free Software Developer        |      If it jams -- force it.  If it
branden@deadbeast.net          |      breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
http://deadbeast.net/~branden/ |