Ant Copy Task and Hidden Files

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russ.vanderwerff@sencore.com - 26 Sep 2007 15:37 GMT

I'm trying to copy a directory using the Ant "copy" task... the syntax
I'm using is below:

<copy todir="${buildDir}">
<fileset dir="."/>
</copy>

The problem I'm having is this: the folder is an SVN working copy, and
I need the destination to be an SVN working copy as well. However,
whenver I copy it with the Ant "copy" task, the hidden ".svn"
subdirectories (which SVN uses for its version control) are not copied
over. Does anyone know if there's any way to tell Ant to copy hidden
files and folders as well? I've been looking at the official
documentation here:

http://ant.apache.org/manual/index.html

but I can't seem to find anything.

Thanks!

Russ

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Zig - 26 Sep 2007 18:15 GMT

> I'm trying to copy a directory using the Ant "copy" task... the syntax
> I'm using is below:
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> subdirectories (which SVN uses for its version control) are not copied
> over.

The .svn files are part of Ant's default excludes:

http://ant.apache.org/manual/CoreTasks/defaultexcludes.html

You should be able to include
<defaultexcludes remove="**/.svn/**"/>
inside your <fileset> (though I haven't tested this)

HTH,

-Zig

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russ.vanderwerff@sencore.com - 26 Sep 2007 19:36 GMT

> The .svn files are part of Ant's default excludes:
>
> http://ant.apache.org/manual/CoreTasks/defaultexcludes.html

Thanks! I'd see that after some pushing into the ant source - I guess
it's in the documenation, too, and somehow I managed to miss it!

> You should be able to include
> <defaultexcludes remove="**/.svn/**"/>
> inside your <fileset> (though I haven't tested this)

I ended up doing this:

<copy todir="${buildDir}">
<fileset dir="." defaultexcludes="no" />
</copy>

which I believe had the same effect.

> HTH,
>
> -Zig

Mission accomplished! A thousand thanks!

Russ

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Lew - 26 Sep 2007 21:58 GMT

>> The .svn files are part of Ant's default excludes:
>>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Mission accomplished! A thousand thanks!

Isn't it bad for SVN to move its working-directory special files around? I'm
not so familiar with Subversion, but copying a working directory that way
defeats the whole point of version control, which is that all copying flows
through the repository.

Signature

Lew

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Jean-Baptiste Nizet - 27 Sep 2007 14:04 GMT

> Isn't it bad for SVN to move its working-directory special files around? I'm
> not so familiar with Subversion, but copying a working directory that way
> defeats the whole point of version control, which is that all copying flows
> through the repository.

No. You may have multiple working copies of the same subversion
project on your disk if you want to. I don't know why it would be
useful, and why the OP wants that, but it's allowed and doesn't cause
any problem.
I've in fact done that once to make a demo of SVN usage to collegues:
they just had to consider that the first working copy was the one of
Alice, and the second working copy the one of Bob, Alice and Bob
working concurrently on the same project using SVN.

JB.

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Lew - 27 Sep 2007 14:34 GMT

>> Isn't it bad for SVN to move its working-directory special files around? I'm
>> not so familiar with Subversion, but copying a working directory that way
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Alice, and the second working copy the one of Bob, Alice and Bob
> working concurrently on the same project using SVN.

That doesn't answer my question.

I was asking about the direct copy of the directory, not about multiple
working directories.

Of course I'm familiar with having multiple working copies from version
control, only I use the v.c. product to create those copies. I am wondering
if it's safe to copy them without mediation by the v.c.

Signature

Lew

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Jean-Baptiste Nizet - 27 Sep 2007 14:47 GMT

> >> Isn't it bad for SVN to move its working-directory special files around? I'm
> >> not so familiar with Subversion, but copying a working directory that way
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> control, only I use the v.c. product to create those copies. I am wondering
> if it's safe to copy them without mediation by the v.c.

Yes, it's safe. You'll just have a second working copy, in exactly the
same state as the first one.
A SVN working copy is just a bunch of directories, each directory
having a .svn subdirectory which indicates where the directory comes
from (URL), the revision of each file it contains, the modifications/
additions/removals that have not yet been committed, etc. Copying the
directory to another location is perfectly safe.

JB.

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