bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Richard Stanton]

I regularly use vc to keep track of versions of my edited files,
primarily using CVS, but less often using RCS, mainly where there's
just a single file I want to track edits to, and it's more convenient to
keep the repository with the file.

This all used to work fine (though I can't exactly recall what version
of EMACS was the last under which all worked fine). However, while
vc+CVS still works fine, vc+RCS acts in some rather strange ways that
make using it inconvenient or even risky.

1) As an example, in a directory rcstest, 

a. Create and save a new LaTeX document in EMACS, say rcstest/test.tex, containing the test

-----

% $Id$
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\begin{document}
A very short document
\end{document}

----

b. Now type C-x v v and ask Emacs to use the RCS backend. It checks in the
file, the current buffer now displays RCS-1.1 in the mode line, and the
first line of the file now contains

% $Id: test.tex,v 1.1 2011/06/23 20:51:48 stanton Exp $

All looking good so far.

c. Now edit the file by adding another comment line beneath the first,
e.g.,

% Here's another comment

Save the file and then type C-x v v. I'd expect it to check in the new
version, making it revision 1.2 (this is what happens now if I use vc+CVS
instead of vc+RCS, and used to happen under prior versions of EMACS when I
used vc+RCS). However, instead I get a message telling me "Fileset is
up-to-date", and nothing else happens. The file, repository, and buffer
are left completely unchanged. This is not so useful...

2) The initial $Id$ line seems important here. If I do the same thing
again, but do *not* include the initial % $Id$ line in the file,
different things happen. 

a. Create, save, and register with RCS backend a new file as above, this time containing the text

-----

\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\begin{document}
A very short document
\end{document}

----

b. Now edit the file by adding a comment somewhere, say, after line 1,

% Here's a comment

Save the file and then type C-x v v. This time, I get an error buffer
telling me

RCS/test.tex,v  -->  test.tex
revision 1.1 (locked)
co: writable test.tex exists; checkout aborted

and again cannot check in the new file.

3) Sometimes the behavior is different still. With no header line,
sometimes instead of the error message above, when I type C-x v v, the
most recently checked-in version of the file is checked out again,
over-writing my edits in the current buffer. This is a bit scary...

It seems that I can get this to work if, after checking in the file
using C-x v v, I immediately press C-x v v again, which causes Emacs to
tell me it's checking the file out again (even though nothing changes in
the current buffer that I can see), and then I can edit, save, and check
in OK (as long as I remember to use C-x v v twice each time I check the
file in). This is at least possible, but it differs from the behavior
when I'm using the CVS backend, and from the old behavior of the RCs
backend (and if I ever forget, I'm in danger of losing all my edits
since the last check-in, something that isn't so good).

Thanks for checking into this.

Richard Stanton
 





In GNU Emacs 23.3.1 (i386-mingw-nt6.0.6002)
 of 2011-03-10 on 3249CTO
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 6.0.6002
configured using `configure --with-gcc (4.5) --no-opt --cflags -Ic:/imagesupport/include'

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: ENU
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
  locale-coding-system: cp1252
  default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: LaTeX/P

Minor modes in effect:
  reftex-mode: t
  flyspell-mode: t
  outline-minor-mode: t
  TeX-PDF-mode: t
  shell-dirtrack-mode: t
  yas/global-mode: t
  yas/minor-mode: t
  recentf-mode: t
  ido-everywhere: t
  tooltip-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  column-number-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  visual-line-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t
  abbrev-mode: t

Recent input:
<return> <kp-right> <kp-right> <kp-right> <kp-right> 
<kp-right> $ C-k C-x C-s C-x v v R C S <return> <return> 
<help-echo> <down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> <down-mouse-1> 
<mouse-1> <kp-up> <kp-up> <kp-down> % SPC A d d SPC 
a SPC c o m m e n t <return> C-x C-s C-x v v C-x v 
v C-x v v <kp-up> <kp-up> <kp-up> <kp-down> C-k <kp-up> 
C-k C-k C-k C-k C-x C-s C-x v v q q C-x k <return> 
C-x o C-x 1 C-x v v q <help-echo> <down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> 
<help-echo> <down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> C-x k <return> 
C-x o C-x 1 C-x C-v <return> C-k C-k C-k C-a C-x C-s 
C-x v v R C S <return> <return> C-x v v <return> <return> 
<up> <up> % SPC A d d SPC a SPC c o m m e n t <return> 
C-k C-x C-s C-x v v A d d e d SPC a SPC c o m m e n 
t C-c C-c % SPC A d d SPC a SPC n e w SPC c o m m e 
n t <return> C-x C-s q C-x C-s q <help-echo> <down-mouse-1> 
<mouse-1> C-x C-s q C-x v v <C-kp-home> <kp-end> <return> 
% SPC A d d SPC a n o t h e r SPC c m m <backspace> 
<backspace> o m m e n t C-c C-c C-g C-g C-x C-s C-x 
v v A d d e d SPC a SPC n o t e h r <backspace> <backspace> 
<backspace> <backspace> <backspace> <backspace> <backspace> 
n o t h e r C-c C-c <return> % SPC A n d SPC n o w 
? C-x C-s q <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <down-mouse-1> <mouse-1> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <menu-bar> <help-menu> <send-emacs-bug
-report>

Recent messages:
Mark set
Press C-c C-c when you are done editing.
Enter a change comment.  Type C-c C-c when done
Checking in c:/projects/test/version/rcs/duration.tex...done
Saving file c:/projects/test/version/rcs/duration.tex...
Entering debugger...
Back to top level.
Auto-saving...
Sorting environment...
Removing duplicates... done

Load-path shadows:
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c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/inversion hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/inversion
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/ede/ede hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/ede
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/data-debug hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/data-debug
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/cedet hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/cedet
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/cedet-idutils hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/cedet-idutils
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/cedet-global hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/cedet-global
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/cedet-files hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/cedet-files
c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/site-lisp/cedet-1.0/common/cedet-cscope hides c:/emacs/emacs-23.3/lisp/cedet/cedet-cscope

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hashtable-print-readable backquote make-network-process multi-tty emacs)

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:20:43 -0700
> 
> I regularly use vc to keep track of versions of my edited files,
> primarily using CVS, but less often using RCS, mainly where there's
> just a single file I want to track edits to, and it's more convenient to
> keep the repository with the file.
> 
> This all used to work fine (though I can't exactly recall what version
> of EMACS was the last under which all worked fine). However, while
> vc+CVS still works fine, vc+RCS acts in some rather strange ways that
> make using it inconvenient or even risky.

Did you also change the RCS port you are using, since the last time
this worked for you?  If so, where did you get your port of RCS?  Was
that last time also on Windows Vista, or on some other OS?

> b. Now edit the file by adding a comment somewhere, say, after line 1,

Wait a moment: isn't the buffer read-only after the initial
registration and check-in?  It should be; it is for me (using RCS with
Emacs 23.3 on Windows XP).  If so, you cannot just add a comment; you
need to check-out the file first, by typing "C-x v v" again.  This
checks out the file making it writable, and then I can edit it.

> % Here's a comment
> 
> Save the file and then type C-x v v. This time, I get an error buffer
> telling me
> 
> RCS/test.tex,v  -->  test.tex
> revision 1.1 (locked)
> co: writable test.tex exists; checkout aborted
> 
> and again cannot check in the new file.

It works for me: I get a buffer where I need to type a checkin
comment, and when I type C-c, RCS checks the file in for me, and I see
"RCS-1.2" in the mode line.  As I'd expect.

> 2) The initial $Id$ line seems important here. If I do the same thing
> again, but do *not* include the initial % $Id$ line in the file,
> different things happen. 

It's possible that the problem is with your username as RCS and Emacs
perceive it.  Do you have USER or LOGNAME variables set in your
environment?  If not, does it help to set one of them with the value
returned by `user-login-name' function inside Emacs?

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Richard Stanton]

> From: Eli Zaretskii [mailto:eliz@gnu.org]
> Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 2:15 AM
> To: Richard Stanton
> Cc: 8924@debbugs.gnu.org
> Subject: Re: bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS
> backend
> 
> > From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> > Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:20:43 -0700
> >
> > I regularly use vc to keep track of versions of my edited files,
> > primarily using CVS, but less often using RCS, mainly where there's
> > just a single file I want to track edits to, and it's more convenient
> > to keep the repository with the file.
> >
> > This all used to work fine (though I can't exactly recall what version
> > of EMACS was the last under which all worked fine). However, while
> > vc+CVS still works fine, vc+RCS acts in some rather strange ways that
> > make using it inconvenient or even risky.
> 
> Did you also change the RCS port you are using, since the last time this
> worked for you?  If so, where did you get your port of RCS?  Was that last
> time also on Windows Vista, or on some other OS?

Sensible question  - I use the Cygwin port. I just tried downgrading from 1.57-11 to 1.57-4 (the only older version I could find listed in the current Cygwin setup list), but this didn't change anything. What version of RCS are you using?

I do run Emacs on a Mac as well, so I'll see how this behaves next time I'm using that machine.

> > b. Now edit the file by adding a comment somewhere, say, after line 1,
> 
> Wait a moment: isn't the buffer read-only after the initial registration and
> check-in?  It should be; it is for me (using RCS with Emacs 23.3 on Windows
> XP).  If so, you cannot just add a comment; you need to check-out the file
> first, by typing "C-x v v" again.  This checks out the file making it writable, and
> then I can edit it.

The buffer itself is not read-only, but the file seems to be. I can type whatever I want in the buffer, and only realize this when I next try to save the file, but by then it's a bit late to be finding this out...

> > % Here's a comment
> >
> > Save the file and then type C-x v v. This time, I get an error buffer
> > telling me
> >
> > RCS/test.tex,v  -->  test.tex
> > revision 1.1 (locked)
> > co: writable test.tex exists; checkout aborted
> >
> > and again cannot check in the new file.
> 
> It works for me: I get a buffer where I need to type a checkin comment, and
> when I type C-c, RCS checks the file in for me, and I see "RCS-1.2" in the
> mode line.  As I'd expect.
> 
> > 2) The initial $Id$ line seems important here. If I do the same thing
> > again, but do *not* include the initial % $Id$ line in the file,
> > different things happen.
> 
> It's possible that the problem is with your username as RCS and Emacs
> perceive it.  Do you have USER or LOGNAME variables set in your
> environment?  If not, does it help to set one of them with the value returned
> by `user-login-name' function inside Emacs?

Doesn't seem to change anything.

Thanks for your suggestions. 

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> CC: "8924@debbugs.gnu.org" <8924@debbugs.gnu.org>
> Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:03:42 -0700
> 
> > Did you also change the RCS port you are using, since the last time this
> > worked for you?  If so, where did you get your port of RCS?  Was that last
> > time also on Windows Vista, or on some other OS?
> 
> Sensible question  - I use the Cygwin port. I just tried downgrading from 1.57-11 to 1.57-4 (the only older version I could find listed in the current Cygwin setup list), but this didn't change anything.

If you are using the Cygwin build of RCS with a native build of Emacs,
there could be problems that I'm not aware of.  I don't use Cygwin.

> What version of RCS are you using?

The native Windows port I found on the GnuWin32 site.

> > > b. Now edit the file by adding a comment somewhere, say, after line 1,
> > 
> > Wait a moment: isn't the buffer read-only after the initial registration and
> > check-in?  It should be; it is for me (using RCS with Emacs 23.3 on Windows
> > XP).  If so, you cannot just add a comment; you need to check-out the file
> > first, by typing "C-x v v" again.  This checks out the file making it writable, and
> > then I can edit it.
> 
> The buffer itself is not read-only, but the file seems to be.

That is already a sign of a problem.  The buffer should be read-only.

What does "rlog test.tex" show after that initial checkin?

> > It's possible that the problem is with your username as RCS and Emacs
> > perceive it.  Do you have USER or LOGNAME variables set in your
> > environment?  If not, does it help to set one of them with the value returned
> > by `user-login-name' function inside Emacs?
> 
> Doesn't seem to change anything.

What does user-login-name and user-real-login-name return inside
Emacs?

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Richard Stanton]

> From: Eli Zaretskii [mailto:eliz@gnu.org]
> Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 10:23 AM
> To: Richard Stanton
> Cc: 8924@debbugs.gnu.org
> Subject: Re: bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS
> backend

> If you are using the Cygwin build of RCS with a native build of Emacs, there
> could be problems that I'm not aware of.  I don't use Cygwin.

That's certainly possible, though this is how I've always done it.

> > What version of RCS are you using?

> The native Windows port I found on the GnuWin32 site.

I may well be missing something obvious, but I can't find an RCS port at the GnuWin32 site.

> > The buffer itself is not read-only, but the file seems to be.
> 
> That is already a sign of a problem.  The buffer should be read-only.
> 
> What does "rlog test.tex" show after that initial checkin?

C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>rlog test.tex

RCS file: RCS/test.tex,v
Working file: test.tex
head: 1.1
branch:
locks: strict
access list:
symbolic names:
keyword substitution: kv
total revisions: 1;     selected revisions: 1
description:
----------------------------
revision 1.1
date: 2011/06/24 18:10:25;  author: stanton;  state: Exp;
Initial revision
=============================================================================

> What does user-login-name and user-real-login-name return inside Emacs?

user-login-name: "stanton"
user-real-login-name: "stanton"

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Ken Brown]

On 6/24/2011 1:23 PM, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> If you are using the Cygwin build of RCS with a native build of Emacs,
> there could be problems that I'm not aware of.  I don't use Cygwin.

All of this works fine using Cygwin's RCS and Cygwin's Emacs.  So I 
think you're right that the problem comes from mixing Cygwin tools with 
native Emacs.

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> CC: "8924@debbugs.gnu.org" <8924@debbugs.gnu.org>
> Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:13:31 -0700
> 
> I may well be missing something obvious, but I can't find an RCS port at the GnuWin32 site.

Looks like they removed it.  Perhaps because I reported a few bad bugs
with their port.  I actually use a fixed port I built myself; I should
have mentioned that, sorry.

> > What does "rlog test.tex" show after that initial checkin?
> 
> C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>rlog test.tex
> 
> RCS file: RCS/test.tex,v
> Working file: test.tex
> head: 1.1
> branch:
> locks: strict
> access list:
> symbolic names:
> keyword substitution: kv
> total revisions: 1;     selected revisions: 1
> description:
> ----------------------------
> revision 1.1
> date: 2011/06/24 18:10:25;  author: stanton;  state: Exp;
> Initial revision
> =============================================================================
> 
> > What does user-login-name and user-real-login-name return inside Emacs?
> 
> user-login-name: "stanton"
> user-real-login-name: "stanton"

Bummer.

The only thing I can suggest is step with Edebug through vc-rcs.el and
see what's wrong.

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Richard Stanton]

> From: Eli Zaretskii [mailto:eliz@gnu.org]
> Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:15 PM
> To: Richard Stanton
> Cc: 8924@debbugs.gnu.org
> Subject: Re: bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS
> backend
> 
> > I may well be missing something obvious, but I can't find an RCS port at the
> GnuWin32 site.
> 
> Looks like they removed it.  Perhaps because I reported a few bad bugs with
> their port.  I actually use a fixed port I built myself; I should have mentioned
> that, sorry.

I did a little more testing, and it looks like the problem is indeed a Cygwin vs. non-Cygwin issue. On first checking in the file, I reported that the buffer remains read/write while the file itself is read-only. It turns out there's a little more to it:

I reported it being read-only after running the (Cygwin) ls command:

C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>ls -l test.tex
-r-x------+ 1 stanton None 84 Jun 24 13:40 test.tex

However, DOS doesn't see it as read-only, which explains why Emacs leaves the buffer writable:

C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>attrib test.tex
A            C:\projects\test\version\rcstest\test.tex

If I manually set the file to read only using attrib +R, then reload the file into Emacs,

a. The buffer is now read-only, and I can't edit it until I press C-x v v again to check it out. Now everything works OK.

b. The $Id$ header issue has also gone away.

So it seems to be an inconsistency between the way DOS and Cygwin keep track of file attributes. Now I just need to track down a working non-Cygwin version of RCS...

Thanks for all your help.

bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> CC: "8924@debbugs.gnu.org" <8924@debbugs.gnu.org>
> Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:46:43 -0700
> 
> I did a little more testing, and it looks like the problem is indeed a Cygwin vs. non-Cygwin issue. On first checking in the file, I reported that the buffer remains read/write while the file itself is read-only. It turns out there's a little more to it:
> 
> I reported it being read-only after running the (Cygwin) ls command:
> 
> C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>ls -l test.tex
> -r-x------+ 1 stanton None 84 Jun 24 13:40 test.tex
> 
> However, DOS doesn't see it as read-only, which explains why Emacs leaves the buffer writable:
> 
> C:\projects\test\version\rcstest>attrib test.tex
> A            C:\projects\test\version\rcstest\test.tex
> 
> If I manually set the file to read only using attrib +R, then reload the file into Emacs,
> 
> a. The buffer is now read-only, and I can't edit it until I press C-x v v again to check it out. Now everything works OK.
> 
> b. The $Id$ header issue has also gone away.
> 
> So it seems to be an inconsistency between the way DOS and Cygwin keep track of file attributes.

Yes, that figures.  Cygwin uses NTFS ACLs to emulate Posix file
permissions, and does not set the DOS Readonly attribute to match the
ACLs.  The native Emacs build does not pay attention to the NTFS ACLs,
so it doesn't know the file was made read-only.

I'm closing this bug report.

> Now I just need to track down a working non-Cygwin version of RCS...

I sent my binaries off-list.