[darcs-devel] [darcs #483] darcs revert should not remove the file

[Lele Gaifax via RT]

Tue Aug 02 15:30:12 2005: New ticket: 483.
Transaction: Ticket created by lele at nautilus.homeip.net
       Queue: Darcs
     Subject: darcs revert should not remove the file
       Owner: Nobody
  Requestors: lele at nautilus.homeip.net
      Status: new
 Ticket <URL: http://bugs.darcs.net/.//Ticket/Display.html?id=483 >

The following is an excerpt from the #darcs IRC channel about a
dangerous case for the revert command. Thankfully, IIRC at the time I
used it to undo an unwanted add, I was just starting with darcs on a
copy extracted from another VC.

<wilx> Hmm, I have added wrong file but I haven't recorded the changes
       yet. Can I unadd it?

<wilx> Will doing darcs remove fix it?

<lelix> IIRC, I used revert for that

<arete> looks like darcs remove is what you want
<arete> revert seems to delete the file =)

<lelix> ugh, yes, tried and effectively that removes the file!

        smells like a bug for revert to me, why should it remove the
        file?

<zooko> I agree that revert of an add oughtn't delete the file.

        (a) I don't think that's what it means.  The "add" wasn't the
            creation of the file, it was the registration of the file
            into darcs.

        (b) it could be catastrophic.

        As a user, if I write The Great American Novel, then run darcs
        add mynovel, then change my mind and decide I don't want to
        add it right now and run darcs revert, I expect things to go
        back to how they were before I ran "darcs add".

        The only thing which should delete a file when you "darcs
        revert" it is "darcs createfile foo".  Which doesn't exist.

        Likewise, if I pull a patch from someone which adds the great
        american novel, and then I obliterate the patch, I expect
        things to go back to how they were before I pulled.

<Igloo> There should definitely be a way of inverting what darcs add
        does

thank you,
bye, lele.
-- 
nickname: Lele Gaifax	| Quando vivrò di quello che ho pensato ieri
real: Emanuele Gaifas	| comincerò ad aver paura di chi mi copia.
email: lele at seldati.it	|		-- Fortunato Depero, 1929.