[SVN-933] svn import syntax is confusing; merge 1st and 3rd arguments

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: all
• Fix Version/s: 0.25
• Component/s: libsvn_client
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Peter Davis
• Created: 16/Oct/02 00:32
• Updated: 27/Oct/18 16:38
• Resolved: 15/Sep/04 08:43

Description

Right now, we use "svn import" as:  
  
$ svn import REPOS_URL [PATH] [NEW_ENTRY_IN_REPOS]  
  
I propose:  
  
$ svn import REPOS_URL[/NEW_ENTRY] [PATH]  
  
My problems with the current scheme:  
  
(1) AFAIK, import is the only command where REPOS_URL and ENTRY_IN_REPOS  
are   
separate.  This is inconsistant.  
  
(2) Not only are they separate, but there is another argument between them.    
Many times have I been burned by accidentally switching PATH and   
NEW_ENTRY_IN_REPOS.  This is confusing.  
  
  
All of the current use cases could be accounted for by the change.  If you   
have a working copy with a single file "foo" in the directory "working-copy":  
  
(1) $ svn import url://repos/new-entry working-copy  
Create directory new-entry/ in repository and copy contents of working-copy   
into that directory.  You end up with "url://repos/new-entry/foo".  
  
(2) $ svn import url://repos/ working-copy  
Same thing, but without creating "new-entry/".  You end up with   
"url://repos/foo".  
  
(3) $ svn import url://repos/  
Copy contents of current directory into repository root.  If the current   
directory contains the working-copy directory, you end up with   
"url://repos/working-copy/foo", along with all the other contents of the   
current directory.  
  
(4) $ svn import url://repos/new-entry  
Create directory new-entry/ in repository and copy contents of current   
directory there.  You end up with "url://repos/new-entry/working-copy/foo".  
  
  
Much like removing the "-d" option from checkout, this change would probably   
confuse existing users.  But in the end, it would make a lot more sense, and   
it is better to change it now before 1.0 makes a change impossible. 
 
New users *are* getting burned by this, especially since import is the very first 
thing they have to use.  See 
http://subversion.tigris.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=23364

http://subversion.tigris.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=198339

Issue Links

• is duplicated by: SVN-834 svn import should be consistent for directories and files