NAME
VCS - Library for generic Version Control System access in Perl
SYNOPSIS
use VCS;
$file = VCS::File->new($ARGV[0]);
print $file->url, ":\n";
for $version ($file->versions) {
print $version->version,
' was checked in by ',
$version->author,
"\n";
}
DESCRIPTION
`VCS' is an API for abstracting access to all version control systems
from Perl code. This is achieved in a similar fashion to the `DBI' suite
of modules. There are "container" classes, `VCS::Dir', `VCS::File', and
`VCS::Version', and "implementation" classes, such as `VCS::Cvs::Dir',
`VCS::Cvs::File', and `VCS::Cvs::Version', which are subclasses of their
respective "container" classes.
The container classes are instantiated with URLs. There is a URL scheme
for entities under version control. The format is as follows:
vcs://localhost/VCS::Cvs/fs/path/?query=1
The "query" part is ignored for now. The path must be an absolute path,
meaningful to the given class. The class is an implementation class,
such as `VCS::Cvs'.
The "container" classes work as follows: when the `new' method of a
container class is called, it will parse the given URL, using the
`VCS->parse_url' method. It will then call the `new' of the
implementation's appropriate container subclass, and return the result.
For example,
VCS::Version->new('vcs://localhost/VCS::Cvs/fs/path/file/1.2');
will return a `VCS::Cvs::Version'.
An implementation class is recognised as follows: its name starts with
`VCS::', and `require "VCS/Classname.pm"' will load the appropriate
implementation classes corresponding to the container classes.
VCS METHODS
VCS->parse_url
This returns a four-element list:
($hostname, $classname, $path, $query)
For example,
VCS->parse_url('vcs://localhost/VCS::Cvs/fs/path/file/1.2');
will return
(
'localhost',
'VCS::Cvs',
'/fs/path/file/1.2',
''
)
This is mostly intended for use by the container classes, and its
interface is subject to change.
VCS->class_load
This loads its given implementation class.
This is mostly intended for use by the container classes, and its
interface is subject to change.
VCS::* METHODS
Please refer to the documentation for the VCS::Dir manpage, the
VCS::File manpage, and the VCS::Version manpage; as well as the
implementation specific documentation as in the VCS::Cvs manpage, the
VCS::Rcs manpage.
AVAILABILITY
VCS.pm and its friends are available from CPAN. There is a web page at:
http://www.astray.com/VCS/
as well as a sourceforge project page at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vcs/
MAILING LIST
There is currently a mailing list about VCS. Go to the following webpage
to subscribe to it:
http://www.astray.com/mailman/listinfo/vcs
There is a web archive of the mailing list at:
http://www.astray.com/pipermail/vcs/
General queries should be made directly to the mailing list.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 1998-2001 Leon Brocard. All rights reserved. This program
is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
same terms as Perl itself.
SEE ALSO
the VCS::Cvs manpage, the VCS::Dir manpage, the VCS::File manpage, the
VCS::Rcs manpage, the VCS::Version manpage.
