.TH SYNCLINKS 1 "6 Jun 1995"
.ds ]W MIT Athena
.SH NAME
synclinks \- keep track of symbolic links with files
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
synclinks [-store | -retrieve] [-n] [-r] [-rcs]
.fi
.SH DESCRIPTION
\fIsynclinks\fR is needed for revision controlled source trees where
the revision control system does not know how to deal with symbolic
links. It translates symbolic links into files that the revision
control system can deal with, or translates those files back into
symbolic links. The translation is nondestructive; it leaves the
source (either the file describing the symlink, or the symlink itself)
untouched.

\fIsynclinks\fR, running in "store" mode, for each symbolic link \fIfoo\fR
it finds, will translate that link into a file named \fI.foo,l\fR
containing the contents of the link. In "retrieve" mode, for each
regular file \fI.foo,l\fR it finds, it will translate that file into
a symbolic link \fIfoo\fR with the value of the contents of the file.
In either mode, \fIsynclinks\fR does not rewrite information if it
is already correct.
.SH OPTIONS
.TP 8
.B \-store
This option causes \fIsynclinks\fR to create or update files containing
symbolic link descriptions according to symbolic links. One of -store
or -retrieve is required.
.TP 8
.B \-retrieve
This option causes \fIsynclinks\fR to create or update symbolic links
according to the symbolic link file descriptions, as explained above.
.TP 8
.B \-r
This option causes \fIsynclinks\fR to descend recursively into
subdirectories and perform its work in all of them.
.TP 8
.B \-rcs
\fIsynclinks\fR normally ignores any directory entry named "\fIRCS\fR,"
be it a directory or a symbolic link. This option causes it not to do so.
.TP 8
.B \-n
This option causes \fIsynclinks\fR to only show what it would do, rather
than actually doing it.
.SH BUGS
\fIsynclinks\fR does not destroy out of date links or link descriptions
which have no corresponding counterparts.

\fIRCS\fR should be clever with symbolic links so that this program
would not be necessary.
.SH SEE ALSO
unlink(2), symlink(2), readdir(3)
.SH AUTHOR
Craig Fields, MIT Information Systems
.br
Copyright (c) 1995, Massachusetts Institute of Technology