[#IDEABKL-5416] impossible to copy a file without its svn history

IDEA: Backlog

impossible to copy a file without its svn history

Created: 08 Jul 08 12:47 Updated: 08 Jul 08 13:38

Component/s:

Version Control Integration. Subversion

Affects Version/s:

None

Fix Version/s:

None

Original Estimate:	Unknown	Remaining Estimate:	Unknown	Time Spent:	Unknown
Environment:	Linux Kubuntu kernel 2.6.24-19-generic #1 SMP Wed Jun 18 14:43:41 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux, JDK (build 1.6.0_03-b05)

Build:	7,860
Severity:	Low

Description

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The svn history is also copied when right click copy on a file in the project panel.
This is apparently a feature.
The fact is that it is not clear that IDEA works that way. I discovered it after looking the history of a file I create. The first entry was done by colleague. This behavior is confusing since the first entry's commit message has nothing to do with my file.

When I did create my file from a copy I was expecting to gain time by keeping some content of the original file.

Now I tried to find out how to do this without copying the svn history but didn't succeed. The best I can do is to create a new file and copy the interesting parts of the other or to copy it from outside of IDEA what is not really efficient.

When copy pasting a file there should be an option to copy without svn history.
An other solution could be to offer a version control setting to turn this behavior on or off.

What I see in the history after issuing this command:
$ svn log -r0:HEAD -v upgrade_1180_registrant_message.sql

r10777 | userx | 2008-04-24 18:21:35 +0200 (Thu, 24 Apr 2008) | 3 lines
Changed paths:
...
A /adrian/trunk/dbcreation/upgrades/upgrade_1170_enable_transferauthcode_permission.sql

TICKET-399: ...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
r10831 | usery | 2008-04-29 17:35:21 +0200 (Tue, 29 Apr 2008) | 1 line
Changed paths:
...
A /adrian/trunk/dbcreation/upgrades/upgrade_1180_registrant_message.sql (from /adrian/trunk/dbcreation/upgrades/upgrade_1170_enable_transferauthcode_permission.sql:10801)

TICKET-571: ...

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Dmitry Jemerov - 08 Jul 08 12:52

Indeed, copying a file does a Subversion copy. Unfortunately you never explain why this behavior is not desirable for you. The svn log fragment that you include clearly shows that a copy has been performed, and the first commit message is related to the initial location of the file before it was copied.

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Antoine WIls - 08 Jul 08 12:59

Sorry I thought I was clear.
This behavior is not desirable because I want to make a simple copy/paste of the file. Without history or whatever.
This way I can reuse the content of the original file without linking them together in subversion.

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Dmitry Jemerov - 08 Jul 08 13:08

Sorry, but "because I want" is not really a good answer to the question "why".

There are ways to copy the contents without doing a Subversion copy, and you have listed them in your original report. Alternatively, since the Subversion plugin is open-source, you can patch it to remove the copy tracking functionality. But unless we see a good rationale for making this behavior optional, we do not have any plans to make it optional in the product.

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Antoine WIls - 08 Jul 08 13:38

You're right I shouldn't express this has a personal problem.
Since the project panel has also the purpose to explore files it is normal that it behaves has such when copy/pasting. When copying a file in a file explorer application has no underlying action. Why then from the project panel underlying the copy of the SVN history without clarifying it. It is not user user friendly since it is unclear that the copy/paste function also includes the VCS history.

Solutions could be

to offer it as an option in the VCS control panel
to change the label from "copy" to "copy with VCS history" in the contextual menu
to have both possibilities (copy with and without history) in the contextual menu