C.10 The checkoutlist file

It may be helpful to use CVS to maintain your own files in the `CVSROOT' directory. For example, suppose that you have a script `logcommit.pl' which you run by including the following line in the `commitinfo' administrative file:

ALL $CVSROOT/CVSROOT/logcommit.pl

To maintain `logcommit.pl' with CVS you would add the following line to the `checkoutlist' administrative file:

logcommit.pl

The format of `checkoutlist' is one line for each file that you want to maintain using CVS, giving the name of the file.

After setting up `checkoutlist' in this fashion, the files listed there will function just like CVS's built-in administrative files. For example, when checking in one of the files you should get a message such as:

cvs commit: Rebuilding administrative file database

and the checked out copy in the `CVSROOT' directory should be updated.

Note that listing `passwd' (see section 2.9.3.1 Setting up the server for password authentication) in `checkoutlist' is not recommended for security reasons.

For information about keeping a checkout out copy in a more general context than the one provided by `checkoutlist', see C.7.2 Keeping a checked out copy.