Re: [Monotone-devel] Win32 working copy update

[Nathaniel Smith]

On Tue, Dec 13, 2005 at 10:20:46PM +0100, Wouter van Kleunen wrote:
> 
> A problem with updating win32 working copy is that some directories can
> be in use while updating. Monotone will try to move these directories to
> some working directory but it fails, because the directory is in use. This
> is pretty bad, it can render your working copy useless. I had several
> times monotone not knowing anymore what to do with the working directory
> because some files were missing and monotone refusing to revert/update or
> whatever.

Yes, this is a nasty bug; there's been quite a bit of discussion on
different ways to try and alleviate the problem (it seems that
actually _solving_ it is not possible without modifying windows).  So
the question has been what is the least bad workaround.  There are a
few that would at least be a huge improvement over the current
situation; we just need someone to sit down and hack one of them
out...

> is it possible to first move the top level working directory to some other
> directory like:
> 
> repository/MT -> work_repository/MT
> 
> ...do update
> 
> work_repository/MT -> repository/MT
> 
> ( I added the MT to show you what directory i mean )
> 
> that way the move will fail if some file is in use.

Hrm, interesting idea!  I don't think it works out, though:
  -- The working root is always in use, because monotone has it as its
     working directory, as does your shell.  So this would always fail.
  -- We don't know what a safe directory to rename it to would be.
  -- Even if we could rename it, that would be no guarantee that
     later renames would work, because things like virus checkers like
     opening random files that have just been created.  (Like the
     whole tree after renaming, or the individual files being moved
     around.)  However, this is a much less common case than the "my
     shell is locking a subdir" thing, and if we could fix the latter
     it would still be a huge improvement, and shouldn't be too
     impossible to do...

-- Nathaniel

-- 
"But suppose I am not willing to claim that.  For in fact pianos
are heavy, and very few persons can carry a piano all by themselves."