79457 - $VERSION should automagically update

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Webtools Graveyard :: Mozbot, defect)

Description

[Jacob Steenhagen]

Was doing some reading and discovered that if you included the string $Id$ in
your file, CVS will autmagically replace it with a string of information about
the file in question (RCS file, Rev Number, Last commit date, Last User to
commit).  So, using that and a regular expression, I came up with a patch that
will automagically keep the $VERSION variable set to the CVS Rev level.  CVS
updates this string anytime you commit, checkout, or update the file (obviously,
it only really changes on commit).

About the patch (forthcoming):
 * I put the $Id$ line near the top of the file.  While this can go anywhere, I
   thought it made sence for it to be at the top.
 * It didn't make sence to me why $VERSION was to to "Revision: x.x" and then 3
   lines later changed to only contain x.x, so I didn't set the value when I
   initialized $VERSION.
 * In order to have CVS ignore my expression, I put a set of (?:) around the 
   letters "Id".  The ?: makes the expression supress storing the value in an
   integer variable for that set of ().
 * Unfortunately, testing of this is a bit difficult until it's checked into 
   CVS... I did however test the expression with my local CVS and then used
   copy and paste to put it into mozbot.pl
 * The expression does grab more info than will probably ever be needed, but as
   long as the info is there... :)

Comment 1

[Jacob Steenhagen]

Attachment: aforementioned patch

Comment 2

[Jacob Steenhagen]

Attachment: Dogs, I forgot a '$'

Comment 3

[Jacob Steenhagen]

Talked to Hixie on IRC and it seems there's also a $Revision$ tag that does
basically the same thing (but doesn't bring as much garbage with it).  I guess
that's why it's first assigned "Revision: x.x" then 3 lines later changed to
simply x.x  :)

Comment 4

[Hixie (not reading bugmail)]

hehe... why do you think that's the one place in the entire app where I used 
the weird q$$ quote syntax instead of normal 'quotes'? ;-)

Comment 5

[Jacob Steenhagen]

Actually, I did wonder about that, too... but now it all makes sense :)