COMB(1)

NAME
comb - combine SCCS deltas

SYNOPSIS
comb [-o] [-s] [-psid] [-clist] name ...

DESCRIPTION
Comb generates a shell procedure (see sh (1)) which, when run, will reconstruct the given SCCS files. The reconstructed files will, hopefully, be smaller than the original files. The arguments may be specified in any order, but all keyletter arguments apply to all named SCCS files. If a directory is named, comb behaves as though each file in the directory were specified as a named file, except that non-SCCS files (last component of the pathname does not begin with ``s.''), and unreadable files are silently ignored. If a name of ``-'' is given, the standard input is read; each line of the standard input is taken to be the name of an SCCS file to be processed. Again, non-SCCS files, and unreadable files are silently ignored.

The generated shell procedure is written on the standard output.

The keyletter arguments are as follows. Each is explained as though only one named file is to be processed, but the effects of any keyletter argument apply independently to each named file.

-p  The SCCS identification string (SID) of the oldest delta to be preserved. All older deltas are discarded in the reconstructed file.

-c  A list (see get (1) for the syntax of a list) of deltas to be preserved. All other deltas are discarded.

-o  This argument causes the reconstructed file to be accessed at the release of the delta to be created for each ``get -e'' generated. Without this argument, the reconstructed file is accessed at the most recent ancestor for each ``get -e'' generated. Use of the o keyletter may decrease the size of the reconstructed SCCS file. It may also alter the shape of the delta tree of the original file.

-s  This argument causes comb to generate a shell procedure which, when run, will produce a report giving, for each file, the file name, size after combining, original size, and pecentage change computed by:
    100 * (original - combined) / original
    (Sizes are in blocks.) We recommend that before any SCCS files are actually combined one should use this option to determine exactly how much space is saved by the combining process.

If no keyletter arguments are specified, comb will preserve only leaf deltas and the minimal number of ancestors needed to preserve the tree.

FILES
s.COMB    The name of the reconstructed SCCS file.
comb?????    Temporary.

SEE ALSO
get(1), delta(1), admin(1), prt(1), help(1), sccsfile(5), SCCS/PWB User's Manual by L. E. Bonanni and A. L. Glasser.

DIAGNOSTICS
Use help (1) for explanations.

BUGS
Comb may rearrange the shape of the tree of deltas. It may not save any space; in fact, it is possible for the reconstructed file to actually be larger than the original.