svn switch (sw)

Name

svn switch (sw) — Update working copy to a different URL.

Synopsis

svn switch URL[@PEGREV] [PATH]

svn switch --relocate FROM TO [PATH...]

Description

The first variant of this subcommand (without the --relocate option) updates your working copy to point to a new URL. This is the Subversion way to make a working copy begin tracking a new branch. If specified, PEGREV determines in which revision the target is first looked up. See the section called “Traversing Branches” for an in-depth look at switching.

Note

Beginning with Subversion 1.7, the svn switch command will demand by default that the URL to which you are switching your working copy shares a common ancestry with item that the working copy currently reflects. You can override this behavior by specifying the --ignore-ancestry option.

If --force is used, unversioned obstructing paths in the working copy do not automatically cause a failure if the switch attempts to add the same path. If the obstructing path is the same type (file or directory) as the corresponding path in the repository, it becomes versioned but its contents are left untouched in the working copy. This means that an obstructing directory's unversioned children may also obstruct and become versioned. For files, any content differences between the obstruction and the repository are treated like a local modification to the working copy. All properties from the repository are applied to the obstructing path.

As with most subcommands, you can limit the scope of the switch operation to a particular tree depth using the --depth option. Alternatively, you can use the --set-depth option to set a new “sticky” working copy depth on the switch target.

The --relocate option is deprecated as of Subversion 1.7. Use svn relocate (described in svn relocate) to perform working copy relocation instead.

Options

--accept ACTION
--depth ARG
--diff3-cmd CMD
--force
--ignore-ancestry
--ignore-externals
--quiet (-q)
--relocate
--revision (-r) REV
--set-depth ARG

Examples

If you're currently inside the directory vendors, which was branched to vendors-with-fix, and you'd like to switch your working copy to that branch:

$ svn switch http://svn.red-bean.com/repos/branches/vendors-with-fix .
U    myproj/foo.txt
U    myproj/bar.txt
U    myproj/baz.c
U    myproj/qux.c
Updated to revision 31.

To switch back, just provide the URL to the location in the repository from which you originally checked out your working copy:

$ svn switch http://svn.red-bean.com/repos/trunk/vendors .
U    myproj/foo.txt
U    myproj/bar.txt
U    myproj/baz.c
U    myproj/qux.c
Updated to revision 31.
Tip

You can switch just part of your working copy to a branch if you don't want to switch your entire working copy, but this is not generally recommended. It's too easy to forget that you've done this and wind up accidentally making and committing changes both to the switched and unswitched portions of your tree.