svnmercurialsvn-externalsexternals

Can I emulate svn:externals using mercurial?


We are considering a move from SVN to Mercurial, and have encountered a stumbling block.

We currently use svn:externals to automatically pull a common set of libraries into the working directory. I can't find support for anything like this in Mercurial.

Is there a way to do this automatically with Mercurial, or do I need to fake it as part of my build process?


Solution

  • There's no good way to do it using mercurial only. The Forest Extension mentioned elsewhere causes more problems that in fixes nowadays. Most folks just use a large repo and include all their components in the repo and then have their build scripts download and use 3rd party libraries -- using maven if they're Java-heads.

    Short answer "fake it in your build process".

    Update:

    In Mercurial 1.3 a new sub repos feature was added. it's like the old forest extension, but started as all new code.

    Subrepos are considered a "feature of last resort".