1.2 Backup Files

As of version 1.3, GNU indent makes GNU-style backup files, the same way GNU Emacs does. This means that either simple or numbered backup filenames may be made.

Simple backup file names are generated by appending a suffix to the original file name. The default for this suffix is the one-character string ‘~’ (tilde). Thus, the backup file for ‘python.c’ would be ‘python.c~’.

Instead of the default, you may specify any string as a suffix by setting the environment variable SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX to your preferred suffix.

Numbered backup versions of a file ‘momeraths.c’ look like ‘momeraths.c.~23~’, where 23 is the version of this particular backup. When making a numbered backup of the file ‘src/momeraths.c’, the backup file will be named ‘src/momeraths.c.~V~’, where V is one greater than the highest version currently existing in the directory ‘src’. The environment variable VERSION_WIDTH controls the number of digits, using left zero padding when necessary. For instance, setting this variable to "2" will lead to the backup file being named ‘momeraths.c.~04~’.

The type of backup file made is controlled by the value of the environment variable VERSION_CONTROL. If it is the string ‘simple’, then only simple backups will be made. If its value is the string ‘numbered’, then numbered backups will be made. If its value is ‘numbered-existing’, then numbered backups will be made if there already exist numbered backups for the file being indented; otherwise, a simple backup is made. If VERSION_CONTROL is not set, then indent assumes the behaviour of ‘numbered-existing’.

Other versions of indent use the suffix ‘.BAK’ in naming backup files. This behaviour can be emulated by setting SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX to ‘.BAK’.

Note also that other versions of indent make backups in the current directory, rather than in the directory of the source file as GNU indent now does.

This document was generated by david on December, 15 2008 using texi2html 1.78.