hg remove is a command in Mercurial, a distributed version control system, used to remove specified files from the staging area. Here’s a detailed explanation of hg remove:
Staging Area: Before committing changes to the repository, Mercurial allows users to stage modifications to files. The staging area is where changes are prepared for the next commit. hg remove operates within this staging area.
- File Removal: The primary function of hg remove is to mark specified files for removal from the repository. When files are removed using this command, they are scheduled to be permanently deleted from both the working directory and the repository upon the next commit.
- Specifying Files: Users can specify which files they want to remove by providing their paths as arguments to the hg remove command. Mercurial then marks these files for removal in the staging area.
- Removal Status: After executing hg remove, the specified files are listed as “removed” in the staging area status. This indicates that they have been scheduled for deletion from the repository upon the next commit.
- Committing Changes: To finalize the removal of files, users must commit the changes to the repository using the hg commit command. During the commit process, Mercurial permanently removes the files from both the working directory and the repository.
- Undoing Removal: If users accidentally remove files using hg remove, they can undo the removal before committing the changes. Mercurial provides commands such as hg revert or hg forget to revert changes made in the staging area.
- Documentation Reference: The Mercurial documentation offers detailed information about the hg remove command, including usage examples, options, and considerations for removing files from the staging area. Developers can refer to this documentation for guidance on managing file removals in Mercurial repositories.
“hg remove” Command Examples
1. Remove files or directories from the staging area:
# hg remove [path/to/file]
2. Remove all staged files matching a specified pattern:
# hg remove --include [pattern]
3. Remove all staged files, excluding those that match a specified pattern:
# hg remove --exclude [pattern]
4. Recursively remove sub-repositories:
# hg remove --subrepos
5. Remove files from the repository that have been physically removed:
# hg remove --after
Summary
In summary, hg remove is a command in Mercurial used to mark specified files for removal from the staging area, preparing them to be permanently deleted from both the working directory and the repository upon the next commit.