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## Ignoring files via cvsignore

There are certain file names that frequently occur inside your working copy, but that you don't want to put under CVS control. Examples are all the object files that you get while you compile your sources. Normally, when you run ``cvs update'`, it prints a line for each file it encounters that it doesn't know about (see section update output).

CVS has a list of files (or sh(1) file name patterns) that it should ignore while running `update`, `import` and `release`. This list is constructed in the following way.

- The list is initialized to include certain file name patterns: names associated with CVS administration, or with other common source control systems; common names for patch files, object files, archive files, and editor backup files; and other names that are usually artifacts of assorted utilities. Currently, the default list of ignored file name patterns is:

          RCS     SCCS    CVS     CVS.adm
          RCSLOG  cvslog.*
          tags    TAGS
          .make.state     .nse_depinfo
          *~      #*      .#*     ,*      _$*     *$
          *.old   *.bak   *.BAK   *.orig  *.rej   .del-*
          *.a     *.olb   *.o     *.obj   *.so    *.exe
          *.Z     *.elc   *.ln
          core

- The per-repository list in ``$CVSROOT/CVSROOT/cvsignore'` is appended to the list, if that file exists.
- The per-user list in ``.cvsignore'` in your home directory is appended to the list, if it exists.
- Any entries in the environment variable `$CVSIGNORE` is appended to the list.
- Any ``-I'` options given to CVS is appended.
- As CVS traverses through your directories, the contents of any ``.cvsignore'` will be appended to the list. The patterns found in ``.cvsignore'` are only valid for the directory that contains them, not for any sub-directories.

In any of the 5 places listed above, a single exclamation mark (``!'`) clears the ignore list. This can be used if you want to store any file which normally is ignored by CVS.

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