FUNCTION
 Change RCS File Attributes

 SYNOPSIS
 rcs [ options ] file ...

 DESCRIPTION
 Rcs creates new RCS files or changes attributes of existing ones.  An
 RCS file contains multiple revisions of text, an access list, a
 change log, descriptive text, and some control attributes.  For rcs
 to work, the caller's login name must be on the access list, except
 if the access list is empty, the caller is the owner of the file or
 the superuser, or the -i option is present.

 Files ending in ,v are RCS files, all others are working files.  If a
 working file is given, rcs tries to find the corresponding RCS file
 first in directory ./RCS and then in the current directory, as
 explained in co.

 -i  creates and initializes a new RCS file, but does not deposit any
     revision.  If the RCS file has no path prefix, rcs tries to place
     it first into the subdirectory ./RCS, and then into the current
     directory.  If the RCS file already exists, an error message is
     printed.
   
 -alogins  appends the login names appearing in the comma-separated list
     logins to the access list of the RCS file.
   
 -Aoldfile  appends the access list of oldfile to the access list of the RCS
     file.
   
 -e[logins]
     erases the login names appearing in the comma-separated list
     logins from the access list of the RCS file.  If logins is
     omitted, the entire access list is erased.
   
 -b[rev]  sets the default branch to rev.  If rev is omitted, the default
     branch is reset to the (dynamically) highest branch on the trunk.
   
 -cstring  sets the comment leader to string.  The comment leader is printed
     before every log message line generated by the keyword $Log: 
     dice_commands.doc,v $
   
 # Revision 30.8  1994/08/18  05:39:56  dice
 # .
 #
 # Revision 30.0  1994/06/10  17:57:04  dice
 # .
 #
 # Revision 30.0  1994/06/10  17:57:04  dice
 # .
 #
     during checkout (see co).  This is useful for programming
     languages without multi-line comments.  During rcs -i or initial
     ci, the comment leader is guessed from the suffix of the working
     file.
   
 -l[rev]  locks the revision with number rev.  If a branch is given, the
     latest revision on that branch is locked.  If rev is omitted, the
     latest revision on the default branch is locked.  Locking
     prevents overlapping changes.  A lock is removed with ci or rcs
     -u (see below).
   
 -u[rev]  unlocks the revision with number rev.  If a branch is given, the
     latest revision on that branch is unlocked.  If rev is omitted,
     the latest lock held by the caller is removed.  Normally, only
     the locker of a revision may unlock it.  Somebody else unlocking
     a revision breaks the lock.
   
 -L  Sets locking to strict.  Strict locking means that the owner of
     an RCS file is not exempt from locking for checkin.  This option
     should be used for files that are shared.
   
 -U  Sets locking to non-strict.  Non-strict locking means that the
     owner of a file need not lock a revision for checkin.  This
     option should NOT be used for files that are shared.
   
 -nname[:rev]
     Associates the symbolic name name with the branch or revision
     rev. Rcs prints an error message if name is already associated
     with another number. If rev is omitted, the symbolic name is
     deleted.
   
 -Nname[:rev]
     Same as -n, except that it overrides a previous assignment of
     name.
   
 -orange  Deletes ("outdates") the revisions given by range.  A range
     consisting of a single revision number means that revision.  A
     range consisting of a branch number means the latest revision on
     that branch. A range of the form rev1-rev2 means revisions rev1
     to rev2 on the same branch, -rev  means from the beginning of the
     branch containing rev up to and including rev, and rev means from
     revision rev to the end of the branch containing rev.  None of
     the outdated revisions may have branches or locks.
   
 -q  Quiet mode; diagnostics are not printed.
   
 -sstate[:rev]
     sets the state attribute of the revision rev to state.  If rev is
     a branch number, the latest revision on that branch is assumed.
     If rev is omitted, the latest revision on the default branch is
     assumed.  Any identifier is acceptable for state.  A useful set
     of states is Exp (for experimental), Stab (for stable), and Rel
     (for released).  By default, ci sets the state of a revision to
     Exp.
   
 -t[txtfile]
     writes descriptive text into the RCS file (deletes the existing
     text).  If txtfile is omitted, rcs prompts the user for text
     supplied from the standard input, terminated with a line
     containing a single . or CTRL-.  Otherwise, the descriptive text
     is copied from the file txtfile.  If the -i option is present,
     descriptive text is requested even if -t is not given.  The
     prompt is suppressed if the standard input is not a terminal.
   
 DIAGNOSTICS
 The RCS file name and the revisions outdated are written to the
 diagnostic output.  The exit status always refers to the last RCS
 file operated upon, and is 0 if the operation was successful, 1
 otherwise.
   
 FILES
 rcs creates a semaphore file in the same directory as the RCS file to
 prevent simultaneous update.  For changes, rcs always creates a new
 file.  On successful completion, rcs deletes the old one and renames
 the new one.
   
 SEE ALSO
 co, ci, ident, rcsdiff, rcsintro, rcsmerge, rlog