Many operating systems’ ability to execute a file is governed by the presence of an execute permission bit. As this is typically disabled by default, Apache Subversion users may have to manually enable this permission bit every time they perform an SVN Checkout. If you’re going to be regularly using executable bits in your project, it’s a good idea to set the svn:executable property on the files in question. This internal Subversion property tells SVN which files should be executable, ensuring the correct permission bits are enabled whenever you perform a checkout. (Note, this property has no impact on filesystems that do not support executable permission bits.)
To set svn:executable in SmartSVN, the popular, cross-platform graphical client for Subversion, simply:
1) Select the file you wish to enable the execute permission bit for.
2) Open SmartSVN’s ‘Properties’ menu and select the ‘Executable-Property’ option.
3) Ensure the ‘Executable’ radio button is checked and click ‘Ok.’
4) Perform an ‘SVN Commit’ to share this properties change with the rest of your team.
Want to learn more about Subversion properties? On December 13th we will be holding a free ‘Subversion Properties’ webinar that will cover:
- Defining properties
- Property and “Standards and Procedures”
- Property name rules
- Automatic Properties
- Recursively defining properties
- Examining Properties
- Removing Properties
- Keywords
It’s free to attend, but places are limited so register now to avoid disappointment.
