--- 
canonical: 'https://mwop.net/blog/9-RCS-quickstart.html'
title: 'RCS quickstart'
author: "[Matthew Weier O'Phinney](https://mwop.net)"
created: '2004-01-21T16:45:22-06:00'
updated: '2004-09-10T22:37:55-05:00'
tags:
  - personal

---
Gleaned from *Linux Server Hacks*

- Create an RCS directory
- Execute a `ci -i filename`
- Execute a `co -l filename` and edit as you wish.
- Execute a `ci -u filename` to check in changes.

The initial time you checkout the copy, it will be locked, and this can cause
problems if someone else wishes to edit it; you should probably edit it once
and put in the version placeholder in comments somewhere at the top or bottom:

```
$VERSION$
```

and then check it back in with the `-u` flag to unlock it.