p4 typemap

Synopsis

Syntax

Description

By default, Perforce automatically determines if a file is of type text or binary based on an analysis of the first 8192 bytes of a file. If the high bit is clear in each of the first 8192 bytes, Perforce assumes it to be text; otherwise, it's binary.

Although this default behavior can be overridden by the use of the -t filetype flag, it's easy to overlook this, particularly in cases where files' types were usually (but not always) detected correctly. The most common examples of this are associated with PDF files (which sometimes begin with over 8192 bytes of ASCII comments) and RTF files, which usually contain embedded formatting codes.

The p4 typemap command provides a more complete solution, allowing administrators to bypass the default type detection mechanism, ensuring that certain files (for example, those ending in .pdf or .rtf) will always be assigned the desired Perforce filetype upon addition to the depot.

Users can override any file type mapping defined in the typemap table by explicitly specifying the file type on the Perforce command line.

Form Fields

Options

-i	Reads the typemap table from standard input without invoking the user's editor.
-o	Writes the typemap table to standard output without invoking the user's editor.
g-opts	See the Global Options section.

Usage Notes

Can File Arguments Use Revision Specifier?	Can File Arguments Use Revision Range?	Minimal Access Level Required
N/A	N/A	admin, or list to use the -o flag

• To specify all files with a given extension at or below a desired subdirectory, use four periods after the directory name, followed by the extension. (for instance, //path/....ext) The first three periods specify "all files below this level". The fourth period and accompanying file extension are parsed as "ending in these characters".

• File type modifiers may be used in the typemap table. Useful applications include forcing keyword expansion on or off across directory trees, enforcing the preservation of original file modification times (the +m file type modifier) in directories of third-party DLLs, or implementing pessimistic locking policies.

• If you use the -t flag and file type modifiers to specify a file type on the command line, and the file to which you are referring falls under a p4 typemap mapping, the file type specified on the command line overrides the file type specified by the typemap table.

Examples

The first three periods ("...") in the specification are a Perforce wildcard specifying that all files beneath the root directory are included as part of the mapping. The fourth period and the file extension specify that the specification applies to files ending in ".pdf" (or ".rtf")

A more complicated situation might arise in a site where users in one area of the depot use the extension .doc for plain ASCII text files containing documentation, and users working in another area use .doc to refer to files in a binary file format used by a popular word processor. A useful typemap table in this situation might be:

To enable keyword expansion for all .c and .h files, but disable it for your .txt files, do the following:

To ensure that files in a specific directory have their original file modification times preserved (regardless of submission date), use the following:

All files at or below the bin directory are assigned type binary. Because later mappings override earlier mappings, files in the bin/thirdpartydll subdirectory are assigned type binary+m instead. For more information about the +m (modtime) file type modifier, see the File Types section.

By default, Perforce supports concurrent development, but environments in which only one person is expected to have a file for edit at a time can implement pessimistic locking by using the +l (exclusive open) modifier as a partial filetype. If you use the following typemap, the +l modifier is automatically applied to all newly-added files in the depot:

Related Commands

To add a new file with a specific type, overriding the typemap table	p4 add -t type file
To change the filetype of an opened file, overriding any settings in the typemap table	p4 reopen -t type file