External Repository Changes

Question

I use svn:externals to reference several open source projects. I then make some local changes to one of these external projects. Obviously I cannot check these changes back into the external repository. How do I keep these changes in my repository while still maintaining the ability to easily incorporate external changes?

Git makes this quite easy, but I use Subversion, so I am looking for an SVN friendly way to do this. (I use Tortoise SVN client against a 1.5+ SVN server).

Answer 1

Consider using svk locally. I believe you can continue to pull remote changes into your local repository but have changes you never push back.

Answer 2

Just in case it's still relevant, and for future users: I think you want to maintain your changes to the external project in a 'vendor branch'.

• import a copy of the external code into a separate project in your repository
• create a branch of it in your own project, to which you can add your own modifications
• regularly, you update the project's code in the original branch so you can merge these changes into your own branch.