Find changesets where a specific attribute is not set

[JakubH]

Is there a way how to find all changesets (branches, items, etc.) which has not set a specific attribute?

In SQL I can do something like:

SELECT * FROM changesets EXCEPT SELECT * FROM changesets WHERE attribute="xyz"

How to do it using find in Plastic?

 

[manu]

You can do something like:

cm find "branch where Attribute!='STATUS'"

But only the branches having attributes different then "STATUS" are going to be listed, the ones without an attribute not

[JakubH]

Exactly. So as a workaround, I need to add an attribute to all objects (branches). Which I tried, but to do that I need other workarounds (see http://www.plasticscm.net/index.php?/topic/2003-add-an-attribute-to-a-newly-created-branch-changeset/?p=12713). OK, it is cumbersome, but probably doable.

[gweronimo]

Hey, manu! That is not the most intuitive interpretation of [where attribute != 'myattribute'].

 

As I understand, it currently means [where count attributes > 0 AND the SPECIFIC attribute 'myattribute' is NOT applied].

 

I'm arguing in my support ticket 8642 that the meaning of that filter line [where attribute != "myattribute"] should be changed to mean simply [where the SPECIFIC attribute 'myattribute' is NOT applied].

 

Sure, that would change the meaning but i doubt that anyone finds the current interpretation very useful!

[gweronimo]

Hey, my coworker just found out that writing :

cm find branch where not attribute = 'STATUS'

does exactly what's asked for here, namely find the branches that do NOT have that specific attribute "STATUS" regardless of whether there are other attributes or not.

 

I'm baffled that Codice staff could not provide us with this answer? Or was this silently added recently? (I'm running Plastic SCM 5.4.16.731.)

[manu]

I think this hidden feature has been living with us since forever. Didn't realize this was possible.