I have a Java project that is committed to an SVN repository. I'm using the Subclipse plugin in Eclipse Luna. The .project file was initially committed, but we don't want to commit any updates to the .project file that eclipse makes. I've added a .project entry in the ignored resources, but the .project file still shows up as a change, for example, when I rename the project folder, or do anything else that might cause Eclipse to change that file. I see the out of synch star for the top-level folder (of course the .project file is not shown in the project explorer), but the .project file does appear in the synchronization window and the commit dialog. What is the issue here? How can I get Eclipse to actually ignore changes to this file?
SVN, like most version control systems, won't let you ignore files that are already in the repository. To quote the book (emphasis added):
Subversion's support for ignorable file patterns extends only to the one-time process of adding unversioned files and directories to version control. Once an object is under Subversion's control, the ignore pattern mechanisms no longer apply to it. In other words, don't expect Subversion to avoid committing changes you've made to a versioned file simply because that file's name matches an ignore pattern—Subversion always notices all of its versioned objects.