How to resolve "local edit, incoming delete upon update" message

When I do a svn status ., I get this:

!     C auto-complete-config.elc
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
!  +  C auto-complete.elc
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
!  +  C popup.elc
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
!  +  C fuzzy.elc
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update

basically, these files shouldn't be in the repository. A developer has removed them. Then, I think I did a svn rm ... after the fact by mistake (should've done svn update . instead).

So now, when I do svn status ., I get these tree conflict messages.

I found the doc here but not sure how to “merge” it according to the doc.

How to get rid of them?

I think my working copy is in sync with the repository. Don't know why these messages shows. These files should be removed and are removed as far as I know everywhere. I tried svn update . and svn revert . but I still get this message when I do svn status ..

Solution

Short version:

$ svn st
!  +  C foo
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
!  +  C bar
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
$ touch foo bar
$ svn revert foo bar
$ rm foo bar

If the conflict is about directories instead of files then replace touch with mkdir and rm with rm -r.

touch is a common unix idiom to create empty files. in its core touch is used to update file time stamps. but as a side effect it creates empty files if they do not exist.

Note: the same procedure also work for the following situation:

$ svn st
!     C foo
      >   local delete, incoming delete upon update
!     C bar
      >   local delete, incoming delete upon update

Long version:

This happens when you edit a file while someone else deleted the file and commited first. As a good svn citizen you do an update before a commit. Now you have a conflict. Realising that deleting the file is the right thing to do you delete the file from your working copy. Instead of being content svn now complains that the local files are missing and that there is a conflicting update which ultimately wants to see the files deleted. Good job svn.

Should svn resolve not work, for whatever reason, you can do the following:

Initial situation: Local files are missing, update is conflicting.

$ svn st
!  +  C foo
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
!  +  C bar
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update

Recreate the conflicting files:

$ touch foo bar

If the conflict is about directories then replace touch with mkdir.

New situation: Local files to be added to the repository (yeah right, svn, whatever you say), update still conflicting.

$ svn st
A  +  C foo
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update
A  +  C bar
      >   local edit, incoming delete upon update

Revert the files to the state svn likes them (that means deleted):

$ svn revert foo bar

New situation: Local files not known to svn, update no longer conflicting.

$ svn st
?       foo
?       bar

Now we can delete the files:

$ rm foo bar

If the conflict is about directories then replace rm with rm -r.

svn no longer complains:

$ svn st

Done.