Rename Command (Team Foundation Version Control)

The rename command changes the name or the path of a file or folder. You can use the rename command or the aliases move or ren, to move a file or folder to a new location.

Note

The results of this command are not reflected in the Team Foundation version control server until you perform a check-in operation. For more information, see How to: Check In Pending Changes.

Required Permissions

To use the rename command, you have the Check out permission set to Allow. For more information, see Team Foundation Server Permissions.

tf rename [/lock:(none|checkout|checkin)] olditem newitem

Parameters

Argument

Description

olditem

The original name and path of the file or folder that is to be renamed. You can specify a local workspace path such as C:\myfiles\314.cs or a Team Foundation version control server path such as $/myfiles/314.cs.

newitem

The new name of the file or folder. You can use this to specify a different local or a Team Foundation version control server path location.

Option

Description

/lock

Include this option to prevent other users from checking in or checking out the specified items. If this option is not specified, the existing lock status of the item is not changed. For more information, see Understanding Lock Types.

Lock Options:

  • None   No lock is applied.

  • Checkin   Other users can check out the specified items but they cannot check in revisions to locked files until you release the lock by performing a check-in. If any other users have locked any one of the specified items, the lock operation fails.

  • Checkout   Prevents other users from checking in or checking out any one of the specified items until you release the lock by performing a check-in. If any other users have locked any one of the specified items, the lock operation fails.

Remarks

You can use the rename command of the tf command-line utility to move or rename a version-controlled item in your workspace. Use the rename command to move multiple files by specifying wildcard characters. The ability to rename multiple version-controlled files or folders, is only available from the command-line.

Use Rename to do the following:

  • Rename the olditemto the newitem, such as tf rename 314.cs 315.cs.

  • Move the olditem to a new location in the Team Foundation version control server by providing a newitem whose path differs from that of the olditem, such as  tf rename 314.cs ..\newdir\314.cs.

If you provide a newitem that specifies a non-existent folder, the rename command creates the destination folder. If newitem is a folder, olditem becomes a child of newitem.

You cannot rename an item if:

  • You have already deleted it before it was checked in to the same workspace.

  • The new name already exists in the Team Foundation version control server and is not a folder.

  • You have already added, branched, or renamed the pending check-in of the item.

  • The item is mapped in the workspace but not available on the local disk.

  • The item is cloaked.

You can rename an item for which another file of the same name has been added pending check-in but you cannot rename an item that has been branched but not yet checked in. When you rename a file that has pending edits, the edits are preserved.

An item that is explicitly mapped cannot be renamed without first changing the mapping. For example, if there is a working folder mapping of $/ProjectX/MyApp to c:\MyApp, you cannot rename MyApp. You can rename items under MyApp but not MyApp itself.

For more information on how to find the tf command-line utility, see Tf Command-Line Utility Commands.

Examples

The following example changes the name of 314.c to 1254.c.

c:\projects>tf rename  314.c  1254.c

The following example renames 314.c to 1254.c and moves it to the newdir folder.

c:\projects>tf rename 314.c ..\newdir\1254.c

The following example changes the name of Form1.vb to MainPage.vb and applies a lock to it.

c:\projects>tf rename Form1.vb MainPage.vb /lock:checkin

See Also

Tasks

How to: Move, Rename, and Delete Version-Controlled Files and Folders

Concepts

Understanding Lock Types

Pending Changes

Reference

Command-Line Syntax (Team System)

Add Command

Delete Command (Team Foundation Version Control)

Get Command

Other Resources

Tf Command-Line Utility Commands