Using Patch

[Fatman]

Im probably doing something silly...
Im trying to add a patch to the source ive downloaded via SVN:

patch < patchname.patch

I then get:

can't find file to patch at input line 5
Perhaps you should have used the -p or --strip option?
The text leading up to this was:
--------------------------
|Index: apps/misc.h
|===================================================================
|--- apps/misc.h   (revision 15901)
|+++ apps/misc.h   (working copy)
--------------------------
File to patch:

If i enter the filename exactly as listed in the Index value (apps/misc.h) then it works fine?

How can it not find the file, then when I type exactly the same path and filename, it finds it?

[AlexP]

Where is your patch file?  It should be in your checkout directory.

Also try with various p options

i.e.

patch -p0 < patch.patch
patch -p1 < patch.patch
etc.

[bascule]

It probably means you are running the patch command from a different place in the filetree that the patch was generated from. This where the -p option comes in useful.

From the Wiki:

http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/SimpleGuideToCompiling#Patching

The third bullet point explains the -p option

[Fatman]

I have the patch file in the same folder as ive check everything out to.
I have folder called rockbox - ls output below:

apps
bootloader
build
Build
Build
custom_splashV7.1.4.diff
dir.txt
docs
firmware
flash
fonts
gdb
manual
rbutil
tools
uisimulator
utils
wps

is this not where I should be running it from?

[GodEater]

It's impossible to tell without seeing the content of the patch. Why not try with the -p options as you've been advised ?

[Fatman]

the -p0 worked

So thats removed -0 directories from the path, why doesnt patch assume this?

[GodEater]

No clue  

[Llorean]

If the path is /foo/bar/bob.c, -p0 looks for /foo/bar/bob.c (strips 0 /s), if you don't to a -p0, it simply looks for bob.c, in the folder you run it in.

Basically, it assumed "find it here" rather than "use the whole path." Really they could've gone either way with it, and this is the way least likely to cause accidental damage to files elsewhere.

[Fatman]

that makes sense!
Thanks