Sometimes developers need to use a repository which is hard linked at a specific place (e.g. Rational Rose on Windows). it would be helpful to be able to locally archive, clean or remove the existing repository, pull another version work on it, push changes, remove that repository and restore the old one. Ideally several archives at a time should be allowed.

work around: (* indicates function not currently in darks)
archive/zip all the repository to a file.* (darcs could archive only the needed repository files)
delete everything in the repository*
init
pull <>
< make changes>
push <>
delete everything in the repository*
restore from archive/zip file* (darcs could restore from just the repository archive file)

you could close issue 555 with this.

When you say "the repository", do you mean the darcs-managed metadata 
(i.e. the contents of _darcs) or the entire working copy including local 
changes?

If it includes local changes does it include added files and potentially 
"boring" things like build products too?

The repository is current state of the recorded states need to rebuild any  prior state of the repository. The restore should return the backup to the last known state. The unrecorded changes need not be kept. Git does something like this, but almost always destroys its branching info.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 23, 2013, at 9:31 AM, Ganesh Sittampalam <bugs@darcs.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Ganesh Sittampalam <ganesh@earth.li> added the comment:
> 
> When you say "the repository", do you mean the darcs-managed metadata 
> (i.e. the contents of _darcs) or the entire working copy including local 
> changes?
> 
> If it includes local changes does it include added files and potentially 
> "boring" things like build products too?
> 
> ----------
> nosy: +ganesh
> 
> __________________________________
> Darcs bug tracker <bugs@darcs.net>
> <http://bugs.darcs.net/issue2354>
> __________________________________