Update initialize.py from master copy

SeattleTestbed/buildscripts hosts the latest versions of the build scripts.

scripts/initialize.py

@@ -1,32 +1,73 @@
 """
 <Program>
   initialize.py 
+  
+<Started>
+  August 2014.
 
+<Authors>
+  Albert Rafetseder
+  Chintan Choksi
+  
 <Purpose>
-  This script does a ``git clone'' of all the dependent repositories
+  This script does a "git clone" of all the dependent repositories
   of a Seattle component.
 
 <Usage>
   * Clone the repository you would like to build on your machine, e.g. using 
-      ``git clone https://github.com/SeattleTestbed/seash''
-  * Change into the ``scripts'' subdirectory
-  * Run this script: 
-      ``python initialize.py''
-  * The dependencies will be checked out into ``../DEPENDENCIES''.
+      "git clone https://github.com/SeattleTestbed/seash"
+  
+  * Change into the "scripts" subdirectory
+  
+  * Run this script: "python initialize.py [-s]"
+  
+  * The dependencies will be checked out into "../DEPENDENCIES"
+  
+  *"initialize.py" will get the list of dependencies to check-out from
+    "config_initialize.txt" file.
+  
+  * During check-out, if there is a readme file associated with a repository,
+    then it will be printed on terminal.  Once this is done, run the build.py
+    script to import the necessary files into a desired target folder.  Run
+    build file as: "python build.py"
+
+  The "-s" command-line option is optional, and activates skip mode.  Skip
+  mode is useful to
+
+  (1) Save you from re-downloading stuff that you have on your local machine
+  (and can copy over via "cp -R" or similar).
+  
+  (2) Test local modifications that you have in your working copy without
+  having to first commit them somewhere and then hack the init config, but
+  
+  Skip mode does not check whether the repos that exist in "DEPENDENCIES/" are
+  complete, in a working state, or are on the branch specified in
+  "config_initialize.txt".  Consequently, while skip mode sounds like a good
+  thing to have if you want to pick up the initialization process again after
+  interrupting it, it is also pretty dangerous (as in: weird build/runtime
+  problems) and should be used with extreme care.
 
 <Note>
   While this file is redistributed with every buildable Seattle repo, 
-  the ``master copy'' (and thus the most up-to-date version) is kept 
-  at https://github.com/SeattleTestbed/buildscripts
+  the "master copy" (and thus the most up-to-date version) is kept 
+  at: https://github.com/SeattleTestbed/buildscripts
 """
 
 import subprocess
 import os
 import sys
 
 
+# config_initialize.txt contains links to repository and the directory where it
+# gets checked-out.
+# E.g.: https://github.com/SeattleTestbed/seash ../DEPENDENCIES/seash
 config_file = open("config_initialize.txt")
 
+if len(sys.argv) == 2 and sys.argv[1] == '-s':
+  ignore_git_errors = True
+else:
+  ignore_git_errors = False
+
 for line in config_file.readlines():
   # Ignore comments and blank lines
   if line.startswith("#") or line.strip() == '':
@@ -42,22 +83,27 @@
   # to see if it performed correctly, and halt the program (giving debug 
   # output) if not.
   if git_process.returncode == 0:
-     print "Done!"
+    print "Done!"
   else:
     print "*** Error checking out repo. Git returned status code", git_process.returncode
     print "*** Git messages on stdout: '" + stdout_data + "'."
     print "*** Git messages on stderr: '" + stderr_data + "'."
     print
-    print """These errors need to be fixed before the build process can proceed. In 
+    if not ignore_git_errors:
+      print """Since the skip-mode is off, these errors need to be fixed before the build process can proceed. In 
 doubt, please contact the Seattle development team at 
 
    seattle-devel@googlegroups.com
 
 and supply all of the above information. Thank you!
 
 """
-    sys.exit(1)
-
+      print
+      sys.exit(1)
+    else:
+      print "Continuing with the cloning of directories as skip-mode is active"
+      print
+      continue
 
 # If there is a readme file, show it to the user. 
 try: