# @edit files read only?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [August 4, 2023, 3:06am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469 "2023-08-04T03:06:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Alec\_Loudenback](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/alec_loudenback/32/278_2.png) [@Alec\_Loudenback](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Alec_Loudenback)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 3:06am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469/1 "2023-08-04T03:06:12Z")

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In th REPL if I `add` a package, and then use it, is there a way to have `@edit` let me Revise the file? Without `dev`ing the package, it opens up a read only editor for a file in, e.g. `.julia/packages/PkgName/hash/src/file.jl`

Do I have to `dev` the package in order to revise it?

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**Author:** ![mrufsvold](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mrufsvold/32/31600_2.png) [@mrufsvold](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mrufsvold)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 5:11am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469/2 "2023-08-04T05:11:27Z")

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Yep! `add` guarantees that you are using the exact version that was registered so that the compat bounds of all the dependencies in your environment can be resolved.

`dev` tells Pkg, “I want to take the risk of having a mutable dependency here.”

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**Author:** ![e3c6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@e3c6](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/e3c6)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469/3 "2023-08-04T12:07:14Z")

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> [@Alec\_Loudenback](#):
>
> it opens up a read only editor for a file

Is that so? When I `@edit sin(4)` the file is not read-only!

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**Author:** ![fredrikekre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/fredrikekre/32/1688_2.png) [@fredrikekre](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fredrikekre)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469/4 "2023-08-04T12:55:40Z")

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Just to clarify, it isn’t `@edit` that chooses to do this, `@edit` simply opens the file with the permissions it has on disk on your machine. Package source files are set to be read-only by the package manager when you install them because they are supposed to be immutable.

> [@e3c6](#):
>
> When I `@edit sin(4)` the file is not read-only!

That would point you to a source file in your Julia installation, and I don’t think installation procedures set’s these to be read-only.

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**Author:** ![e3c6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@e3c6](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/e3c6)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 1:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/edit-files-read-only/102469/5 "2023-08-04T13:00:28Z")

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> [@fredrikekre](#):
>
> That would point you to a source file in your Julia installation, and I don’t think installation procedures set’s these to be read-only.

Is this deliberate? I think it would be preferable that Julia installation files also be read-only.