# Modifying Plugins and Subversion **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 29, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/modifying-plugins-and-subversion/90471 "2007-03-29T02:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/thelorax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/modifying-plugins-and-subversion/90471/1 "2007-03-29T02:14:53Z")
Hello, I’m new to both Rails and Subversion so please bear with me. Let’s say I install a plugin with --externals set, and then make some custom modifications to the plugin… If I perform a commit on my local project, will my plugin modifications commit to the svn server I initially dloaded from or to local? If the commit goes to the remote svn server, I imagine I shouldn’t do this… If so, should I be installing the plugin locally first if I plan to make custom modifications and use subversion to track my revisions? Will using ‘install --checkout’ allow me to do this? Hope that made sense. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/thelorax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/modifying-plugins-and-subversion/90471/2 "2007-03-29T04:58:08Z")
You’ll have to use something like Piston. I’ve never used it myself, but it seems like this is what you need. [http://piston.rubyforge.org/](http://piston.rubyforge.org/) ---
**Author:** ![thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@thelorax](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/thelorax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/modifying-plugins-and-subversion/90471/3 "2007-03-29T05:27:11Z")
That looks like it should do the trick. Thanks.