1 files changed, 75 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/content/posts/WIP-freecad-and-git/index.org b/content/posts/WIP-freecad-and-git/index.org
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7847857
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/posts/WIP-freecad-and-git/index.org
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#+TITLE: Freecad and Git
+#+DATE: 2021-03-23T01:23:58-04:00
+#+DRAFT: true
+#+DESCRIPTION:
+#+TAGS[]:
+#+KEYWORDS[]:
+#+SLUG:
+#+SUMMARY:
+
+I've been working a lot with [[https://freecadweb.org/][FreeCAD]] recently since I got my 3D
+printer, and have run into some issues.
+
+Between the MacOS version and Linux version of FreeCAD (both 0.19,
+maybe different builds?), a project that I've been working on for a
+couple days has become broken to the point where I can no longer
+edit the sketches, rendering it useless.
+
+This has led me on a quest to find out how I can manage these files
+through version control like =git=.
+
+It would seem that FreeCAD saves are nothing more than zip files
+containing text documents, which should make this rather easy.
+
+Unfortunately there isn't a standard process to git control a
+zipped folder, though I have come across a couple methods which
+when used together, result in an adequate solution.
+
+The main component of this workaround is a great little script
+called [[https://bitbucket.org/sippey/zippey/src/master/][zippey]], which allows git to handle and diff zip files in a
+way that makes storing them much more efficient.
+
+The second isn't as much a tool as it is a snippet from a [[https://tante.cc/2010/06/23/managing-zip-based-file-formats-in-git/][blog post]]
+about diffing zip files with git. By combining both these methods
+we can arrive at a pretty good method of handling FreeCAD save
+data.
+
+The first step is to download the zippy python program. Since I
+keep all source repositories under =~/src= in directories based on
+the website and user who created them, I'll be cloning it to
+=~/src/bitbucket.org/sippey/zippey=.
+
+Then I configure my =~/.gitconfig= to so that the =diff= and
+=filter= settings are how I want them.
+
+I'll also setup a global git [[https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Customizing-Git-Git-Attributes][attributes]] file so that I don't need
+to set the association with =.FCStd= files in each repo individually.
+
+I add the following lines to my =~/.gitconfig=.
+
+#+begin_src conf
+[diff "zip"]
+textconv = unzip -c -a
+[core]
+    attributesfile = ~/.gitattributes
+[filter "zippey"]
+    smudge = /home/dante/src/bitbucket.org/sippey/zippey/zippey.py d
+    clean = /home/dante/src/bitbucket.org/sippey/zippey/zippey.py e
+#+end_src
+
+Then I create a =~/.gitattributes= file with the following content.
+
+#+begin_src conf
+,*.FCStd filter=zippey
+,*.FCStd diff=zip
+#+end_src
+
+With this =git= should be now be able to effectively diff and store
+proper deltas when FreeCAD files are modified.
+
+Keep in mind you need to redo this process on each computer you
+plan on using this with, otherwise the files git produces won't
+make any sense.
+
+Also despite having diffs, these files cannot be merged or rebased,
+the use of diffs is just do that =git= can store the file more efficiently.