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+#+TITLE: FreeCAD and Git
+#+DATE: 2021-04-11T12:53:48-04:00
+#+DRAFT: false
+#+DESCRIPTION: How to efficiently version control FreeCAD files using git
+#+TAGS[]: git freecad
+#+KEYWORDS[]: git freecad
+#+ALIASES[]: /posts/wip-freecad-and-git/
+#+SLUG:
+#+SUMMARY:
+
+I've been working a lot with [[https://freecadweb.org/][FreeCAD]] since I got my 3D printer. It's
+been a mostly excellent experience, but I've run a couple issues.
+
+Between the MacOS and Linux version of FreeCAD (both 0.19, maybe
+different builds?), and transferring files between machines using
+Nextcloud, a project that I'd been working on for a couple days became
+broken to the point where I could no longer modify the sketches,
+rendering it useless.
+
+This has led me to find out how I can manage these files through
+version control like [[https://git-scm.com/][=git=]].
+
+It would seem that FreeCAD files 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 efficiently store zip files using
+something called a [[https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes#_filter][=filter= attribute]].
+
+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 using the [[https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes#_diff][=diff= attribute]]. 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=
+attribute settings are used globally. 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.