https://github.com/xorhash/fh

file history with ed(1), diff(1), awk(1), sed(1) and sh(1)
https://github.com/xorhash/fh

unix

Last synced: 2 months ago
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file history with ed(1), diff(1), awk(1), sed(1) and sh(1)

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/xorhash/fh
• Owner: xorhash
• License: isc
• Created: 2019-04-19T17:41:06.000Z (over 5 years ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2020-06-21T08:48:25.000Z (over 4 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-08-02T16:04:43.138Z (5 months ago)
• Topics: unix
• Language: Roff
• Size: 7.81 KB
• Stars: 107
• Watchers: 5
• Forks: 3
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

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README

        
# fh: file history

**fh** records changes to a file on a per-file basis,

similar to [RCS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revision_Control_System) and

[SCCS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_Code_Control_System).

It is, however, considerably more primitive.

Design goals:

- no support for multi-user environments (no locking, etc.)

- implemented in shell script

- must use ed(1)

- should work or easily be made to work on 7th Edition UNIX

I've taken care not to use any shell scripting constructions that didn't

exist in the Bourne shell, but I may have missed things;

however, the shebang needs to be removed on 7th Edition UNIX.

**fh** uses a chain of ed(1) scripts to construct any version of a file.

It even allows recording of commit messages.

## Why?

I saw the following passage in [diff(1) of 7th Edition UNIX](https://man.openbsd.org/UNIX-7/diff.1):

> The **-e** option produces a script of *a*, *c* and *d* commands for the editor *ed*, which will recreate *file2* from *file1*. The **-f** option produces a similar script, not useful with *ed*, in the opposite order. In connection with **-e**, the following shell program may help maintain multiple versions of a file. Only an ancestral file ($1) and a chain of version-to-version *ed* scripts ($2,$3,...) made by *diff* need be on hand. A `latest version' appears on the standard output.

>

>     (shift; cat $*; echo ´1,$p´) ⎪ ed - $1

After some thinking, I figured it would be hilarious to actually implement a basic version control system on these primitives.

In hindsight, it's probably closer to terrifying than hilarious.

## License

ISC, see LICENSE.

## Installation and usage

Copy the `fl`, `fr` and `fu` files to a directory in `$PATH`;

make sure they are marked as executable.

Copy the man pages `fl.1`, `fr.1`, `fu.1` and `fh.5` to a directory in `$MANPATH`.

For usage, see the supplied man pages.

[man.md](man.md) is available on the web.

For 7th Edition UNIX, the man pages written in mdoc macrosneed to be converted to old man macros first:

    mkdir man

    mandoc -Tman fl.1 > man/fl.1

    mandoc -Tman fr.1 > man/fr.1

    mandoc -Tman fu.1 > man/fu.1

    mandoc -Tman fh.5 > man/fh.5