Using GIT with FrameMaker

Using GIT with FrameMaker

[Rivka Pollack]

Hi,
My Technical Documentation team has recently been informed that we are to be
moving to GIT for our version control.
We will be working in GIT GUI or GIT extensions.
I see, however, that you cannot properly use the "diff" view properly with the
FrameMaker files, but only, from what I can tell, .txt, and .html.
Is there a good way to work with GIT from FrameMaker?

Thanks

Re: Using GIT with FrameMaker

[Matthieu Moy]

Rivka Pollack <Rivka_P1@verifone.com> writes:

> Hi,
> My Technical Documentation team has recently been informed that we are to be
> moving to GIT for our version control.
> We will be working in GIT GUI or GIT extensions.
> I see, however, that you cannot properly use the "diff" view properly with the
> FrameMaker files, but only, from what I can tell, .txt, and .html.

Not just .txt and .html. Anything that looks like text (i.e. anything
that can be opened in a text editor and looks good in it).

> Is there a good way to work with GIT from FrameMaker?

FrameMaker, I have no idea. But Git has two things that can help you:

* External diff engine: read about GIT_EXTERNAL_DIFF in
  http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/v1.0.13/git-diff-files.html
  and look for "Defining an external diff driver" in
  http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/gitattributes.html

  Roughly, if FrameMaker has a way to compare two documents, then Git
  can call it automatically.

* Text Converters: Read the section "Performing text diffs of binary
  files" in
  http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/gitattributes.html

  Roughly: if you have a way to display the content of your framemaker
  files as text, then Git can call this, and then show a textual diff
  of your document.

In this page http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/opendocument/ I explain
how to do that with OpenDocument files (OpenOffice & friends). If
FrameMaker provides the relevant tools, it shouldn't be hard to adapt.

-- 
Matthieu Moy
http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/