Is there a way to merge from a forked document?

david_lang457

After a document is forked into a second person's account, is there a way to merge? (either to update the fork to capture changes in the original, or to offer fixes back to the original?). The equivalent of git fetch/pull from another document (including one in a different account)

The git-like functionality is great within a single account, or between accounts where everyone is fully trusted (enterprise type stuff) but without the ability to update the fork or merge changes back, it's very limited in what can be done in less structured situations. The equivalent of opensource software development.

jelte_steur814

I guess the answer is, it depends.

the git-like branching and merging is of course available within documents. but when you start forking copies of a document it becomes more difficult I'm afraid.
I don't see a way that changes whithin a tab can be merged.

But if certain part-studio's are added, those could be transfered into a document and transferred ownership and added back into the original document.

david_lang457

The two scenarios that I am looking at:

1. person A forks document X from person B
2. person B makes additional changes
3. person A would like to get updates without having to delete their copy of document X and fork it again.

and

1. person A forks document X from person B
2. person A makes changes
3. person B would like to add the changes that person A made back to document X

If both person A and person B have edit rights to document X, person B could create a branch within document X and both of these could be done.

It looks like when you fork a document, the history is lost

Please consider adding this capability in the future.

glen_dewsbury

Instead of creating a new document the second user can open the first document where branching and merging can be done. The second person will need edit access to the document.

david_lang457

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/116300#Comment_116300

That works when the person owning the document knows the person forking it.

But if I were to find one of your public documents and requested edit access to it, would you give it to me? probably not, you would tell me to fork it to play around with it if I wanted to tinker with it.

So if I were to do so, say it's a complex featurescript and I add a useful feature to my fork, how would I get my improvement back to you?

glen_dewsbury

If there was some reason to work with you I would allow edit access. I've done this many times. Makes working on a common task so much easier without the forking you are trying to describe. If you want to proceed further on your own and keep it hidden, then make a copy and go do your thing separately.

glen_dewsbury

BTW

If you have completed and debugged a feature script to your liking it should be cleaned up and PDF description of how it works added. It should be in it's own document( should be versioned ). Then a link can be shared. Anybody the link is shared with can copy and paste the link into add new feature .

jelte_steur814

@david_lang457.

Beware that featurescript is a lot less dangerous that normal code, because it operates only in the CAD context.

see this post by @caden_armstrong.

So all somebody could do is mess with code that your working on by maliciously going into your fork and messing up any unversioned changes... featurescript changes aren't tracked like changes to models, so you wouldn't detect it in the version/changes dialogue.

but as long as you version often, this 'damage' would be limited because you could always revert back…

NeilCooke

It's a physical copy with new part IDs, not a fork.