Keeping a constant record of text written

Jun 6, 2021

If ever I’m writing a chunk of text that will change a lot over time, I like to use this script to make sure I have a constant record of what has changed over time. Combined with your equivelent of git-timemachine, it’s really handy for looking back at progression or finding where you might have gone wrong. 🙂

Just run git init if you’re not already in a repo, then run this script with the filename(s) you’re interested in keeping the history for. Every two minutes, a new commit will be made with your work.

Just delete the .git folder when you’re done and you’ll be left with just your work.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

[ ${#} -lt 1 ] && {
  echo "Need a list of files." >&2
  exit 2
}

words=$(cat "${@}" | wc -w)

while /bin/true; do
  git add ${@} && git commit -m "$(date) ($words words)"
  sleep 120
done

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Keeping a constant record of text written