Save a Copy - menu item

[farmer_giles]

Hello, I'm rapidly updating my code and would like to fairly frequently save a copy of my work, so I have something to go back to if I make a massive error. Particularly now that my compile time can be up to 10 minutes, so frequently compile testing slows writing code to a glacial pace.
At the moment I have to Save As, choose a new file name. Then open the previous file. Then close the newly created one. It would be super handy to have the option to save a backup copy somewhere and just carry on coding.

To be fair if my programming was faultless I probably wouldn't need this feature, but since it massively sucks then this sort of thing would be greatly appreciated!

happy farming everyone

[ptillisch]

Hi @farmer_giles. You might consider using the Git version control software:

https://git-scm.com/

In this way, you can store the entire revision history inside the sketch project itself instead of creating a copy of the project at each revision. You can add a description of each revision and easily switch to any point in the revision history.

Git is fairly complex, so I think the "caveman version control" system of creating a zillion copies of each project is appropriate for those who are just getting started with programming. But for those who are a bit more experienced I think it is well worth the effort to learn how to use Git.

If you find working from the command line to be inconvenient or intimidating, you should check out the various free "Git clients", which allow using Git from a user friendly GUI application instead of the command line:

https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis

There is a tutorial for using Git with Arduino projects here:

A Git Workflow for Simple Arduino Projects

When I wrote the first tutorial I made about git I wasn't using the Arduino IDE very much. In the last few months I have been using the IDE a lot more and I've developed a pretty simple workflow for keeping track of my code with git. I thought I would share it as an addendum to the former thread. Since everyone uses different operating systems and different GUI programs with git, I am going to use command line tools this time. Don't be scared. Git is probably the thing in the whole world th…

[farmer_giles]

Hello Per - I hope you're doing well - thank you that sounds perfect - I will definitely get that on the go. I'm passable with UNIX command line and shell scripting, so that should be ok - we'll find out soon!
My Giga with Giga Touch incubator controller project now has a multi-screen LVGL display, wifi connectivity, Arduino IOT/LVGL synchronisation at cloud variable level, an IOT control panel to match the LVGL panel (switch actions sync over cloud), NTP time, and I'm now tacking flash storage. After 18 months it feels like it's showing some promise. I'm going to have to read the flash page repeatedly.
cheers for now, Giles