Store the version number in the file

[freedman]

Maybe this has been covered. When a FreeCAD file is closed it stores the current software version used to edit the file. This way any time we get a file from a user we can look at the version used. Maybe this could be started in 0.19.

[vocx]

Maybe this has been covered. When a FreeCAD file is closed it stores the current software version used to edit the file. This way any time we get a file from a user we can look at the version used. Maybe this could be started in 0.19.

A FreeCAD document, ending in .FCStd is actually a .zip file. If you change the extension from .FCStd to .zip, you can open it and inspect its contents.

There is a file called Document.xml that describes the file. Its first few lines are like this:

Code: Select all

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<!--
 FreeCAD Document, see https://www.freecadweb.org for more information...
-->
<Document SchemaVersion="4" ProgramVersion="0.19R18180 (Git)" FileVersion="1">

[freedman]

If we had a field in the Help menu, could we display the current open file version? Obviously if we then save that file it would display our version.
My thinking; If we had this feature then we could prompt the user to display their current version info or post a FreeCAD file. This could help tech. support.
Thanks

[vocx]

If we had a field in the Help menu, could we display the current open file version? Obviously if we then save that file it would display our version.
My thinking; If we had this feature then we could prompt the user to display their current version info or post a FreeCAD file. This could help tech. support.
Thanks

When we ask users to display their FreeCAD version information this assumes that the file they have problems with is being worked, opened, and saved, with that version. So, it's a redundant test to ask for the FreeCAD version, and the file version. In most cases, both would be the same.

[RatonLaveur]

Hey vocx,

I think where freedman is coming from is that if the feeecad version info was watermarked with the file, asking for help/generating a bug report/discussing a behavior would be faster on the forum, we simply try to make it standard to share the file.

It reduces theback and forth of asking for version and/or file when sometimes the user only answers for one of them at first or the troubleshooter only asks for one of them (4 messages before getting to work the problem).
It also reduces user workload for generating a topic (go to forums, login, write question, add file) vs (go to forums, login, write question, open freecad, click about/help, paste in question, add file)

At least such a level of redundancy would reduce overhead.

I haven't considered if it's a good idea. I just see what he means.

[vocx]

... asking for help/generating a bug report/discussing a behavior would be faster on the forum, we simply try to make it standard to share the file.

Asking for the file is already standard. Files are heavy; textual information is pretty lightweight. So asking for textual information is often faster to troubleshoot a problem than looking into a file. "Oh, you are using Python 2.3 in a Windows Vista computer with FreeCAD 0.14? That's probably obsolete, you should get a new... everything."

It reduces theback and forth of asking for version and/or file when sometimes the user only answers for one of them at first ...

This is a fundamental problem of the user, not of the support. There is a pretty simple procedure already outlined in the IMPORTANT banner. Many users do post their FreeCAD information on the first try. That's great.

[freedman]

Maybe chrisb will respond here, he has answered so so many posts, he is at 17000+. It was just an idea to possibly save some traffic.

[vocx]

Maybe chrisb will respond here, he has answered so so many posts, he is at 17000+. It was just an idea to possibly save some traffic.

Don't worry about "traffic". It doesn't matter how good the documentation is or the support provided, there will always be users that disregard that, and try to get things solved without reading this and that. That's the fundamental nature of support. When you finish "teaching" some, the next batch of clueless people will come, and the cycle repeats. Particularly in an open source environment, people come and go. You don't get into support with the expectation of ever being "done"; you do it because you are passionate about helping, that's basically it.

[UR_]

A little more accessability is not that bad, especially for already stored information.
Perhaps as "read only" property.

Screenshot 008.png (28.52 KiB) Viewed 728 times

[chrisb]

We had a massive help/version problem when changing from 0.16 to 0.17. And I often was rather upset that so many peopple ignored our request for FreeCAD info. Things have calmed down, many answers are independent from the version, 0.18 is not so far away from 0.19, especially as far as the elementary stuff is concerned.

Asking always for a file, means that people who are not able to produce one cannot ask for help. Only asking for it, is like vocx said, rather pointless, because people ignoring the request for FreeCAD info will ignore uploading a file as well. And I see as the bandwidth problem as well, and I don't like wasting of whatever it is.
Last, but not least: it takes time for the helpers. And if 100 people have to look at the file it is 100 times the time for saving, opening in FreeCAD and calling some menu item. Compared to just looking at the FreeCAD info it seems to be a waste of time - and you know, that I hate to waste ...

On the other side: This information should well be shown in the project information and of course be made visible from Python, so that Addons can use it.
Currently opening the file in a text editor is the only way I know of. Even Inspection does not expose it.

Edit: UR_ posted while I was still typing.