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SaveUtils Python

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Adds "Save As with Timestamp" and "Save As Increment" commands to the FreeCAD File menu.

📄 README.md

SaveUtils – FreeCAD Workbench Addon

SaveUtils Example in the FreeCAD File menu

SaveUtils adds four convenience commands to FreeCAD's File menu:

CommandWhat it does
Save with TimestampSaves as <basename>-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.FCStd
Save IncrementSaves as the next <basename>-01.FCStd, …-02.FCStd
Save As with TimestampAsks for a base filename, then saves as <base>-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.FCStd
Save As IncrementAsks for a base filename, then saves as the next <base>-01.FCStd, …-02.FCStd

All four save the document under the new name and leave you working in that new file, exactly like FreeCAD's own Save As. The file you started in stays on disk as it last was.

The difference between the two pairs is only where the name comes from:

  • The Save commands derive it automatically from the open document — no dialog.
  • The Save As commands open a file dialog so you pick the base name yourself.

Behavior details

Naming

  • Timestamp commands append -YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.FCStd. If the name already ends with that pattern it is replaced, not doubled: design-20240101-120000.FCStd → design-20240315-093045.FCStd
  • Increment commands append -NN.FCStd, zero-padded to 2 digits. The folder is scanned for existing <basename>-NN.FCStd files and the highest number found is incremented, so repeated use never overwrites an earlier snapshot: design.FCStd with design-01/design-02 on disk → design-03.FCStd
  • Only counters directly following the basename count, so design-detail-01.FCStd does not affect design's numbering.
  • If the open file is itself an increment (design-03.FCStd), the basename is design.

Unsaved documents

A document that has never been saved has no name to derive from, so the Save commands fall back to the same file dialog the Save As commands use.

The chosen name is a base

In the Save As commands the name you pick in the dialog is the base, not the final filename — picking design.FCStd writes design-20240315-093045.FCStd. Nothing is written to the name you typed, which is why the dialog does not ask about overwriting it.

Installation

Manual

Add this repository to your Addon Custom Repositories

  1. In FreeCAD, go to Edit > Preferences > Addon Manager.
  2. Under Costom Repositories, click the green plus button to Add https://github.com/jefe317/SaveUtils/ with the branch main.
  3. Click Apply, close the Preferences window.
  4. In Tools > Addon Manager, you can now search for "SaveUtils" and install it via the Install button.
  5. Restart FreeCAD. The four items appear near the top of the File menu.

Via Addon Manager

If this repo is listed in a custom addon source, you can install it through Tools > Addon Manager > Search for SaveUtils > Install.

Requirements

  • FreeCAD 0.20 or later
  • PySide2 (bundled with FreeCAD)

License

GPL v3