Retain all info + reconstruct main file

[mislavkos]

Hi Malte,

I'm using git issues not to report an issue but as a way of asking you a question. I hope that's ok.

I'd love to see the fm-xml-export-exploder library support splitting (exploding) a full saxml file in a lossless way such that the process could be reversed, i.e. it would be possible to reconstruct the original file from the split out files.

My reason for wanting this: I find it useful to have access to both the individual files and the main file. The smaller files are useful to hone in on areas where changes occurred. The big, main file can be used with other tools, both ones that exist currently (e.g. FMComparison) and others that the community might build down the road as SaXML matures and gains wider adoption. I've been storing both the smaller files and the main file in git, but I'm finding that this approach will push the repo past its size limit. So I'd like to be able to store just the individual files and then have the ability to reconstruct the main file if/when needed.

I think two changes would be necessary:

1. Retain all info when splitting up the file. Currently some info is lost (see below).
2. Add ability to combine the split out files into a single file.

Some examples of information that is lost:

• BaseDirectoryCatalog
• FileAccessCatalog
• CustomFunctions xml
• BaseTableCatalog - missing some values like mod count, and (if created via an addon) SourceUUID and OwnerID

Would PRs that advance the library down this path be of interest to you?

[bc-m]

Thank you for reaching out! Your idea sounds interesting and aligns with the library’s goals.

Feel free to create PRs to split files while retaining all data and as a next step to glue them back together. I am excited to see where it goes. 🚀