I used to have this problem, but now I go with one of two solutions:
filename-$(date +%F) (or similar)
example: notes-2024-12-14.txt
can be expanded to include further time details if more than one iteration per day is released
filename-Mk#
example: product-design-MkII (Or Mk2 if you prefer)
pretty much infinitely expandable and you always know which is latest
admittedly I’m pretty sure most systems wouldn’t sort Roman numerals correctly, but I rarely have enough iterations of anything to worry about it
edit: Also, with either, you could pretty easily write a script that would symlink something like filename-latest to the newest one, but depending on how you’re generating the files in question, that might be less viable.
Because I formed these habits in the nineties and 00’s, well before git was a thing; and because nothing I write matters, other than possibly to my employers, in which case I do use (primarily) git … Or other version control. (Believe it or not, I’ve used subversion.)
Most of the documents to which I apply this are things like my resume and DNS server. No one but me will ever care.
Also, I like you both for asking this question and for how you put it.
![Files [Admiral Wonderboat]](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/646/155/351/268/686/original/51afce17454aa02b.png){kind=link}
hmmm is the most recent version of this file the one named “newest” or “new (actual)”?
Final Final Final(Real)
spends ten minutes figuring out which one’s the latest
has to save it again
“new (actual)(for real)”
I used to have this problem, but now I go with one of two solutions:
edit: Also, with either, you could pretty easily write a script that would symlink something like
filename-latestto the newest one, but depending on how you’re generating the files in question, that might be less viable.You know how to script and what a symlink is; why aren’t you using git or any other kind of version control instead?
Because I formed these habits in the nineties and 00’s, well before git was a thing; and because nothing I write matters, other than possibly to my employers, in which case I do use (primarily) git … Or other version control. (Believe it or not, I’ve used subversion.)
Most of the documents to which I apply this are things like my resume and DNS server. No one but me will ever care.
Also, I like you both for asking this question and for how you put it.