Automatic branching for versions and git

Question

I am writing my PhD thesis and as I am not the least chaotic guy I also add notes for future reference. Surely, this means it is not production grade, or how you would like to call it.

There is a nice package called versions which takes care of the versions. We also have the helpful answers in Using latexdiff with git to use git. My goal now is to have something similar to versions but that the content is removed when for example it is in between \advisorcannotsee and \allokay and this would be checked out in the advisorbranch. Preferably, only the main version should be compiled (or the one marked as to be compiled).

Would such a thing already exist, or are there better solutions for this problem?

Per request:

Example workflow:

1. I have a git repository working on the working directory of my thesis which includes all my remarks using \input or whatever.
2. I have several branches other than the main branch, say paper1 and advisor which contains the same as the main branch (which contains it all) but then pieces cut out.
3. I modify my document and I add things which are for my eyes only (main) and some which are for my advisor. I would like to use something like the versions package to mark parts which belong to where.
4. When done editing I commit my changes. As my modification has parts which belong to a different branch I would like to have that the version which is okay for the advisor gets "built" (pieces cut out) and commited to advisor and the whole thing to main.

Answer 1

To begin, a couple of definitions:

Revision: One particular state of the files in a project, positioned along one or more lines of history

Edition: One particular variation which has a purpose in being different from other variations

(Notice that I have avided using the word "version"; it's too ambiguous, and will only occur here, if at all, in talking about "version control systems".)

I believe, strongly, that using different Revisions (probably on different branches of a VCS) is not a good way to manage Editions. Personal, embarrassing experience suggests that when branches are created that are not meant ever to merge back together, changes on one branch can get forgotten, or included by mistake, when a change needs to be incorporated in multiple editions.

A far better method is to create a configurable master file, and to include it from a series of top-level files, one for each Edition that is required.

Here is an example with three Editions. It is a very simple exam paper which includes questions, answers, and notes, and uses Viktor Eijkhout's comment package and Hendrik Mittby's todonotes package. You may find other packages more useful for your particular case.

To keep it simple, I haven't used any exam- or Q&A-related packages, just Enrico Gregorio's kantlipsum to pad it out a bit. Please bear in mind that this isn't meant to be an example of "Great Typography", just an illustration of general principles for making polymorphic editions.

The three editions are:

1. The student edition: questions only
2. The examiner edition: questions and guidelines for answers
3. The supervisor edition: questions, guidelines for answers, and my notes to discuss the development of the exam with my supervisor.

The example consists of five TeX files:

Student.tex:

\documentclass[disable]{memoir} % [disable] is passed to todonotes
\input{preamble}
\excludecomment{answers}
\input{master}

Examiner.tex:

\documentclass[disable]{memoir}
\input{preamble}
\includecomment{answers}
\input{master}

Supervisor.tex:

\documentclass{memoir}
\input{preamble}
\includecomment{answers}
\input{master}

preamble.tex:

\usepackage{kantlipsum}
\usepackage{comment}
\usepackage{todonotes}
\newcommand{\mynote}[1]{\todo[inline]{#1}}

master.tex:

\begin{document}
\section{Philosophy}

Compare and contrast Aristotle's view with that of Kant, expressed in the following quotation:

\begin{quote}
\kant[2]
\end{quote}

\mynote{Should that be Aristotle, or would Plato be more demanding?}

\begin{answers}
\textbf{Answer Notes:}
bear this in mind: \kant[2]
\end{answers} 
\listoftodos
\end{document}