🧬 Synapse

Synapse is a lightweight version control system (VCS) written in C++17, based on Git architecture and working principles. It is specifically designed to meet the large data and workflow needs of game developers and Unreal Engine / Unity projects.

The open-source core (Stable Core v1.0.0) contains all the fundamental features required to function as an independent version control system.

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✨ Features (v1.0.0 Stable Core)

• 📁 Smart Repository Initialization (init): Sets up the .synapse database directory and creates specialized .synapseignore templates tailored for game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity, C++).
• 👤 Custom Identity Configuration (config): Configures the author identity displayed in commit history. If not configured, it dynamically resolves the operating system's local username.
• 🔍 Advanced Status Analysis (status): Compares staging and disk changes to display added, modified, and deleted files in a color-coded terminal format.
• 💾 Zlib-Compressed Object Store: Hashes file contents using SHA-1 and compresses them using Zlib, safely storing them inside .synapse/objects.
• 🚀 Relational History Management (commit & log): Creates commit and tree objects to maintain the repository timeline. The log command prints commit details with short and long hashes.
• ⏳ Stable Version Checkout (checkout): Time travels to any version by clearing untracked files, restoring versioned files, and updating the staging index and branch references.

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🛠️ Build Instructions

To build Synapse, you need a C++17 compatible compiler and CMake (min. 3.10).

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your_username/Synapse.git
cd Synapse

# 2. Create build directory
mkdir build
cd build

# 3. Configure and build the project
cmake ..
cmake --build . --config Release

Once the build is complete, the executable synapse binary will be ready.

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🚀 Quick Start & Usage Guide

1. Initialize a New Repository

Go to your project directory and initialize the repository with an Unreal Engine ignore template:

synapse init ue

2. Configure Your Username

Set your name for commit records (if left unconfigured, your OS username will be used automatically):

synapse config "Your Name"

3. Stage Files

Add your changes to the staging area:

synapse add .

4. Check Status

See which files are modified, deleted, or untracked:

synapse status

5. Commit Changes

Save your staged files as a version:

synapse commit -m "Initial commit: Set up Unreal project"

6. View History

List all commits in the repository:

synapse log

7. Checkout a Commit

Restore the project state using a short or long commit hash:

synapse checkout 84347c5

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📅 Roadmap & Future Plans

Our roadmap to transition Synapse from a lightweight Git clone into a next-generation version control ecosystem tailored for game studios:

🚀 PHASE 1: Core Engine & Stability Updates

• 📦 Large File Storage (Synapse LFS): Avoid compressing large binaries (FBX, WAV, TGA, UASSET, etc.) and save them directly in .synapse/large_media/, storing only SHA-1 pointer files in the object store.
• 🔒 In-Editor File Locking: Create a central .synapse/locks.json database and add synapse lock <path> and synapse unlock <path> commands to prevent multi-user edit conflicts (exclusive checkouts).
• 🌿 Branch Management: Introduce branch creation (synapse branch <name>) and logic to switch branches safely under .synapse/refs/heads/.
• 🏢 Multi-Project Workspace Support: Enable a single Synapse client or UI to track and manage multiple independent repositories simultaneously.

🎨 PHASE 2: User Experience & Desktop GUI

• ⚙️ Dynamic Link Library (DLL): Build the Synapse::Engine core as a shared library (.dll / .so) for third-party integrations.
• 💻 Desktop Application (GUI): Create a lightweight, high-performance desktop interface (e.g., Qt, wxWidgets, or Dear ImGui) for artists and designers to visualize changes, stage, and commit with one click.
• 🏷️ Semantic Commits: Introduce templates like bug-fix, feature, refactor, and asset-add in both CLI and GUI with smart filtering in logs.

🎮 PHASE 3: Deep Unreal Engine Integration

• 🔌 In-Editor Source Control Plugin: Develop a C++ source control provider plugin for Unreal Engine, triggering DLL actions directly from the Editor UI.
• 📊 Visual Blueprint Diff: A tool to analyze binary .uasset (Blueprint) files and visually/textually summarize node and variable changes between versions.
• 🛡️ Automatic Redirector Fixer: Run the Unreal FixUpRedirectors commandlet automatically before staging to prevent broken asset references.
• 🧹 Workspace Optimization (synapse clean): A cleanup tool to wipe transient folders (Intermediate, Saved, DerivedDataCache).

💎 PHASE 4: Studio Pipeline & Collaboration (Vision)

• 🗺️ Actor-Level Locking: Leverage World Partitioning to lock specific actors in a level rather than locking the entire .umap file.
• 📐 Asset Pre-Commit Validator: Check mesh polycounts and texture sizes against studio guidelines before allowing a commit.
• 🛠️ C++ Project Wizard: Re-generate Visual Studio solutions (.sln) automatically using UnrealVersionSelector after checking out C++ changes.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.