reconfigured the Folder Templates for git so that the engagement specific template file doesnt cause Master branch sync issues

fccs_config.py

@@ -14,6 +14,24 @@ DEFAULT_CONFIG = "config.ini"
 TEMPLATE_CONFIG = "config.template.ini"
 
 
+def ensure_from_template(path, template):
+    """Create a per-machine working file from its git-tracked template.
+
+    If `path` doesn't exist but `template` does, copy template -> path and
+    announce it. Returns True if the file exists (or was just created).
+    Used for config.ini and fccs_folders.txt so local edits never drift the
+    repo — the working copies are git-ignored, only the templates are tracked.
+    """
+    if os.path.exists(path):
+        return True
+    if os.path.exists(template):
+        shutil.copyfile(template, path)
+        print(f"Created {os.path.basename(path)} from "
+              f"{os.path.basename(template)}. Edit it for this machine: {path}")
+        return True
+    return False
+
+
 def parse_args():
     """Parse the optional --config argument common to all scripts."""
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
@@ -41,12 +59,7 @@ def load_config(path=None):
         script_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0]))
         path = os.path.join(script_dir, DEFAULT_CONFIG)
         # Auto-create the per-machine config from the template on first run.
-        if not os.path.exists(path):
-            template = os.path.join(script_dir, TEMPLATE_CONFIG)
-            if os.path.exists(template):
-                shutil.copyfile(template, path)
-                print(f"Created {DEFAULT_CONFIG} from {TEMPLATE_CONFIG}. "
-                      f"Edit it for this machine's settings: {path}")
+        ensure_from_template(path, os.path.join(script_dir, TEMPLATE_CONFIG))
     if not os.path.exists(path):
         print(f"ERROR: config file not found: {path}")
         print(f"       Expected {DEFAULT_CONFIG} or a --config path "
@@ -71,9 +84,17 @@ def make_logger(log_file):
 
 
 def load_folder_list(path):
-    """Load known FCCS folder names from file, one per line."""
-    if not os.path.exists(path):
+    """Load known FCCS folder names from file, one per line.
+
+    Like config.ini, the folder list is split into a tracked template
+    (fccs_folders.template.txt) and a git-ignored per-engagement working copy
+    (fccs_folders.txt) — auto-created from the template on first use.
+    """
+    root, ext = os.path.splitext(path)
+    template = root + ".template" + ext
+    if not ensure_from_template(path, template):
         print(f"ERROR: folder list file not found: {path}")
+        print(f"       (no template found at {template} to create it from)")
         sys.exit(1)
     folders = []
     with open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f: