backup

[john harding]

I'm having difficulty understanding saving and backing up in Actinic. It appears to me that "apply changes" has the effect of saving, since those changes are reflected next time I open the program, whether or not I make a snapshot. There does not appear to be an option to work for a while then exit the program without saving all those changes. Am I right so far?

'Exit without Backup' seems to mean what it says, but if the alternative to it is 'Site Snapshot', which does not seem capable of backing up, since it doesn't offer me a destination, but in effect saves the data in the original file. So if I elect to make a Site Snapshot, I have still exited without a backup. Am I right about that, or is there in fact a way to use the exit procedure to back up on to an external drive?

[leehack]

Have a read of this - http://www.websitedesigned.co.uk/Act...-snapshots.htm. Backups and snapshots are protecting you from losing your data forever, if you click apply while working in actinic, it should apply those changes. However a snapshot taken before that press of apply, would not reflect the changes.

[Duncan Rounding]

Actinic uses a Microsoft Access database and has no change buffer that is only applied if saved - once you decide to apply or change to another view the fields are updated with the new data.

A snapshot is a way of backing up all the site information including the database, images etc. and you should make one of these regulalry in case you want to revert back for some reason. A backup of teh database is just that and does not contain the images etc.

Snapshots are the most important make them frequently, you can't have too many. You can copy these snapshots to an externbal drive for security.

[Donna Kempster]

since it doesn't offer me a destination,

You can use the browse facility during the process to save where you want. I always sav ours to external drives so I can take off site.

D

[malbro]

..'Site Snapshot', which does not seem capable of backing up, since it doesn't offer me a destination,

Part of the snapshot procedure allows you to change the filename, folder and drive of the snapshot, which is a backup of the complete design at that point. I have learned to my cost not to make changes without a snapshot to go back to.

[john harding]

Sounds wise. It was just the use of the word 'Backup' that was confusing me. I've never thought of 'Save As' in the original folder (or even on the original computer) as a backup.

[jont]

v9 has improved this slightly by appending the site name with the date automatically to the .ACD file so overwriting an old file is much harder.

[Duncan Rounding]

And they will hopefully add the time also in a later release...