Making Backup Copies in PageSpinner
When designing or updating pages it can sometimes prove to be invaluable to have copies of older versions of a page to go back to. PageSpinner enables you to easily create multiple backup versions the HTML files in your site and lets you access the files in the backup archive using Finder.
PageSpinner's backup functions are available in the File : Backup menu in the menu bar:
Select Backup Folder...
The menu item Select Backup Folder... lets you select where to place the backup files. Use this command before you use any of the other Backup commands to to select the folder where to place your backup copies. This Backup folder will later contain sub-folders that contain all the backup files you make using the Backup commands described below.
Make Permanent Backup...
When you are about to perform major changes and modifications to a page, it can be a good idea to keep a backup copy of an old version of the page if something goes wrong.
The menu item Make Permanent Backup... in the Backup menu let you create such a copy inside your Backup folder. The Backup folder contains a specific folder for each page in your site which enables you to keep an almost unlimited number of older versions of the pages easy accessible on the disk/volume of your choice.
When you make a permanent backup you will be asked for a name of the backup copy. The dialog will by default use the filename followed by a dash (-). This enables you to add a short comment or the date after the filename. If you prefer you can delete the entire filename and enter any text you want as the name of the backup copy, since the copy will be placed inside a specific folder where only backup copies of this file will be stored.
If the file already exists, or you enter more than 31 characters in the name you will be prompted to use another name.
Make Temporary Backup
When you are editing a page you may want to store a backup copy before you try a new design where you for example must delete or modify large sections of a page. The command Make Temporary Backup enables you to quickly make a backup of the last saved version of a page.
The latest four temporary backup versions of a page are saved inside the backup folder, and when you make a new temporary copy the oldest version is automatically deleted. PageSpinner appends "~1" to "~4" to the filename when making a temporary backup, where the file "filename.html~1" is the most recent copy and the file named "filename.html~4" contains the oldest copy.
Open Last Temporary Backup
Use this command to quickly open the most recent temporary backup copy of the current HTML document. If a temporary backup copy of a PageSpinner HTML page exists, it will be opened in PageSpinner so you can view and copy the contents from the backup file.
Show Backup Files...
When you want to view and copy contents from all older backup copies, both temporary and permanent versions, you can use the Show Backup Files... command. When selecting this menu item, a dialog window will ask if you want to view backup files for either
- all files in the same folder as the frontmost HTML document, or
- the frontmost HTML document
When you choose to view backup copies of the Selected File, the backup folder that contains all backup copies of frontmost file will be displayed in Finder. This folder has the same name as the file and contains all the temporary and permanent backup copies of the file. By using Finder's list view you can view and sort the copies by the date last modified. Double click on an HTML file to open it in PageSpinner where you can view and copy either a section or all contents from the backup copy to the current file.
When you choose to view the Current folder, the backup folders that contain copies of the files in the same folder as the frontmost HTML document will be displayed in Finder.
OK, this sounds fine, but what are the limitations of the Backup Commands?
To use the Backup Commands you need to have AppleScript installed and enabled in your System. The commands for creating backup files will make a backup of the version of the file that is stored on disk. If the page is open in PageSpinner and changes in the document have not yet been stored on disk, the changes will not be saved in the backup copy. It is only possible to make temporary backup copies of files whose names are shorter than 30 characters, since filenames in Mac OS 9 are limited to 31 characters and PageSpinner appends "~1" ... "~4" to the name when making a temporary backup. It is not possible to create backup copies of files that are located inside a folder placed on Finder's desktop. The topmost Root folder must be located somewhere inside a disk.
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