"Always create backup copy" should be on by default!!!!

[guedesbrawl]

It's so heartbreaking to discover that this program had the option to backup my files but it was off by default, therefore being USELESS when it was needed!



(might have gotten the option's name wrong, since i'm translating from portuguese... but you get the idea)

[RusselB]

Personally I agree with you, but. as of the latest release, the developers felt that it should not be on as a default.
There is an Issue post in Bugzilla for this at https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=104879

[guedesbrawl]

At least they should warn you that such an option exists right as you first boot the program.

[lgusaas]

At least they should warn you that such an option exists right as you first boot the program.

When I get a new program I go through all the user preferences to see what options are available and to set up the program the way I want it to work.

Oh, I regularly backup my computer so I don't have to rely on a program's auto backup settings.

[Zizi64]

The auto backup function will create only one backup file for one filename (for one document). And then that one backup file will be refreshed at every automatic saving. The errors will be cumulated at every save into that one file .


Nothing can replace the manual back-up.
You can use a macro for the manual backup: it will create a backup file and will rename (by inserting a time-stamp into the filename) every newly saved backup file.

Code: Select all

Sub SaveAndTimeStampBackup()

    Dim sDocURL as string, sBackupURL as string, sTimeStamp as string
    Dim oDoc as object

       If (Not GlobalScope.BasicLibraries.isLibraryLoaded("Tools")) Then
          GlobalScope.BasicLibraries.LoadLibrary("Tools")
       End If
       sTimeStamp = "_" & Format(Year(Now), "0000") & Format(Month(Now), "00") & Format(Day(Now), "00") & "_" & _
                           Format(Hour(Now), "00") & Format(Minute(Now), "00") & Format(Second(Now), "00")
       oDoc = Thiscomponent   
       If oDoc.hasLocation() then
          sDocURL = oDoc.getURL()

          sBackupURL = CreateUnoService("com.sun.star.util.PathSettings").Backup & "/" & _
          GetFileNameWithoutExtension(sDocURL, "/") & _
          sTimeStamp() & "." & _
          GetFileNameExtension(sDocURL, "/")   
       
          oDoc.store() ' Save
          oDoc.storeToURL(sBackupURL, array())  ' Backup
       Else
          MsgBox("This document have not URL. Can not be archived." & Chr(10) & "Use the normal 'save' procedure.",16,"Warning:")
       End if
End sub

You can assign this macro to a menu item, or to a toolbar icon, or to a shortcut key, and you can launch it manually.

[Villeroy]

This is the year 2015 and 90% of all WIndows users know nothing about file management. If you never save your work to disk placing your bet on some magic restore feature of the application you are currently working with, then you better stop using desktop applications and hand over all your work to some cloud service.

[Alex1]

The auto backup function will create only one backup file for one filename (for one document). And then that one backup file will be refreshed at every automatic saving. The errors will be cumulated at every save into that one file .

At least it helps when the latest version contains only zeros, which seems to happen sometimes.

[Villeroy]

Even if this office suite is the one and only program you ever use store your precious data to your own disk, a real backup plan is vital for every computer user. A backup program stores all your data (not only OpenOffice files) to a separate backup medium, preferably to a medium not built into your computer. The alternative to your own backup strategy is cloud computing where somebody else manages your files in professional ways.
The "Backup" facility in OpenOffice is nothing but crash recovery.