version backups

users
#1

Running LO3.5.4.2 in Debian Wheezy. Called up an existing doc in calc,
made some changes, saved and quit. Next time I called it up it was
blank. The problem is that I accidentally hit save. Looked for the backup
file path ~/.config/libreoffice/3/user. According to the help file there
should be a "backup" directory/file which I don't see. I need to know if
LO backs up more than the latest version and where it is stored

#2

Running LO3.5.4.2 in Debian Wheezy. Called up an existing doc in calc, made some changes, saved and quit. Next time I called it up it was blank. The problem is that I accidentally hit save.

I'm not sure how Save alone could achieve this, but no matter.

Looked for the backup file path ~/.config/libreoffice/3/user. According to the help file there should be a "backup" directory/file which I don't see.

The actual backup directory is indicated at Tools | Options... | LibreOffice | Paths | Backups. But note that backups will not be kept automatically unless there is a tick at Tools | Options... | Load/Save | General | Save | Always create backup copy.

I need to know if LO backs up more than the latest version ...

I hope not.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#3

Hi :slight_smile:
If the file is still open then
Ctrl z
is undo and that might recover it.

Have you emailed a fairly recent copy to someone, or to yourself? Any
copies on usb-stick, Cd, Dvd? Is it on a company file-server and do they
have a recent back-up? Is there any chance that someone saved a recent
version on a different drive or added a version number to it?
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#4

>Running LO3.5.4.2 in Debian Wheezy. Called up an existing doc in
>calc, made some changes, saved and quit. Next time I called it up
>it was blank. The problem is that I accidentally hit save.

I'm not sure how Save alone could achieve this, but no matter.

Save didn't lose the data for me. The loss isn't the only problem. After
the data was gone and only a blank s'sheet remained, I inadvertently hit
Save. Of course now I have a blank spreadsheet.

>Looked for the backup file path ~/.config/libreoffice/3/user.
>According to the help file there should be a "backup"
>directory/file which I don't see.

The actual backup directory is indicated at Tools | Options... |
LibreOffice | Paths | Backups. But note that backups will not be
kept automatically unless there is a tick at Tools | Options... |
Load/Save | General | Save | Always create backup copy.

Never did this as I seldom use LO. Looks like I' pretty well screwed and
will have to recreate the spreadsheet from scratch.

>I need to know if LO backs up more than the latest version ...

I hope not.

Not sure why you hope not aside from the danger of creating a monster
backup directory/file.

I trust this helps.

Unfortunately, yes.

Thanks.

#5

Looks like I'm pretty well screwed and will have to recreate the spreadsheet from scratch.

Sadly so. There is no substitute for proper, recent, reliable, independent back-ups of your own. (I'm not preaching: we all make this mistake. Well, I do.)

[On LibreOffice not keeping multiple automatic back-ups] Not sure why you hope not aside from the danger of creating a monster backup directory/file.

Exactly that.

Brian Barker

#6

Here's another thought, for future reference. You might want to consider using File | Versions... to save different versions of the same document in the one file. Details are at the end of Chapter 11 of the Calc Guide. With the slip you describe, you would probably have deleted the current version but would still have access to any previous ones.

Note that the document file will become potentially much larger as it contains multiple copies of the same document.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#7

If the "automatic backup every x mins" option is not ticked, you will,
at best, only be able to find a lock file of your document, in which you
might possibly find some of your data, but as you have saved, this won't
help you, unfortunately.

Alex

#8

Hi :slight_smile:
yeh, it is gutting when something like this happens. It's amazing how
often it's the 1 and only file that isn't backed-up somewhere!
Commiserations from
Tom :slight_smile: