Datestamped Backup Files

[Richard_M]

Wanted to suggest making datestamped backup files as a check box in preferences - this would be handy for those of us that work on similar pages on different days. For example:

test.txt (that I worked on for 4 days in arow)

would be saved in the directory specified in the preferences as:

test-20050909.txt
test-20050910.txt
test-20050911.txt
test-20050912.txt

Thanks for a great product!!!

Richard

[SteveH]

would be saved in the directory specified in the preferences as:

test-20050909.txt
test-20050910.txt
test-20050911.txt
test-20050912.txt

I like this idea as it is much stronger than the standard mechanism for creating backup files. The problem is that each time you create a backup file the date string would also have to include time data so as to be unique. I reckon few people working on a file will only save it once in a day.

I would much prefer that backup files ceased to be txt files though and used a naming convention that puts the backup data at the end of the name. Windows is stupid enough to fall for this trick.

test.txt.20050909
test.txt.20050910
test.txt.20050911
test.txt.20050912

That way I am not plagued by lost of txt files if I run a search or have a file open dialog filtered to *.txt.

[Richard_M]

I can see the value in that.

How about a request to change around the preference screen to look similar to this?

[SteveH]

Looks like you put a bit of work into that one. I reckon you must have a lot of settings in that folder you have there

I was thinking some more about the date/time issue and reckon that could soon get unwieldy with files called test.txt.1125491843 or similar.

(This string is a scheme that was used on one of my projects to archive results *.arc and represents the number of seconds elapsed since January 1st 1970.)

It would be even more powerful if backup files could be archived into a compresed archive where it's the file attributes that defined the date/time info. I know Zip doesn't support this but boring old tar does. Maybe this is getting too geeky though.

[talleyrand]

boring old tar does. Maybe this is getting too geeky though.

*nix hippie

[Richard_M]

Yes, it *could* get unweildy - my job tends to be working on multiple web pages a day; and the 'date' stamp would suffice fo me (one week later when they ask for the changes to be reversed) but, as you have suggested the time stamp ould be useful fo others. For others the previous backup options may suffice, but hey, we are in the "Enhancement Suggestions" section of the board ...

Unfortunately I work under Windows for the majority of the time - is there a *nix version of TextPad out there? I'd love to compile it under Mac OSX as the closest application on that platform is BBedit, but swapping between two text editing programs is a bit of a pain .... !

[SteveH]

Unfortunately I work under Windows for the majority of the time - is there a *nix version of TextPad out there? I'd love to compile it under Mac OSX as the closest application on that platform is BBedit, but swapping between two text editing programs is a bit of a pain .... !

I tried to find a TextPad for Mac when I first switched over for my own use (at work it's Win2000). There is really nothing comparable to TextPad under OS X and BBEdit is probably overkill for the majority of users. The document pane (drawer?) that was added for version 8 does make it more like TextPad as there is now no need to open a gazillion separate windows.

In a previous thread I posted a summary of the various Mac editors I have tried and that may be of interest.

[Richard_M]

Perhaps "TextPad for Mac" can be the next suggestion