UR Backup/Export Questions

[J-Mac]

This is a little confusing. So many applications have a backup feature built-in nowadays that I was a bit surprised to find that UR does not.

The UR Help file doesn't really say much about backing up other than to say how easy it is: just export the database or a part of it and then back up the file as part of your regular backup strategy, whatever that might be.

Now that concept is not a problem for me as I use a number of redundant backup methods. It is the Export part that is a little tough here!

Clicking File>Export... is easy enough. It is what comes next that gets a little hairy! Five separate output options are offered:

• Documents and item rich text to a folder
  
• Item attributes to a delimited (CSV) text file
  
• Items to an XML (OML) file
  
• Text items to a rich text (RTF) document
  
• Text notes to a rich text document

It appears that the only way to export the entire database is to use the XML option (which is apparently truly OPML, but called OPM here. At least I think...).

I created a folder to collect my UR exports/backups. Then I decided to try each of the available outputs just to see what was actually in each of them. The first (Docs and rich text items) went OK - however I must have had one item selected so that's all that was exported. I had hoped that all text items was the default, but it is only selected items.

Next I tried the whole database using the XML/OPML/OPM/ABC/XYZ etc., etc. output. Won't go! I get to the last step and click on "Finish" and immediately get an error dialog saying "Error exporting item(s): Failed to create 'E:\Ultra Recall Backups': Access is denied."

Huh? The rich text export has no problem going there - no access problems there. Checked permissions; all is fine. Perhaps this actually means that UR wants a separate folder for each exported item? Or for each output type? Access does not appear to being denied by Windows permissions. Is UR itself preventing this? Hopefully someone knows.

Next I wondered whether UR created its own folder when exporting to XML. You never know, so I read theough the Help file again and succeeded only in becoming more confused than before I opened it up. The section named Export Wizard>Select Destination doesn't explain selecting the destination as much as explaining the output types again, even though the previous section covered output types. The lines on the XML/OML export reads as follows:

· Info Items to OML (XML)

In this mode, a single OML (XML) file is created containing the attributes specified is created and optionally additional files are created for rich text, notes, stored documents and icons in appropriately named subfolders (and referenced by the OML file).

For some reason that explanation didn't quite help me understand anything about the destination of the XML/OML export. Actually confused me a bit.

Next I read the section in Using Ultra Recall>Exporting. The following is about the XML/OML export specifically:

Steps to export all Ultra Recall data to XML (OML):

· Start the Export Wizard

· Select "Items to an XML (OML) file" as the Output Type

· Leave all attributes/data selected (or click Check All to reselect them all) on the Select Attributes page

· Enter or browse to a filename and location to export to

· Click the Finish button

That next-to-last line seems to be the key to that cryptic error message:

"Enter or browse to a filename and location to export to"

This means that I am required to enter a path and name for the exported file. I'm accustomed in Windows to navigating to a folder where I would like the exported file to go, entering the desired filename in a box at the bottom of the next dialog pane, and usually then clicking the Save button.

Here UR uses a different protocol. Not a problem, except it was a lot harder to figure it out from the dialogs along the way, and also from the Help file. I realize that I may be a little dense at times, but that could be explained so much easier and more clearly than it is.

And I think I am seeing that is not quite as difficult to use as I had initially thought. It is just not very easy to learn its various idiosyncrasies.

Once I do learn how to use UR much more efficiently and effectively than I do now in my first week with it, I hope to put together a few tutorials - nothing that experienced users would probably find interesting, but something to give the beginning user more of a "quick start" with Ultra Recall. I also hope that others will do similar tutes and that Kinook will let us place them somewhere useful.

Thanks!

Jim

[kinook]

You don't need (or probably want to) export a database in order to back it up. I do see that 'backup export' is one of the keywords for the XML export topic, which we'll remove.

'backup' in the help index and search leads to:
http://www.kinook.com/UR/Manual/backupandrestore.htm
http://www.kinook.com/UR/Manual/infodatabase.htm

As long as you create/save your .urd files in a location with your other documents and files (typically the Windows "My Documents" folder, which I hope you're already backing up regularly), they will get backed up too.

There are lots of good backup programs available (online backup is a good choice these days, rather than writing to tape or DVD and physically storing off site) which do far more than we ever could with something specific to UR. And saving multiple versions ala Quicken would be problematic for some users, since URD files can grow quite large and take time to copy.


Yes, the XML export option does require a filename. I apologize if that was not clear. We'll consider defaulting to some filename (i.e., export.xml) if not provided in the 'File to export' field.


Feel free to contribute tips, samples, and/or tutorials at http://www.kinook.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=28. We will also be adding some of these to http://www.kinook.com/UltraRecall/demos.html based on quant's suggestion in http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthre...?threadid=3673.

[quant]

J-Mac,

it might be a good idea if you use the same soft Kinook used to produce those online flash demos:
http://debugmode.com/wink/

It's free, easy to use (easier than UR ;-) ) and it would look more professional/presentable if those tutorials from different users have the same look/feel once they are put together on some web.

[quant]

Kinook,

I think it was already suggested, maybe you could run a small competition for the best tutorial created by users. It could be called:

How do I ... in Ultra Recall?

Same basic rules:
- use wink
- competition ends by end of July or August
- the prize could be say free upgrade
- at the end poll thread will be created where users choose the one they like the most, and maybe you could choose one as well.

You might get several good tutorials out of this, and I suppose very cheaply. Almost a win-win strategy from your side ;-)

[ashwken]

Originally posted by quant
it might be a good idea if you use the same soft Kinook used to produce those online flash demos:
http://debugmode.com/wink/

It's free, easy to use (easier than UR ;-) ) and it would look more professional/presentable if those tutorials from different users have the same look/feel once they are put together on some web.

Yes, consistency of presentation would be a good thing and I would be interested in Kinook setting some standard for contributions - if were looking at user presentations being put up on the UR website.

Some of my concerns with the demos is that they appear to be done with screens from an 800x600 display and when viewed on the same size monitor they do not fit well in the browser - I wonder how many users are still running 800x600, I am at both work and home and probably won't switch to flat panel until these fail.

Although these demos are good for showing the flow of a procedure it's still nice to have a hardcopy that you can actually work from. I do see where Wink will output to pdf...

Also, how do I save these demos to my local system for off-line viewing?

Anyway, this is an interesting proposal and I'm a firm believer in users-helping-users (from my User Group days).

[quant]

Originally posted by ashwken
Also, how do I save these demos to my local system for off-line viewing?

I do it this way: in firefox, I use two add-ons:
flashblock - allows one to copy the flash location (link)
get a file - allows one to download a file

[ashwken]

Originally posted by quant
I do it this way: in firefox, I use two add-ons:

Thanks, I'm running IE - doesn't have the same functionality, or I'm missing something.

I wonder if a download link needs to be available on the Demos Page?

[kinook]

The problem with that is the Adobe Flash Player doesn't create a file assocation for viewing when double-clicking a downloaded .swf file.

The actual demo files are at the same URL as the demo page, replacing .htm with .swf (i.e., http://www.kinook.com/UltraRecall/demos/Intro.swf, etc.). To view offline, you could download the .htm and .swf files, save in the same folder, then open the .htm file in a browser.

Another option would be to import the demo pages (stored) into UR.

[ashwken]

OK, sounds good.

[J-Mac]

Thank you all.

@kinook: Yes, I agree that the "backup export" section should probably have the reference to "backup" removed. It did lead me to think that was the method Kinook was suggesting for backup purposes.

As for a backup application, I mentioned in my post that I do have a number of redundant backup methods in my personal backup strategy. Even a little overboard, some claim:

• BackUp4All Pro as my "normal" backup.
  
• Super Flexible File Synchronizer for syncing files and folders to external drives and via FTP to an online server I maintain.
  
• Acronis True Image Home 11 for regular images of my C: drive, and less frequent images of two other 500 GB internal SATA drives. (Lost faith, though, with this version - very bug-laden compared to previous versions)
  
• Mozy Online backup - I just canceled this service a week ago. Used it for over a year and then they sent out an automatic update to a new version. Couldn't connect reliably to their servers anymore, and when they had me install other "test" versions to try and fix it, they somehow "lost" my 60+ GB backup files on their server!
  
• I also use FirstDefense - Rescue for copying my entire operating system and config and keeping it in a "safe" partition. I can boot to that copy at will for crash recovery and/or sandbox-type software testing.

Whew! Sounds like a lot, but recently two of my backup methods failed catastrophically, and the others saved me.

Anyway, I am sure my URDs will be safely backed up one way or another!

@Quant:

I'll take a look at Wink, though I do use another usually.

@ashwken:

I have the Firefox extension DownLoadHelper installed on Firefox 3 and that has an animated icon just to the right of the URL address bar (or the "Awesome Bar", as it is called in FF3! - Neat feature.), and you can click on that for a drop-down menu from which you can download ANY media files on the particular web page you happen to be on. It also lets you download all media files at once - they are downloaded as a folder. Pretty nice, very convenient).

If I want to target specific items to download, however, I also have most of Applian's programs: Replay A/V, Replay Converter, etc. I can pretty much download any A/V file from anywhere online, then convert it to any other format I wish. It can also record any and all sounds coming through the sound card on the computer.

Thanks all!

Jim