Help! Lost files

[Anita Graves]

I am so grateful to you for your reply and the things you have told me in this latest message.

However, I want you to know that by some miracle, I have found a file that opens with my data intact!

I don’t know how that happened, but I am very happy right now and I am writing note to myself to remember the exact file name and will not change it again.

Thanks, Maf. for your wonderful help,
Anita

> The important thing is not to stop questioning.
>   - Albert Einstein

> On 3 Apr 2017, at 12:30 PM, Maf. King <maf at chilwell.net> wrote:
> 
> On Monday, 3 April 2017 11:16:48 BST Anita Graves wrote:
>> God bless you for your quick reply.
>> 
>> I had all my data for the fiscal year in one file and I renamed the Gnucash
>> data file, but don’t remember in which location I saved it.
>> 
>> I searched every file to see if it would open but nothing will.
>> 
>> After I renamed my main data file, I moved all the files from one folder
>> into another, but still, I cannot find the file with my data that will
>> open.
>> 
>> I use a MAC.  I tried the file>open, but as you say Mac opens the previously
>> open file, and said it could not find the background material or could not
>> locate the file.
>> 
>> I have 3 main data files, and only one of them will open for me, but not the
>> one I lost.
>> 
>> What can I do?  One thing that sometimes saves my skin is that I backup to
>> external hard drives.  I had one connected yesterday when I did the work on
>> the data.  That’s all I remember.  but this morning I renamed the file and
>> now can’t find my lost data.
>> 
>> Apparently there is no safe way to rename a file or a folder or anything;
>> Gnucash remembers only the exact file name and its location?
>> 
>> Anita
>> 
> 
> Hi Anita,
> 
> Please remember to copy your replies to the list - "Reply All" may exist in 
> your email software to do this for you.
> 
> I know next to nothing about the MAC & OSX, so hopefully someone who knows 
> more can jump in.
> 
> You need to be able to find the file & location that you moved it to - there may 
> be some search function in the MAC file manager (Finder?) to help you - maybe 
> be a bit cunning and search for changes made today (as you say you renamed the 
> file today).  I assume the files on the MAC are stored with a suffix (.gnucash), 
> so finding those may help.  Maybe look for the .log files; they should be in the 
> same folder as your main data file.  As you say, if you have a backup on an 
> external drive, your skin may well be saved.  Perhaps you inadvertently moved 
> the files to the backup rather than copy it?
> 
> It is perfectly possible to move & rename GC files - but if you do this outside 
> of GC, then *you* have to remember where you put them - GC can't possibly know 
> what you do while it isn't looking!  
> 
> BUT,  If you do a File -> Save As from within GC, then it will know & put the 
> files in the "recently used" section of the File menu - which as you say, is 
> the *Exact* path and filename. 
> 
> HTH,
> Maf.
>