[GNC] How to save Gnucash and Lock file issues
David Cousens
davidcousens at bigpond.com
Tue Dec 4 02:38:51 EST 2018
Lorrie,The backup file with the datestamp should only be created when you first open the file in GnuCash. Gnucash opens
the file and then copies and renames it with the .<datetimestamp> attached e.g
finances.gnucash.<datetimestamp>.gnucash and then writes any changes to the file with the original filename e.g
finances.gnucash file
After that any saves/autosaves are also made to finances .gnucash.
As you perform actions in GnuCash, they are written to the log file, so the log file is a record of all actions in a
session.
If your mainfile becomes corrupted, there is a facility in GnuCash for opening the last successful backup file and
importing the logfiles created since it was written to restore your mainfile to the point just before failure. You may
have to edit the file and remove the last transaction if it happened to be the cause of the failure.
David Cousens
On Mon, 2018-12-03 at 20:46 -0800, Lorrie Laskey wrote:
> Hi David,
>
> I think I found it. The autosave time interval is set to 5 mins.
>
> I tested it. I made a change. Wait 5 mins and it mostly works. A log file was created at 5 mins and the
> finance.gnucash file was updated at 5 mins. However, the finance.gnucash file did not append the date,time,min and sec
> to the file name. Does this mean that something is wrong?
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 3, 2018 at 8:19 PM David Carlson <david.carlson.417 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Lorrie,
> > I am away from my computer right now so I cannot confirm the exact wording, but it s something like how often to
> > make backups. I dont remember the default. It may be only 5 minutes, I have it set to 30 minutes but I religiously
> > do manual saves before certain activities such as imports.
> >
> > My tablet is messing with me, excuse the sloppy writing.
> >
> > David C
> > On Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 9:34 PM Lorrie Laskey <lrlaskey at gmail.com wrote:
> > > Hi David,
> > >
> > > Here are my responses.
> > > Retain log file set to 15 days.No * before the filename in the title bar.What is this "the amount of time set in
> > > that preference section has passed." that you are referring to? I am not finding this in the preferences section.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > David C
> > >
> > > > On Mon, Dec 3, 2018 at 8:17 PM Lorrie Laskey <lrlaskey at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > Hi David,
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Here's what I did.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > - I did a "save as" and renamed the file to "finances.gnucash" then
> > > > >
> > > > > closed the file.
> > > > >
> > > > > - Reopened Gnucash which opened the very same file.
> > > > >
> > > > > - Made a change and saved it which created a log file.
> > > > >
> > > > > - Closed the same file and repeated these steps.
> > > > >
> > > > > - No backup file was created . Only the original "finances.gnucash" file
> > > > >
> > > > > remained.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Is something wrong?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Sun, Dec 2, 2018 at 6:32 PM David Cousens <davidcousens at bigpond.com>
> > > > >
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > Lorrie,
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > At some point instead of opening the main file "finances.gnucash" it would
> > > > >
> > > > > > appear you have opened a backup copy of the
> > > > >
> > > > > > file, which is why it has the form "finances.gnucash.20181202.gnucash".
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > Each time Gnucash is opened, it copies the file "<filename>.gnucash it"
> > > > >
> > > > > > has just opened and renames it
> > > > >
> > > > > > "<filename>.gnucash.<date-time stamp>.gnucash" . It also creates a logfile
> > > > >
> > > > > > "<filename>.gnucash.<date-time stamp>.log"
> > > > >
> > > > > > which records the changes to the file which occur during the current
> > > > >
> > > > > > session.
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > When you exit or when you make changes or use the Save button in GnuCash
> > > > >
> > > > > > any changes are saved to "<filename>.gnucash"
> > > > >
> > > > > > In your case <filename>="finances.gnucash.20181202" instead of
> > > > >
> > > > > > "finances.gnucash".
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > You can restore this to the normal situation simply by renaming the file
> > > > >
> > > > > > you are currently using as the main
> > > > >
> > > > > > file, "finances.gnucash.20181202.gnucash", as "finances.gnucash".
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > See https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v3/C/gnucash-guide/basics-backup1.html
> > > > >
> > > > > > for a detailed explanation of this.
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > David Cousens
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > On Sun, 2018-12-02 at 10:14 -0800, Lorrie Laskey wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > > Hi Colin,
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > I understand. Since I don't really need to know the minute and seconds
> > > > >
> > > > > > when
> > > > >
> > > > > > > a file is saved at this time, I will leave the file name as it is.
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > My next topic, for another email, is how to set up a budget. I have tried
> > > > >
> > > > > > > and watched videos and read documentation but never quite get it to work
> > > > >
> > > > > > or
> > > > >
> > > > > > > understand what it is doing.
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > Thanks for your help this morning.
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > On Sun, Dec 2, 2018 at 10:10 AM Colin Law <clanlaw at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > On Sun, 2 Dec 2018 at 18:01, Lorrie Laskey <lrlaskey at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Hi Colin,
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > The "save" option did get focus once I made a change and saved the
> > > > >
> > > > > > file.
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > However, the file name doesn't look right. See below. It is using the
> > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > name that I created when I used "save as" though I used "save" but the
> > > > >
> > > > > > log
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > file name looks right. What is happening? Is this a problem?
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > finances.gnucash.20181202.gnucash
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > > finances.gnucash.20181202.gnucash.20181202095503
> > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > If you used Save As to save to that file, then that file becomes the
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > current file in use so when you later use Save it will save back to
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > that file again (and that is the file that will be re-opened
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > automatically when you open Gnucash). Again this is exactly the same
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > as will happen with MS Word for example. Save As means "save the file
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > with this new name and then keep using the new name". If you want to
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > give it a different name then use Save As just once to save it with
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > the name you want and thereafter Save will save back to that file.
> > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > Colin
> > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > >
> > > > > > > gnucash-user mailing list
> > > > >
> > > > > > > gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> > > > >
> > > > > > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> > > > >
> > > > > > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> > > > >
> > > > > > > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> > > > >
> > > > > > https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> > > > >
> > > > > > > -----
> > > > >
> > > > > > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> > > > >
> > > > > > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > >
> > > > > gnucash-user mailing list
> > > > >
> > > > > gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> > > > >
> > > > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> > > > >
> > > > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> > > > >
> > > > > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> > > > >
> > > > > -----
> > > > >
> > > > > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> > > > >
> > > > > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> > > > >
More information about the gnucash-user
mailing list