[GNC] Backup recovery

[Maf. King]

On Monday, 11 February 2019 10:35:30 GMT you wrote:
> OK, thanks. So, it is 'normal' to be using it?
> 

No, you risk data loss at the point of opening the backup.

let me clarify.

Your data file is called (for example) "mybooks.gnucash" All timestamps are 
made up (but plausible)

you enter a transaction and save and quit.  GC renames the old 
"mybooks.gnucash" to "mybooks.gnucsh.201901022345.gnucash" and saves the 
changes into a new file on disk called "mybooks.gnucash"

you later open the backup (by mistake) and enter another transaction, save and 
quit again.  GC creates the backup mybooks.gnucash.201901022345.gnucash.
201901081256.gnucash

GC now has 3 files in the folder:

mybooks.gnucash    <-- has the 1st edit in it
mybooks.gnucash.201901022345.gnucash  <-- has the 2nd edit in it
mybooks.gnucash.201901022345.gnucash.201901081256.gnucash <--no edits in it

as you can see, by using a backup, you loose the previous edit session - go a 
few edits down the road and you can be in proper mess with transactions 
seeming to go missing from months ago!

When Gnucash starts, it *normally* opens the file that was open when you shut 
down last time around, so it is fairly easy to get the wrong one by mistake if 
you've been digging in the folder.  On Windows & Linux, you can make GC open 
with a different file by clicking... but not so on mac.  No matter what file you 
try to open GC with, it WILL use the previous one. So if you've been looking 
at backups, on a Mac you NEED to File->Open once GC is running.

HTH,
Maf,