Why and How To Back Up Your EverWeb Project Files

As 2023’s Microsoft Build and Apple Worldwide Developers Conferences close out, developer beta editions of Operating System software are the name of the game for the next few months… If you’re using EverWeb on either OS platforms, such conferences are a timely reminder to check that you put a backup schedule in place for your EverWeb Project files.

If you’re planning to install any beta software, be it an Operating System or just apps, remember to install on a non-mission critical computer. The second thing to remember is never to use live data with beta test software. Always use test data.

Why Do I Need To Backup My EverWeb Project Files?
If you already have a backup schedule in place for your computer that includes your EverWeb Project files folder or directory, you may not need to use EverWeb’s own backup feature. However, in this case there are a few things that you may want to bear in mind…

1. The ‘Belt and Braces’ Approach. The more ways you back up your files on your computer, the more options you will have open to you if something does go wrong. When we implement a backup strategy, we always expect it to just work when we need it to. But what if it doesn’t? What happens if you restore your backup file and it fills? Having an alternative backup source may just save the day!
2. How Old Is Your Backup? If you backup your files on, for example, a daily or even hourly basis, you may still lose considerable work if your file gets damaged or corrupted. Is this a risk you can afford to take?
3. Restoring a Backup Can Take Time. If ever you have had to recover a file that has become damaged, it can be a frustrating and time consuming experience restoring the backup file. As recovering files is not something most of us have to do on a regular basis, it can be very stressful, especially if you are already under time pressure.
4. Availability of Your Backup. If your backup is stored in the Cloud, and you lose access to the Internet, you may have to wait for the connection to be restored before you ban retrieve your backup. So having a backup locally as well as in The Cloud may be a useful solution.

Back Ups Are Easy, Simple and Quick to Set Up
EverWeb’s own built in backup scheduler can help alleviate help you with all three of the points above as it gives you an additional backup option to any that you may already have in place. You can also schedule backups so that you will only lose a few keystrokes of work if something does happen e.g. a power outage, and EverWeb makes it quick to restore a backup,

If you’re new to EverWeb, either on Mac or Windows, one of the first things to do when you begin your first project is to set up your backup schedule which is super easy to do.

Launch EverWeb if you haven’t done so already. If you’re using EverWeb on a Mac, go to the EverWeb-> Preferences menu. You can do this from the Projects Window if you want or once you have opened a Project file. If you are using EverWeb on Windows, use the Edit-> Options menu.

Next select the Backup tab from the dialog box. The first option to check on this dialog box is to make sure that ‘Enable Auto Save’ is checked. This is a useful option as EverWeb will save your Project file every few keystrokes so that if, for example, there is a power cut and your computer goes down, you will only probably lose only the last few keystrokes of your work. It’s an invaluable option to have on.

The next option down is the ‘Enable Automatic Backups’ option. When you check this option, your backup options will become available. The first option is ‘Backup Location’. To choose the location of where you want to store your back ups just click on the ‘Select’ button. You can choose where you want you want the backup location to be, for example, you can use iCloud, One Drive or Google Drive. You can also choose your local drive as well. Remember, though, that if you choose a network or cloud location, you will need to have access to this location to restore your backup. After choosing your backup location, you can use the ‘Show on Disk’ button to go directly to the location and see what backups are there if you need to.

The other options you have are to choose the number of backups you would like to keep and the frequency of having your file backed up. If you are low on disk space you may want to limit the number of backups you want to keep. If website development is your work, you may e.g. want to backup your files on a daily basis. Otherwise, you may want to use either a weekly or monthly backup schedule.

Restoring Your Backup
Once you have set up the parameters of your backup schedule you have no more work to do as EverWeb will take care of the rest! When it comes to restoring your backup you can do so from the Projects Window. Just click on the eclipses, or down arrow symbol, to the right of your project file name. From he dropdown menu select the ‘Resort from Backup…’ menu option, then choose the backup that you want to restore. All backups will be date and time stamped.

If this does not work, you can also go to the folder where your backups are located and double click on the .ewbackup file that you want to restore. Bear in mind, though, that the project file name will be the true filename of the project file and not the alias name that you give it in EverWeb. So be very careful if you take this route to restore your a Project file.

If you need any advice on restoring an EverWeb backup Project file, we would recommend that you contact EverWeb support.

Backing up and restoring files using EverWeb’s own automated backup option gives you an extra option if ever you need to restore a project file! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments about this post in the Comments Section below.