Back up and restore

Make a backup

1. 1

   Start

   Choose File ▸ Back Up Workspace…. You can also press Back Up… in Settings ▸ Workspaces, under This workspace.

2. 2

   Choose a place

   In the save panel, titled Save verified workspace backup, choose a folder. The suggested name starts with Superliner, then the date, and ends in .backup. The backup is a new folder, so choose a name that does not exist yet.

3. 3

   Wait for the check

   Superliner writes the folder at the name you chose and marks it unfinished while it writes. It then reads the folder back and compares it with your notes. The unfinished mark comes off only after that check passes.

4. 4

   Read the result

   The message reads “Backup saved and checked.” with a Reveal in Finder button. If the disk did not confirm the last write, it reads “Backup saved; the disk did not confirm the final flush.” and says to make another one if the power may fail soon.

A backup holds a snapshot of your saved notes, the attachments those notes use, and the view preferences that the sidebar and pages keep. It does not hold the Markdown copy. If an attachment is missing or damaged, the backup is still made. Its message says how many attachments were left out, and the note shows a missing attachment.

Restore a backup as a new workspace

1. 1

   Start

   Choose File ▸ Restore Backup as New Workspace…, or press Restore Backup… in Settings ▸ Workspaces. Choose the backup folder.

2. 2

   Checked first

   Superliner checks every file against the list in the backup. A file that is missing, changed or extra stops the restore before anything is written.

3. 3

   A new workspace

   The notes open in a new workspace with its own identity. The backup and the workspace you had open are not changed.

Restoring does not change the backup, and the new workspace then works on its own.

If you open a backup by mistake

File ▸ Open Workspace… on a backup folder does not open it for editing. It says “This folder is a backup, not a workspace.” and offers three buttons: Restore as New Workspace…, Open Read-Only and Cancel. Open Read-Only lets you look through the notes, and nothing you change there is saved. The backup itself is never changed.

Save an editable copy instead

When a workspace opens read-only, its banner offers Save a Copy…, and File ▸ Save an Editable Copy… is turned on. It writes the notes as shown to a new workspace folder with a new identity, leaves the original files alone and opens the copy, so you can keep working. It is not offered for a workspace saved by a newer version of Superliner. A backup you opened to look through is offered one too. A backup is a sealed copy to keep; an editable copy is a workspace to work in.

An interrupted backup

If the Mac loses power while a backup is written, the folder keeps an unfinished marker. Superliner never restores or opens such a folder. It is safe to delete it.

Combine it

• Back up before a large importAn import is one Undo step. A backup keeps a copy of the whole workspace, which Undo cannot give you once the app has closed.
• Recover after a failed saveWhen saving fails at quit, Superliner offers a recovery copy in the same backup format. Restore it with Restore Backup as New Workspace….
• Attachments in a backupThe backup copies the attachments your notes use into its own assets folder.
• Where the folder livesThe workspace folder holds the notes that a backup copies. See where each part is kept.

Limits

• A backup is taken after pending changes are flushed. If saving is failing, a backup holds the notes as of the last successful save, and its message says so.
• A backup is not encrypted. Anyone who can open the folder can read it.
• The Markdown copy is not part of a backup.