Saving and recovery
Superliner saves each change as you make it. The status line under the page says whether your latest changes are saved and whether the Markdown copy matches them. Read this page when the line says anything other than Saved.
- Status line
- Under the page. Click it for the details, and to retry a failed save
- Save now
- File ▸ Save Now, or ⌘S
- Retry
- File ▸ Retry Save and Markdown Export
- Regenerate
- File ▸ Regenerate Markdown…, or the details' button
What the status line says
| Line | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Saved | Your latest changes are in the workspace folder, and the Markdown copy is current. | Nothing. |
| Saving… | A save is in progress. The line shows this only when a save takes a while, so it stays steady in normal use. | Wait. If it stays, open the details. |
| Couldn't save — Retry | The latest change is not on disk. The details give the reason. | Click the line, or choose File ▸ Retry Save and Markdown Export. Your text stays in the window. |
| Saved — Markdown needs attention | Your notes are saved, but the Markdown copy is not up to date. | Open the details. See When the Markdown copy stops. |
| Read-only | The workspace is open read-only. Nothing is saved, and no Markdown files are written. | See Read-only workspaces. |
The details list the same facts in words: “All changes are saved.” or “Saving your latest changes…”, then “Markdown current” or “Markdown pending…”. A failure adds its reason. “Compaction deferred” means the saved history could not be trimmed this time. Your saved edits are still kept.
When the Markdown copy stops
Two things stop the Markdown copy. A full or unwritable disk makes the copy wait and try again, with the wait growing from 1 second to 60 seconds. Choose Retry to try at once. Your notes keep saving while the copy waits.
A Markdown file changed outside Superliner is different. Retrying does not fix it. The details show Regenerate Markdown…. Choose it, read the confirmation, and choose Regenerate. Each changed file is kept next to the original as name.conflict- and a date and time, and nothing is deleted. Then the Markdown copy is rebuilt from your notes. See The Markdown copy.
Read-only workspaces
A workspace opens read-only when it was saved by a newer version of Superliner, when part of its saved data is damaged, when its folder cannot be written, or when it is a backup. A banner at the top of the window says which, and the status line reads Read-only. You can read, search, open and back up the notes. Nothing is saved, no Markdown files are written, and editing commands are turned off.
| Banner says | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| This workspace was saved by a newer version of Superliner, so it is open read-only. | A newer version wrote it. | Update Superliner to edit it. A copy is offered only where this version can write one. |
| Part of this workspace's saved data is damaged, so it is open read-only. | A saved record does not check out, so the notes are shown as they were after the last change that could be checked. | Save a Copy… writes those notes to a new workspace, if it is offered. Otherwise reveal the folder in Finder. |
| This workspace can't be changed, so it is open read-only. | The disk is read-only, or you do not have permission to change the folder. | Fix the folder's permissions, or save a copy somewhere you can write. |
| This is a backup, so it is open read-only. | You opened a backup folder to look through it. | Restore it as a new workspace to work on it, or save a copy. |
Opening a read-only workspace changes nothing in its folder, so the original files stay as they were. A read-only workspace is still locked while it is open. Save a Copy… (File ▸ Save an Editable Copy…) writes the notes as shown to a new folder outside the workspace, with a new identity, and opens it. Your original stays as it was.
If saving fails when you quit
If a save fails as you quit, Superliner does not close without asking. The alert reads “Your latest changes could not be saved”, and offers Save Recovery Copy…, Cancel and Quit Without Saving. Quit Without Saving loses the changes that were not saved, so choose it only when you have no other copy.
A recovery copy is a folder named for the workspace and the date, ending in .backup, written outside the workspace. It holds the saved notes and the text still in an editor. Open it later with File ▸ Restore Backup as New Workspace…. See Back up and restore.
What never to do
- Do not edit the files in
state/,assets/,backups/orexports/markdown/. A changed file is detected, and the workspace opens read-only or the Markdown copy stops. - Do not delete JSON files to clear an export problem. Use Regenerate Markdown… instead.
- Do not keep one workspace folder in a cloud sync service that writes from two Macs. Two writers can produce copies that do not match. Do not run two writers on one workspace.
- Do not open a backup folder as a workspace to edit it. Restore it as a new workspace.
- Do not choose Quit Without Saving to get past an error you have not read.
Combine it
- Back up before you change a lotA backup is checked before it is reported as saved. Make one before a large import or an update.
- Know where the copy isThe Markdown copy and the folders around it are described on one page.
- Undo a change you did not meanUndo reverts a change in the window. It is not a substitute for a backup.
- Import safelyAn import is one Undo step, and a review shows what it adds before anything is written.
Limits
- Superliner does not merge a changed file with your edits. Choose which version you keep, or use Regenerate Markdown… to keep the changed file beside the rebuilt one.
- The saved history is trimmed every 1,000 saved changes. A trim that fails is tried again, and no saved edit is lost.
- Superliner does not encrypt your notes, backups or recovery copies.