enough, already!

[mmegaera]

Dammit.

Okay. How do I get 500+ revision words back?

I saved the document, but when I went to open it again five minutes later, the changes were not saved. The document was exactly as it had been when I began work.

I saved the document, then I saved as to create a new document so that I could paste the draft words of the next chapter into it (this keeps me from having to re-create the formatting), then I reopened the first document and every single word of two hours work was gone. I've done this umpteen times before without a bit of trouble. I am using Word 2003 (no, I am not going to change word processors until they pry this one from me by main force -- I hate the newer versions of Word and the docxes they rode in on, and I am not interested in a new learning curve from another program, either).

I did everything right, dammit! I mean, I've lost data before, but only by doing stupid things. I did not do a stupid thing this time.

Someone, please tell me how to get these words back, please?

This has been the week from hell already, and I needed one more thing going wrong about the same way that camel needed that last straw.

Comments

[thnidu]

I can't get your revision back for you... um, sudden idea: could it possibly somehow have been saved under a different title or in a different directory? (Slip of the finger or mouse accidentally clicking something, something like that...) Look under Recent Documents, or in the Files menu (i think) of Whirred.

As I was about to say before I so rudely interrupted myself: I wrote a small Perl script called "copy-dated". When I open a file with it, it creates a copy of the file with a time-stamp appended to the filename. So if I used it on "file.txt" right now, the copy would be named "file-120225.0259.txt", in the same directory, but I'd still be working on "file.txt". If I made another one right away (in the same minute), it would include the seconds, like "file-120225.025928.txt". When I'm satisfied, I just delete the backup copies. -- Would that help you keep backups?

[mmegaera]

Alas, I tried looking for it in Recent Documents. Chapter 9 is there, but it's the unrevised Chapter 9. What's Whirred? I can't find it in my directories.

As for the Perl script, I can set Word up to backup regularly, and do. The thing is, somehow it reverted back to the original when I did the Save As, and I don't know why. Would the Perl script work with .doc files or just with .txt? It would only be useful to me if I could use it in conjunction with Word.

Thanks for the help. I started rewriting the revisions last night. They're not as good as what I'd done yesterday afternoon. Sigh.

[thnidu]

Sorry, it's the punster in me: Whirred = Word.

Microsoft has so g****m many bells and whistles they are constantly getting in each others' way and fouling up the rest of the system. I use the regular backup too, but I don't trust it. Well, I don't do most of my work in Word anyway.

I make the Perl script executable (or on Windows embed it in an .exe) and put it in my path. Then I open the file with it; in Windows, right-click, "open with", and select copy-dated; I may have to browse for it the first time I use it on a particular file type, but after that it's on the menu. It works with any type of file. All it does is

• make a copy of the filename as a string
• read the file's last-modified date from the filesystem
• format it as I've shown*
• incorporate it into the filename string
• call the system to make a copy of the file with the modified name
• and exit

I'm using a new computer and my old one is in the shop, so I don't have the script accessible right now (without logging into the office filesystem). What's your OS?

[mmegaera]

I think I'm just going to start plugging a flash drive into my netbook whenever I'm writing, and save to it regularly, too, then unplug it before I do the save as in the future. Either that or just set up a template file. Or both.

Installing/using the Perl script sounds a bit over my head. And, yes, I had searched the Whirred [wry g] files.