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Archiver > TMG > 2003-08 > 1060189595


From: Darrell Martin <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] backing up things
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 13:06:39 -0500 (GMT)


Greetings:

The statement that TMG backs up "all data" is true,
for the most part. However, there is one very
significant exception in both TMG 4 and 5. If the
user has created a custom language, the data for
that language's text is stored in the file

strings.dbf

This file contains information that works hand in
glove with Tag data to create meaning. If it is
lost, the meaning of the user's data in a restored
data set will NOT be the same as in the original,
at least not until the custom language is created
again. This is especially true of memo field data,
which can be nearly meaningless if viewed outside
the context of the intended sentence structure.

Note that the values in strings.dbf can be
modified from within the TMG program, using an
interface supplied by the program.

I am *not* saying that this represents a risk to
users' data anything even remotely like losing the
Master Place List, for example. But it should not
be dismissed.

In my opinion, the product of a user's work in TMG
includes the working environment, such as filters,
accents, and layouts. That such are not "data" is
not all that relevant.

Bob V. in an online session many moons ago said he
would not be opposed to a backup feature in TMG 5
that would save all user-modifiable settings. This,
I presume, would be the equivalent to TMG 4's
ability to save the configuration in a *.CFG file.
I hope it is near the top of the "wishlist".

Darrell


Darrell A. Martin
a native Vermonter in exile in Illinois


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