what to do with snapshots?

Scrivener Scrivener for macOS
1

This is a two-parter, really. One is maybe a bug, the other a workflow-question.

So first, I’ve taken several snapshots over the last few weeks and I can’t seem to find them any more. Are they meant to disappear like this? Also, the ‘show snapshot’ window is greyed out, related to the lack of 'shots, I guess.

Second, would it be possible to auto-snapshot when you open or close the document, or in timed intervals? I seriously don’t have a clue when I should take a snapshot or not, yet, and just when I need it I don’t have it. It would be nice to have a selection of them, without me specifically snapping them.

Sorry if this has already been asked.

2

If “Show Snapshots” is greyed out, it probably means you don’t have a snapshotted document highlighted in the binder. Snapshots only work at the document level, not the project level. If you want to take a snapshot of the whole project, preserving the binder arrangement and everything, do a backup instead.

I take a snapshot when I’m about to seriously monkey around with a document and want a safety net in case I screw it up. Not that this has ever happened. :smiley:

I don’t think the auto-snapshot would work, since you don’t really open and close documents in Scrivener. Personally, I flip between documents a lot, and if it were auto-snapshotting, my project would quickly balloon out of control.

3

Ok, that (sort of) makes sense. What about lost snapshots? Do those automatically get deleted when you close a document, or what?

4

I haven’t seen anything like the behavior you describe myself. Maybe it would be helpful to say where in the following steps things break down:

  1. In the Binder, find a document that has a dog-eared icon (which shows there is a snapshot of it). Select the document.

  2. On the Snapshot menu, select Show Snapshots…

  3. In the resulting window, at least one snapshot is listed and when you click on it, you can see your snapshotted text in the right hand pane of that window.

I am betting things break down at step (1). If so, I guess the first question will have to be whether any snapshots were taken in the first place. Were you able to view them initially after you took them but not now? [If the break down is instead at (2) or (3), that would be puzzling indeed.]

It would be informative to know if you can reproduce the phenomenon. That is, can you make a snapshot right now, verify that it is there by the steps above, and then later find it is not there?

–Greg

5

I can see all the snapshots again after taking a new snapshot. My guess is that the last update somehow reset the setting, but luckily not delete the snaps’. It’s all good now :slight_smile:

6

Great to hear.

–Greg