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Also see these tips:
An alternative to the MULTISAV macros:
- See the SaveCopy macro
in the Library,
which offers a way to save your currently opened file and simultaneously
make an archive copy of it on another (alternate) drive using
either the same relative directory (folder) name or a user-specified
directory. The copy can also be made on a floppy disk.
Disclaimer |
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Please
note:
- WordPerfect has two "Automatic
save" options under Tools, Settings,
Files to help save your current work: See "Automatically
make backups of your document to help you recover your work".
One option helps protect against power outages or crashes, and
the other option makes one automatic backup of the current
file whenever you deliberately save it.
- However, the NewFN# macro
below can make many separate, incrementally numbered backups
-- which is also known as versioning -- whenever you play
the macro. This is particularly helpful with long or richly formatted
documents, since it might let you quickly recover work from a
presumably "known good" earlier version of the document
if something goes wrong with the current document.
- The Period+Save and HRT+Save macros help you make frequent saves of the current
document while you type, by automating the save process when
you press the period (full stop) or backslash (\) key. They
do not make separate backups (unless you have also enabled
the Save option in Tools,
Settings, Files). However, you can use either one with the NewFN# macro. See below for more on this.
- Some of the material below is informational
(e.g., The "Period(full stop)-plus-save" trick)
and while it might be worthwhile reading it, please be aware
that you do not have to create the macros yourself. They
are included in the Download MULTISAV.ZIP
link in the left column, along with a Readme file. Also: Instructions
on downloading, extracting, and placement of these macro files
is given in the Downloading
instructions ... link.
- If you need to make backup copies of the
currently open document to another drive, see the SaveCopy macro.
- You can assign
macros to a menu, toolbar, or keystroke combination. This
makes them easier and quicker to access. The Period+Save
macro can easily be assigned to the period (.) key, as explained
below and also in the
Readme file that is included with the macros.
- If you are not sure which macro is for you,
see "Which macro to use?"
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The MultiSav archive (.zip) contains 3
macros:
NewFN#.wcm (New FileName
with Number) - v1.03 - Saves the current
file with a new filename that has a numerical suffix appended
to the root name (e.g., Myfile.wpd becomes Myfile001.wpd).
Subsequent playing of the macro increases the filename's suffix
(e.g., Myfile002.wpd, Myfile003.wpd, etc.) before
saving. Thus you can easily save your current work-in-progress
with sequential versions, or number letters that you have sent
to the same recipient, etc.
How it works
If the current file is a new (unsaved) file,
the macro asks you to add a numeric suffix (e.g., 001) to the
filename, and then it saves the file. If the current file has
been previously saved with a numeric suffix (e.g., ClientXYZ-004.wpd),
it increments the numeric (suffix) part of the filename and then
it saves the file under the new name (e.g., ClientXYZ-005.wpd).
You can set the minimum length of the numeric
suffix for the macro to use (and verify) in the redlined User
Modification Area of the macro's code. See here
for Instructions. The default is three digits, which allows creating
up to 999 versions of the file.
Note
All new files made with the NewFN# macro
are saved to the same folder as the previously edited/saved version
of the file -- the same way that WordPerfect
treats its own automatic backup
files -- to prevent the possibility of accidentally overwriting
a backup file (in a common backup folder) with another backup
file of the same name.
Tip
NewFN# is not automatic: you still must deliberately
save the file. However, to help boost automation you can use
this macro along with the Period+Save macro. See "Which macro to use?" below.
Period+Save.wcm (v1.02) - A macro
that saves the current file whenever you press the period (full
stop) key (".") -- unless the period follows a number,
a space, or another period, in which case the macro will not
execute a save.
Unlike NewFN#.wcm, it does not change the
current filename. It merely does the same thing that File, Save
does, but it does it for you when you reach the end of a typical
sentence. (As noted above, if you have also enabled the Save
option in Tools, Settings, Files, then a new backup of the
file will be created each time.)
Tips
- See below for more
information about this macro's technique. As noted there,
it may be best to assign
the macro to the period (.) key in a copy of your default
keyboard.
- Kenneth Hobson posted a macro on WordPerfect
Universe that saves after every five prresses of the period key.
See here.
HRT+Save.wcm (Hard return-plus-save)
- v1.01 - This macro makes special
use of the backslash key ("\") to enter a hard return
and save the current file at the same time.
Unlike NewFN#.wcm, it does not change the
current filename. It simply saves the file the same as if you
use File, Save. (As noted above, if you have also enabled the
Save option in Tools,
Settings, Files, then a new backup of the file will be created
each time.)
Unlike Period+save.wcm, it is not completely
"automatic": You must deliberately double-press the
backslash key (after it has this macro assigned to the backslash
key -- easy to do!). This might be preferred by some users to
a completely automatic process.
The normal functioning of the backslash key
-- i.e., one press of the "\" key followed by some
other key press -- is not affected. You must press this key twice
for the macro to spring into action. Otherwise, you will simply
type a "\" into the document.
Tips
- You should assign
this macro to the "\" key. Then pressing the backslash
key twice causes the macro to delete the backslashes,
enter a hard return, and save the file. (Actually, any available
key can be used; however, the backslash is normally located just
above the Enter key, which makes it especially easy to use to
enter a hard return and then save the file.)
- You can also change the number of required
backslashes in the macro code. (Just open the macro like any
other WordPerfect document to view the comments and instructions
at the top of the file.)
[Download the archive from the link in
the left sidebar.] |
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Which macro to use?
First, note that you can use NewFn#.wcm
in the same document with Period+Save.wcm or HRt+Save.wcm. Here's why.
NewFN#.wcm is not automatic: It saves the current file
only when you deliberately play the macro. (This is particularly
easy to do if you assign the
macro to a toolbar button next to the normal Save button.)
As noted above, if it is a new document it will ask you for a
filename -- one that has numbers appended to the root of the
name (e.g., "MyFile001.wpd"). If you have already used
Period+Save on that document, but have not yet appended a numeric
suffix to the root name, NewFN# will pop a message and ask for
one. It then saves the document under the new (now numbered)
filename, and it will use that numbered name to create new, incrementally
numbered filenames each time you play the macro. But you must
deliberately play the macro!
It is meant to create several intermediate
versions of a file -- "works
in progress," so to speak -- such as MyFile001.wpd, MyFile002.wpd,
and so on. This is handy when you want to save some sections
of your original text as they were written, until the final draft
of the document is written. (Of course, you can always clip the
possibly unwanted sections to another document, using something
like the Clipper macro. But that document
is only temporary and must also be save to disk. If you don't
mind the extra files on disk, NewFN# might be more useful, depending
on your preference.)
Period+Save.wcm (like HRt+Save.wcm) is automatic -- if it is assigned
to the period/full stop key (.) and if the file has a name --
and will play whenever you type a period into the document (except,
of course, periods preceded by a number, another period, or a
space). If you are working on a new (i.e., originally blank)
document it will pop a message to let you know you should save
the document; once saved, you should not see the message again
in that document. It always saves the document using the same
filename and extension in effect at the time -- the same as
if you use File> Save on any named document.
It is meant to help you save the same document
more frequently than you might do otherwise,
helping avoid loss of text if you absently close the program
without saving many hours of work -- even if you have set
the timed backup option (which, incidentally, works only
for abnormal program termination, not for failing to obey warning
messages about changed documents and the need to deliberately
save or abandon those changes. See
here for more on the timed backup feature).
The "Period(full
stop)-plus-save" trick
The rationale behind the Period+Save macro above (optional
reading)
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Note: The following material
in this section is optional. You only need to download the actual
macro and assign it to the period (full
stop) key as explained below in the Related
Tips section below. But if you have time, read on to understand
how it works. |
If you want to save your work
with sufficient frequency to minimize any potential loss and
you don't like the backslash-key macro (HR+Save) method above,
you could force WordPerfect to save the current file as you
type, without having to remember to press a special key,
or click a toolbar button or menu item. (This method can be toggled
on and off; more on this later.)
A logical point to trigger
a save with a reasonable frequency is when you press the period
("full stop") key. You could do this by creating a
simple macro and assigning it to the period key so that it plays
immediately whenever you press the period key. The macro would
type the period and immediately save the file -- automatically.
(If the file has not yet been saved, it will pop up the Save
File dialog to allow you to name the file first.). Here's a simple
example of such a macro (don't create
it; please read on):
Type (".")
FileSave
()
Finally, you could assign this simple macro to the period key
on your default keyboard.
Note: To assign the macro to the period [full stop] key,
when you are in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog (as explained in
the assign link and also below) you will need to check the box, "Allow assignment
of character keys" to display normal keyboard characters;
the period is just under the hyphen [-] and above the forward
slash [/] in the list, for most keyboards.
Then every time you press
the period key, the macro will play and type a period, then immediately
save the file. If the file has not yet been saved, it will pop
up the File Save dialog to allow you to name the file first.
With this example macro, the
most you are likely to lose if you forget to save before closing
a file is one sentence. Other than using the WordPerfect automatic backup feature (Tools, Settings, Files, Doucment
tab, "Save original file as a backup..."), this is
about as automated a periodic save as you will get with WordPerfect.
Note: Both methods -- using an auto-save macro and WordPerfect's
automatic backup feature -- can be used together, if you wish.
The WordPerfect automatic backup feature makes just one backup
of the current file; however, this is a separate file
from the current file, located in the same directory/folder but
with a .BK! filename extension. The "period-plus-save"
method saves the same file over and over: no separate backup
file is created (unless, of course, you have the automatic backup
feature turned on). And if you use WordPerfect's automatic backup
feature, be sure to set it to 5 minutes or longer, as explained
on the above-linked page.
However, the simple two-line macro above
has some limitations (which are overcome in the download version): It cannot tell if the cursor is located
inside a "substructure" such as a dialog box -- a place
where File, Save will not work. Also, it doesn't notice when
you type ellipses ("..." or ". . ."), and
it saves even when you are entering numerical data, which (slightly)
slows such data entry.
Therefore, the two-line example
macro above can be elaborated to
- check if the period you want
to type at the cursor location follows a digit, another period,
or a space; and
- check if the cursor is inside
a a substructure.
If both conditions are true,
the macro would not save the file, thereby avoiding potential
problems with saving and reducing any (very slight) slowdown
in your work. If both conditions are false, the macro would proceed
to save the file.
A macro (Period+Save.wcm) that does both these things is included
as part of the MULTISAV.ZIP file on this page. It pops an information
message in an unsaved or read-only document. It also does not
auto-save the document when you are writing or editing a macro
or template (most macro writers probably do not want frequent
auto-saves while they code a macro); these two features can be
changed with a simple setting in the macro's User Modification
Area.
Related tips (recommended reading)
Assigning the Period+Save macro to the period (.) key
It may be best to assign the
Period+Save macro to the period (full stop) key
in a copy of your default keyboard. That is, instead of
assigning the Period+Save macro to the default keyboard --
the one you use all or most of the time, such as <WPWin Keyboard>,
<WPWin 8 Keyboard>, <WPDOS 6.1 Keyboard>,
etc. -- create a copy of the default keyboard definition,
and use the copy when assigning this macro to a key. You can
then use your mouse or a keystroke combination (see next paragraphs)
to quickly toggle between keyboards, depending on whether or
not you want to use the period-plus-save method of automating
the saving of your files.
[While using a copy of your
favorite keyboard is not strictly necessary -- you could simply
edit your favorite keyboard and assign the macro to the period
key there (as explained here and in Steps 1, 3, 4, and 5) -- it
does have the advantage of not requiring you to remember how
to remove the keyboard assignment at some distant date. You would
simply stop using the copied keyboard (or delete it).
The disadvantage is that you might need to maintain several keyboards
if you wish them to contain the same future changes.]
- Step 1. Click on Tools, Settings, Customize.
The Customize Settings dialog opens. Click on the Keyboards tab.
[The highlighted keyboard in the keyboards list is the currently
selected (i.e., enabled) one.]
- Step 2. Make a copy of the keyboard definition:
Click the Copy button, then select the keyboard you want to copy
(the "From" and "To" fields should be the
default template file for your version of WordPerfect, such as
"wp11US"). Click on Copy, then give the new keyboard
a name (perhaps <Auto-save keyboard>). Click OK to return
to the Customize Settings dialog.
- Step 3. In the Customize Settings dialog,
select (i.e., click on) the keyboard to which you want to assign
the macro, and click Edit. Check the box, "Allow assignment
of character keys." Scroll down to the period (for most
keyboards it's just under the hyphen [-] and above the forward
slash [/] in the list), and choose it.
- Step 4. Click on the Macros tab, then click
Assign Macro to Key. Select the Period+save.wcm
macro and assign it to the period key. (No need to save it with
the full path if the macro is in your default or supplemental
macros directory/folder.)
- Step 5. Click OK/Close until you are back
at the main document screen.
- Step 6. Then, to switch keyboards,
- either -
- right-click the Status Bar
(the very bottom of the WP window that shows the names of currently
opened documents) and choose Settings. When the Settings dialog
appears, check the box, "Keyboard," then click OK.
You can then click the keyboard icon that appears on the Status
bar to select the desired keyboard;
- or -
- create two simple macros.
Using them will require three fewer mouse clicks to change keyboards
than the method above.
- This method is almost as
easy to set up. First create two macros (which are recordable
with Tools, Macro, Record), then assign them to toolbar buttons or keystrokes -- one macro to select the new keyboard
and one to select your default keyboard. That way, you can use
your mouse or a keystroke combination to quickly toggle between
keyboards, depending on whether or not you want to use the period-plus-save
feature.
You can now use your mouse
or a keystroke combination to quickly toggle between keyboards,
depending on whether or not you want to use the period-plus-save
method of automating the saving of your files.
For those who use As-U-Type
The macro doens't work properly
with the As-U-Type spell check and speed typing program,
when a period follows a word that is in As-U-Type's Correction
Database. If you use As-U-Type, just toggle it off temporarily
with <LeftShift+RightShift>. Or use this tip from the author
of As-U-Type:
'...To fix [this], please
... remove the period from As-U-Type's expander characters set:
Right click the program's running icon and choose the "Options..."
command. Then click the "Others" item on the left,
and remove the period from the "Expanders" box on the
right. (The Expanders box contains all characters which trigger
expansion). Of course after removing the period from the box,
As-U-Type no longer expands text when you type the period (so
"admin." still stays as "admin.", while "admin,"
continues to be expanded to "administration,")....'
For more on As-U-Type -- which
is otherwise an excellent program -- see http://www.asutype.com/.
Third-party software
to automate making backups
If you need real-time, automatic, or sequential
backups of designated types of files, see the (fairly short)
list of third party backup
software programs at the bottom of this page: Automatically
make backups of your document to help you recover your work. |
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Barry MacDonnell's