Hi Jorge. Please explain how to enable the new auto backup feature in v16.5 public beta. I tried but can't figure it out.

I only see the Backup setting in NextSTART under the Advanced tab. I also looked in Manage Alarms and WorkShelf since you mentioned that the feature is tied to them.

Let me remind you WHAT INTERNAL COMMANDS ARE. One thing they are NOT is buttons in the UI.

All the new 'Auto Backup Settings' internal command (IC) does *by itself* is make a backup of the settings without prompting the user for a filename. The filename is automatically generated based on the date and time, and the backup is stored in the default Backups folder.

If you are running Winstep Xtreme, the internal command also sends a message to the other components of the suite to do the same (i.e.; if you run the IC in WorkShelf a message is sent to NextSTART and vice-versa).

So, by itself that IC is just a convenient way to backup everything with a single click. It's when you combine it with the new Alarm Manager that it truly becomes useful.



The Alarm Manager is not a simple pop-up reminder with audio abilities. It is, in fact, a full blown task scheduler with very flexible scheduling abilities.

Besides normal alarms, you can also make it run programs and/or internal commands at specified times. And it's this ability we will be using to our advantage.

So, open WorkShelf Preferences, go to the General tab, click the Manage Alarms button.

Now click the 'New Alarm' button and add a new alarm looking something like this:



Up to you which schedule to use, but I would NOT make this a daily event, since 1) it would be overkill and 2) the Auto Backup IC does NOT delete older backups automatically. You would soon have hundreds of backup files lying around.

So set it to run once a week or once a month. You should also disable the 'Wake the computer up if it's sleeping or hibernating' setting, since this is not a critical operation that must be performed at that specific time. If the computer is sleeping or turned off when the Alarm fires - or would have fired - the event will simply be run ASAP.

Excellent!

For the truly anal among us, I would think that a decent batch file or VB programmer (I haven't used either for several years) could configure it to backup daily, then once a week run a batch file or VB script that would delete the first seven files in the list, leaving on the last few.

Just a thought.............

Yep. Isn't this FUN?

Anyway, what I really like about the new IC is how much attention it got to the Alarm Manager feature (which is also very recent, being new to v16.2) and its potential.

Don't know if this has been fixed in this new update, but I got an error from the auto backup saying this feature has not yet been activated in Workshelf. Wording not exact, but provides the gist.
Dl'ing and installing newest updates momentarily.

Since that Internal Command is new to the beta of v16.5, it will not be recognized if you go back to the (still) official v16.3.

Installed the latest beta. Will set an alarm to trigger tonight.

dang.... sorry I took so long. worked perfectly. this is really a great feature. thanks Jorge.