Easy Way to Extract ISY Backup File Content?

[f11]

I see a lot of the zipped backup ISY config file content is in XML format (ie ascii text formatted for xml-compatible browsers). I'd like to load my programs into a text editor and either print out or save in text form on hard drive for reference to my programs, in the "unlikely" event my ISY craters.

 

Is there an easy way to view all those generically named .pgm programs for archiving, rather than loading each one at a time into Notepad and reorganizing the xml tagging?

 

I know my IE browser can at least display xml, but the tagging is also displayed making reading a headache.

 

Rod

[Sub-Routine]

You can right click on any program or program folder (including My Programs) and Export it to an XML file.

 

Rand

[f11]

Um, yeah I know - but if the ISY craters (won't communicate with the PC), then I probably won't have access to my ISY programs from the ISY interface.

 

I was looking for an easy way to grab a bunch of .pgm files from the zip backup file and deal with them directly.

 

Thanks for your input tho...

Rod

[MikeB]

Every time I run a backup, I also right-click My Programs and export a copy of that as well - just in case.

[f11]

Which is what I'll do in the future, if I ever get my ISY functioning again. For now, your suggestion gets shelved under the "should'a done" category.

 

Meanwhile, I want to pull the data out of the backup files, and I can't use the ISY interface.

 

I take if from the silence here that there isn't a utility to do this, short of doing it the hard way - manually one at a time. It figured.

 

This is my big complaint with most backup functions built into a program - they always require that the program be functional to use or even access the backup data.

 

At least the ISY backup files are in ascii text, even if embedded in xml tagging... anyone with winzip and notepad can get at the data, although its hard to read.

 

Rod

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Rod,

 

Please do help me understand: if ISY puts everything in a backup file, in a zip format, what difference does it make if you could edit the programs? Furthermore, if ISY is non-functioning, what value does this bring?

 

With kind regards,

Michel

 

Which is what I'll do in the future, if I ever get my ISY functioning again. For now, your suggestion gets shelved under the "should'a done" category.

 

Meanwhile, I want to pull the data out of the backup files, and I can't use the ISY interface.

 

I take if from the silence here that there isn't a utility to do this, short of doing it the hard way - manually one at a time. It figured.

 

This is my big complaint with most backup functions built into a program - they always require that the program be functional to use or even access the backup data.

 

At least the ISY backup files are in ascii text, even if embedded in xml tagging... anyone with winzip and notepad can get at the data, although its hard to read.

 

Rod

[f11]

Because if the backup file can be read by another program, then I can recover the data if I lose access to the program that writes the backup file. In the ISY case, the ISY goes dead, so now I can't get access to the programs I wrote that work very well for me. If the program went rogue before the last backup, I may not be able to reload it later, in which case the backup data is lost. If I can at least get at the backup data with a text editor or browser or whatever, I can at least re-program things later when I get the original program or the device it talks to running again.

 

My point here is this: I'm upset that the ISY went south on my suddenly, but I know that sometimes these things happen. But if for some reason I can't ever restore that backup date when I get things running again, I'll be REALLY upset as that means I have to re-write the programs again from scratch, a multi-week effort of tweaking and debugging.

 

Quicken is a good example of a program that works with important personal data, and offers a backup function within the program. But it writes the data in its own format (the files are large, so I understand the intention), so if I can't get Quicken to run again, I can't even get at the data in its raw form for use in, lets say, doing my taxes.

 

Rod