Saving your book, and going back to an earlier version with Version History

Pendrilo protects your manuscript in two ways. It saves your book as you work, and it keeps earlier versions you can return to. This article explains both, and how to make a backup you can keep somewhere else.

Where your book is saved

A Pendrilo book is a single file ending in .pendrilo. It holds everything in the book: the text, your styles, your pictures and fonts, and, in Studio, your notes, outline, plot board and codex. To move the book to another computer, copy that one file. It opens there with nothing missing.

The first time you save a book, choose File → Save (Ctrl+S) and pick where to keep it. Pendrilo starts you in your Documents folder. After that, the book saves itself a couple of seconds after you stop typing.

Look at the bottom-right corner of the window to see the save state:

Saved means everything you've written is in the file.
Saving… means Pendrilo is writing the file now.
Not saved as a project yet means the book is new and has no file. Save it to give it one.

To save a copy under a new name, choose File → Save As… (Ctrl+Shift+S). To open a book you've saved before, choose File → Open…, or pick it from File → Open Recent. You can also double-click a .pendrilo file.

Version History

Autosave protects your latest work. Version History lets you go back to how the book looked earlier.

Pendrilo keeps a version of your book:

each time you open the book and change it;
every 15 minutes while you work;
each time you press Save.

Pendrilo keeps the last 50 versions. A version you name yourself is kept for good.

To open Version History, choose Book → Version History….

Naming a version

Name a version before a big change, such as before a rewrite or before you send the book to an editor.

1. Type a name in the box, such as "Sent to my editor".
2. Click Save a Named Version.

Going back to an older version

1. Find the version in the list.
2. Click Go Back to This.

Before Pendrilo restores the old version, it keeps what was on screen as an entry called "Before restore". If you change your mind, you can return to that version the same way.

Seeing what changed

You can check a version before you go back to it.

Click Compare With Now on any version. Pendrilo shows which chapters have changed since then. Words that were cut are struck through in red, and words that were added are shown in green.
To compare two older versions, click Pick on the first, then Compare With Picked on the second.

The What Changed window marks each chapter as Changed, Retitled, Added or Removed. Click Open to go to that chapter. Use Unfold All and Fold All to show or hide the details.

Undo and bigger changes

In the editor, Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y undo and redo your typing. The Undo and Redo items in the Edit menu are greyed out in Pendrilo, so use the keyboard shortcuts for small fixes.

For a larger change, such as a Find and Replace across the whole book, use Book → Version History… instead. Go back to the version from before the change.

Backing up your book

Version History lives inside the book file, so it doesn't protect you if the file itself is lost or damaged. A backup is a second copy, kept somewhere else. Keep backups on a USB drive or in cloud storage.

A backup is one zip file. It holds the whole book, its pictures, fonts and version history.

Backing up one book

1. Save the book first if you haven't.
2. Choose Book → Back Up This Book….
3. Choose where to save the zip file.

Backing up every book (Studio)

1. On My Books, open the Backups menu and click Back Up All My Books….
2. Choose a folder. Pendrilo makes a dated folder there, with one backup for each book on your shelf.

Restoring a backup

1. Choose Book → Restore a Backup… (or Restore a Backup… on My Books).
2. Choose the backup zip.
3. Choose where to save the restored book.

Restoring always makes a new book. It never writes over a book you already have, so you can check the restored copy before you rely on it.

Good habits

Name a version before any big edit.
Make a backup after finishing a chapter or a draft, and store it away from your computer.
If something looks wrong, check Version History before you make more changes. Going back is safer than fixing by hand.