Splasm Software Discussions

What files actually contain the data for Checkbook Pro accounts. Is it the file called Accounts.plist or the one created when you backup a file? Thank God for Time Machine because I had to restore my entire drive just to get my checkbook files back. What file do I want to keep backed up in Dropbox for example in case of a computer crash? The file created when I backed up imported gibberish when I opened it in Checkbook Pro

It's in CBP Preferences, the "Advanced" tab shows you where the files reside, and Restore Accounts..." will do just that for you. There should be no need for you to actually go to the backup plist files.

In Lion, the files are hidden.

In Snow Leopard, they are in the user folder, Library, Application Support, Splasm.

I believe that's what I did and that's how I got the gibberish. Is the file you're talking about called "accounts.plst" ? Is that the file I need to keep an off-site backup of. Is that the file I navigate to to restore my checkbook?

Here's what the file looks like in Snow Leopard. The Accounts.plist is the current version that you are using. If your files actually went south, this will be either corrupted or blank, I'd guess. The backup files can be used, but the one you would use to restore would have to be renamed manually and then used to replace the one there. You can't see this in Lion.

Also, you don't need to know anything about them, because you can restore to a previous version with the restore function in Checkbook's Preferences. This was a big revision to the last iteration of CBP, IMO.

If you want to save a copy of the file somewhere, create one by opening CBP, go File, and select Backup Accounts... and backup to the desktop, where you can then burn it to a CD or a thumb drive or whatever you want. But, to restore from this backup, you will still have to go to where the actual Splasm files are stored in order to replace it. There's a procedure for seeing these files in Lion, but restoring via the routine in Preferences is much, much easier, especially since you already have backed up with Time Machine.

If any Moderator disagrees with me on this, I'm sure they will chime in soon.

So are you saying that I would have to rename one of the backup files to "Accounts.plst" and then move it to where the original Accounts.plst was located? If so seems like a clumsy way to implement a backup. What then is the purpose of all those backup files?

I appreciate your time and effort btw

That's the old way. The new way is via CBP Preferences, Advanced, Restore...