WTF? I just deleted 100GB of backup files from the secondary dir alone!

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by Phazma

Only Windows, right? I’m on Mac…

Yeah just Windows sorry. Maybe one of the gurus here can script up something for Mac as it's relatively trivial

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by Coachz

Yeah just Windows sorry. Maybe one of the gurus here can script up something for Mac as it's relatively trivial

I am not really sure that an OS-level workaround should be needed for such an obvious missing feature anyway. I really hope Justin and schwa recognize this and let us specify in preferences how many backups to keep. It has been requested for long time and for good reason.

[amagalma]

Originally Posted by Phazma

EDIT2: Oh now I got how it works! It is just an action to manually delete all older backups once there are more than specified. Got my hopes up that this did all the backup weeding automatically as a running script.

Yes, it does it manually, but you can make a custom action and bundle this script with the Save action. so each time you manually save it tides things up.

Also, note this:
Let's say your current project is test.rpp and you have these backups:

test-2021-07-20_1235.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1230.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1225.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2300.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2255.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2250.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1610.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1605.rpp-bak

If you tell it to keep only 2 backups it will do this:

test-2021-07-20_1235.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1230.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1225.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2300.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2255.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2250.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1610.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1605.rpp-bak

It will keep the two most recent backups together with the latest backup for each different date.

[amagalma]

v1.01 if run from an unsaved project then it will tide up the folder where untitled project backups are saved.

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by amagalma

Yes, it does it manually, but you can make a custom action and bundle this script with the Save action. so each time you manually save it tides things up.

Ah yes, you have written this already but it flew over my head. It might be a feasible solution until native implementation. I will try it and see how it feels during actual usage. Thanks.

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by amagalma

Yes, it does it manually, but you can make a custom action and bundle this script with the Save action. so each time you manually save it tides things up.

Also, note this:
Let's say your current project is test.rpp and you have these backups:

If you tell it to keep only 2 backups it will do this:

It will keep the two most recent backups together with the latest backup for each different date.

Why don't I see your script in your Reapack ?

Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file (deletes older ones - no undo!)

[amagalma]

Originally Posted by Coachz

Why don't I see your script in your Reapack ?

Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file (deletes older ones - no undo!)

I had forgotten to add my user name in the start of the file name, so I added it:
"amagalma_Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file (deletes older ones - no undo!).lua"


If you sync now you will see it

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by amagalma

I had forgotten to add my user name in the start of the file name, so I added it:
"amagalma_Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file (deletes older ones - no undo!).lua"


If you sync now you will see it

Thanks. After resyncing the repo shows "Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file" and the action shows "amagalma_Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file " and I got it.

It is set to 5 but it doesn't seem to remove all but 5. hmmm

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by Coachz

Thanks. After resyncing the repo shows "Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file" and the action shows "amagalma_Keep x number of most recent timestamped backups of current project file " and I got it.

It is set to 5 but it doesn't seem to remove all but 5. hmmm

The one with the username in front is the updated one.

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by Phazma

The one with the username in front is the updated one.

that's what i'm running

[amagalma]

I see that for some reason the timestamp format that you have is different from the one on my system. To me there is an underscore ( _ ) between the date and the time, whereas to you there is a space character..

ztemp-2021-01-11 1356.rpp-bak (yours)
ztemp-2021-01-11_1356.rpp-bak (mine)

I'll change it so that it matches either way..

[amagalma]

Try again with v1.02

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by amagalma

Try again with v1.02

Thanks so much for your time. I have 1.02 now but still no joy. Welcoming 1.03.
:-)

[amagalma]

Do you run the script while your ztemp project is open and its tab is active? (In case you have other open projects in other tabs)

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by amagalma

Do you run the script while your ztemp project is open and its tab is active? (In case you have other open projects in other tabs)

Yeah, just ztemp open only.

[amagalma]

Could you post a screen capture (Alt+PrtSc) of the project folder that is in detailed view and with the modified and created tabs enabled? Thanks!

Example:

[amagalma]

v1.03 changelog
- Bug fix: invalid path of backup files residing directly in project folder (rather than inside a subdirectory)
- Revert to getting backup file date from creation date rather than from last modified date*

*: I use the JS_ReaScriptAPI to get the file's creation date, but I could get it directly from the filename.. Does anyone think that getting it directly from the name should be preferred and why? (apart from not requiring the JS_ReaScriptAPI)

[Coachz]

v1.03 no files were deleted. hmmm Also, I would go off of file modified date because if a project is corrupt and a user goes back to work on a backup and saves changes they would want that backup.

[mozart999uk]

Originally Posted by Phazma

It has to be native at some point but for now this looks very promising, thanks!

I have just started testing it and it does not show up as running action.. is that normal? Does it work nonetheless if I put it into my startup action?

Also, I suppose this only works once the project is saved and a project directory created.. I (and probably others) often do a lot of experimentation before we decide to save a project and thus we need backups for unsaved projects. Can it be made to also work with unsaved projects? For example by referencing a temporary backup directory and once the project is saved move the backups to the project directory and continue doing them there?

It would be extra greatness if it created a folder called "Backups" inside the project directory to save the backups to and keep the Project directory tidy.


EDIT:
Sadly does not work :/ I have now more backups in the project directory than specified in the script..

EDIT2: Oh now I got how it works! It is just an action to manually delete all older backups once there are more than specified. Got my hopes up that this did all the backup weeding automatically as a running script.

I agree that this should be native. There's sooooo many FR's for it! However, in the meantime this looks really really good!

[amagalma]

Originally Posted by Coachz

v1.03 no files were deleted. hmmm Also, I would go off of file modified date because if a project is corrupt and a user goes back to work on a backup and saves changes they would want that backup.

This is strange.. Your previous pic showed a space instead of an underscore between date and time... Anyway.. Go inside the script to line 114- and change this:

    if delete then
      --reaper.ShowConsoleMsg(files[i][1].."\n")
      os.remove( files[i][1] )
    end

To this:

    if delete then
      local ok = os.remove( files[i][1] )
      reaper.ShowConsoleMsg(files[i][1] .. " deleted: " .. (ok and "OK\n" or "FAILED!\n") )
    end

Try again and tell me if you got any messages..

[Coachz]

First my apologies. I run a program that changes my windows explorer font size for my old eyes and it hides the underscore until you edit the filename so it was always there just not visible. Sorry. I ran it again to make it display properly.

On to the new script change. I updated the script and I get one message.

D:\studio projects\projects\ztemp\ztemp-2021-07-18_1153.rpp-bak deleted: OK

All files are of that format with the underscore after the date. Thanks for taking the time to help.

[amagalma]

No problem.. so it works

[Coachz]

It only deletes one backup and leaves many more than the 5 that is set to keep.

[amagalma]

You missed this post

But ok, it seems that maybe not everyone likes this feature (certainly not you :P), so I 'll make it optional.

[Coachz]

Are you saying the script currently keeps x number for each date ? If so I would need the other way which is just keep x number of most recent.

[amagalma]

Originally Posted by Coachz

Are you saying the script currently keeps x number for each date ? If so I would need the other way which is just keep x number of most recent.

Nope! It will keep the number of backups you specified but it will do it for the last date. For all other dates, it will erase all backups but the latest one of each date..

Let's say your current project is test.rpp and you have these backups:

test-2021-07-20_1235.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1230.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-20_1225.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2300.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2255.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-19_2250.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1610.rpp-bak
test-2021-07-18_1605.rpp-bak

If you tell it to keep only 2 backups it will do this:

test-2021-07-20_1235.rpp-bak (1st to keep)
test-2021-07-20_1230.rpp-bak (2nd to keep)
test-2021-07-20_1225.rpp-bak (deleted)
test-2021-07-19_2300.rpp-bak (keeps it: most recent on a different date)
test-2021-07-19_2255.rpp-bak (deleted: same date)
test-2021-07-19_2250.rpp-bak (deleted: same date)
test-2021-07-18_1610.rpp-bak (keeps it: most recent on a different date)
test-2021-07-18_1605.rpp-bak (deleted: same date)

But anyway, I changed it, so this is optional (you can disable this feature inside the script if you don't like it)

[amagalma]

v1.05 changelog:

• Get backup file date directly from filename rather than from creation date (JS_ReaScriptAPI not required any more)
• Add option inside script to additionally keep the latest backup file per different date (default=true)

[Coachz]

Yay. v1.05 with the option false is the hot ticket for me ! Thanks for making such a wonderful tool. I can see this going into my project startup script very soon.

local additionaly_keep_latest_file_per_different_date = false

[Skorobagatko]

Great idea! But it's not working here, tried changing " additionaly_keep_latest_file_per_different_date" and "files to keep" settings - nothing happens.

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by Skorobagatko

Great idea! But it's not working here, tried changing " additionaly_keep_latest_file_per_different_date" and "files to keep" settings - nothing happens.

post your settings and a screenshot of your filenames in details view

[Skorobagatko]

Originally Posted by Coachz

post your settings and a screenshot of your filenames in details view

[Coachz]

If you just want to keep the last 5 for example you would set this false

local additionaly_keep_latest_file_per_different_date = false

Try on a project you have backed up !!

[amagalma]

The problem is the format of the timestamp, which contains seconds too. I'll fix it so that it takes that into account.

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by amagalma

The problem is the format of the timestamp, which contains seconds too. I'll fix it so that it takes that into account.

Go with modified date on the system and be done with it.

[amagalma]

v1.06 changelog:
- Take into account files with timestamps that contain seconds

(hopefully the final version)

[Skorobagatko]

Originally Posted by amagalma

v1.06 changelog:
- Take into account files with timestamps that contain seconds

(hopefully the final version)

Work perfectly now, thank you!

[X-Raym]

I should have released my version of this limit backup script,


It is solid since at least, never had any issue with it nor the beta testers. :P

EDIT: Actually my action works at project save so maybe it can still be useful.

[amagalma]

Well done!


I bet in a few releases this feature will be native though

[Phazma]

Originally Posted by X-Raym

EDIT: Actually my action works at project save so maybe it can still be useful.

Does your script work as a defer script (running in background)? I would actually prefer that over the workaround of a custom save action as proposed by amagalma.

[X-Raym]

@Phazma
It is not a defered script cause this would be less efficient (it would run 30 time per second and check files which is "slow"). It is just a script action to put on CTRL+S shortcut, which wrapes the usual save action.