Automatic Backup (.sav and .bak) and Autosave
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JabRef generates .sav
and .bak
files while working. .sav
is the automatic backup feature: Each 15 seconds, the current state of the library is saved. .bak
preserves the last state of the library after saving. Thus, one can go back one save command in the history.
By using the service, you can generate an appropriate .gitignore
file by opening .
In addition to .bak
and to .sav
, JabRef offers automatic saving of the library. No need to click on File --> Save or pressing Ctrl+S anymore: The opened database are saved automatically without manual intervention.
In case the .bib
file should automatically be saved on each change, you can direct JabRef to do so. This feature needs to be activated in the preferences:
This functionality runs in the background while you are working on a BibTeX database. It makes a backup copy (in a .bib.sav
file) and keeps that up-to-date on every user interaction. For instance, when you change a field the new value would get saved into the backup copy. Assuming that JabRef crashes while you are working on a BibTeX database. When you try again to open the file JabRef crashed with you will get the following dialog:
Now you have the possibility to restore your changes which would normally get lost.
When JabRef gets closed normally the .sav
file will be removed. Otherwise, this file is going to be used for database restoration next time.
The .bak
file preserves the last state of the library before saving. Thus, one can go back one save command in the history. For more advanced history, we recommend to use .