[Andrej]

I did a search on the internet using multiple search terms, as well as on three forums, and I didn't come up with anything close.

For a while, Appleworks 6.2.9 has been weird. Sometimes, I'll save a file, fine, but when I go to open it again, I'll get a message that says: "Recover file [file name] This document might not have been saved correctly...what do you want to do with it?" And I have my options of cancelling, discarding the file, or trying to open it through its recovery process.

But when I worked with several Appleworks documents a few hours ago, it got insanely weird. Out of around 40 files, 3 files, selected seemingly at random, would, upon opening, result in the "Recover file" dialog, and when I opened the file anyways, the content changed to the content of the previous document that I had open! At one point, I saved a document, reopened it, got the message, saved it again, opened it again, and got the message once more before I saved it a third time without generating the message again.

Even more bizzare, 1 or 2 of the files that I worked with saved fine, then, upon opening them, gave me the message. So, I recreate the content that was in the document, save, and I go back to editing other documents. I even checked the originating, problematic file to see if it opened correctly. It still did. So, I continued to keep doing my work, and I checked the originating (still unchanged) file again to see if it would still open correctly, but I got the "Recover file" message, and its content changed again!

Guys, what's causing Appleworks to act in such random ways to keep files from being saved or opened correctly? What should I do? I don't want to have to keep working with documents just to have them erased spontaneously in the future.

Mac OS X 10.4.7
Appleworks 6.2.9

[Andrej]

[5 days later]

So, what's going on with Appleworks?

[Andrej]

[10 days later]

C'mon, guys. I can't figure out what's going on, and I don't see a solution anywhere on the internet. I reinstalled Appleworks from the CD and even ran AppleJack, and I'm still getting these problems.

[Spliff]

It's a bug. And it won't be fixed. It's also a nasty bug that can lead to data loss of AppleWorks documents as a friend of mine found out. Apparently, it can be triggered when you save over an old file using the "Save" button in the toolbar.

[Andrej]

I always use Command-S to save, not the toolbar.

Well that's great. So, Appleworks has this nasty bug. I've read on VersionTracker that Microsoft Word for Mac OS X has this nasty bug, as well. Do you recommend that I get Microsoft Word?

[Spliff]

Originally Posted by Andrej

I always use Command-S to save, not the toolbar.

Well that's great. So, Appleworks has this nasty bug. I've read on VersionTracker that Microsoft Word for Mac OS X has this nasty bug, as well. Do you recommend that I get Microsoft Word?

It may not be the bug I'm thinking of. I was just writing from memory. I did a search and found something that might fix your issue. Here are some things to try.


"The best, first step in trouble-shooting a misbehaving application is to delete its preference files. Preference files often become corrupted through no fault of the user - it just happens. Although it sounds scary or drastic to do this, it can only help the application. When any application is launched, it looks for its preference files. If it doesn't find any (just like the very first time you started AppleWorks) it will build new ones.

First, quit AppleWorks if it is running. In all instances, you don't want to trash the Button Bar Preferences if you have customized the Button Bar. You will need to reset any preferences you had changed, but AppleWorks' preferences are simple.

•In OS X you want to move the AppleWorks preferences found in HD/Users/username/Library/Preferences/AppleWorks & the com.apple.appleworks.plist found in ~/Library/Preferences/ to the Trash, then empty the Trash & restart AppleWorks.

•In OS 8-9, the preference files to Trash are found in HD/System Folder/Preferences/AppleWorks. Then empty the Trash & restart AppleWorks.

Should AppleWorks still not work as before or expected, the next step is to make sure AppleWorks and the necessary support files are installed and where AppleWorks "expects" to find them.

It is not uncommon for users to move the AppleWorks application from the AppleWorks 6 folder to a more convenient location, separating it from its necessary folders - AppleWorks Essentials, Clippings & Starting Points. The AppleWorks 6 application & the above mentioned folders must be in a folder named AppleWorks 6. Not keeping all these "parts" together will "break" translators, spell check, updaters, etc. If you do want to have AppleWorks available in another spot, make an alias from the File menu and put the alias wherever you'd like. You can even have several aliases. If you cannot find all of the "parts" or have inadvertently deleted some, you will need to reinstall AppleWorks using the "Easy Install" option. There is no need to remove the existing AppleWorks files, the installer will merely install what is missing."

[Spliff]

Here's another issue with AppleWorks and how it can be avoided:

ISSUE
Appleworks does not save content added to an open document. AppleWorks does not warn of this data loss. And the File > Save menu item continues to work.

CAUSE
The document has been moved or renamed in the Finder while it is open in AppleWorks.

SOLUTION
The document content cannot be recovered. The only solution is to follow these recommendations to avoid losing data in the future.

* Do not move an Appleworks documents in the Finder if it is open in AppleWorks.
* Do not rename an Appleworks documents in the Finder if it is open in AppleWorks.
* Regularly create a copy of an open AppleWorks document. That is, choose the File > Save As menu command and save the document with a different name and to a different folder.



"AppleWorks documents revert to an earlier version after saving.

Documents affected include multi-page documents, documents that have been kept open on the desktop or in the dock for long periods of time (hours), or any document when the parent icon has been renamed or moved to another folder at the finder level while the document is open (either on the desktop or in the dock).

Anecdotal history would indicate the problem began to manifest itself around the last quarter of calendar year 2003. The bug seems to be confined to AppleWorks 6 when used in an OSX environment.

This "failure to save" bug has been discussed at length in this forum. The problem appears to be related to how the open document links to the document's icon on the desktop (or folder location). The problem has been positively reproduced by moving the icon to a different folder or renaming it while the actual document is open, either on the desktop or in the dock. Once the change has been made, the link is broken and further changes to the open document will not be saved unless a new document is created by invoking a "Save as..." command. The AppleWorks built-in "Autosave" feature does not circumvent the loss of data.

Suspect behavior includes loss of the flashing highlight around the word "File" when the "Save" command is invoked (from the File menu or by the key combination, "Command-S"). Additionally, even if you invoke "Command-S" just before you close the document, AppleWorks will bring up a warning dialog box asking you if you want to save the "unsaved" document. If you approve this final warning "Save" dialog, any data added after the link was broken will be lost--so DO NOT approve the save at this point! Cancel the dialog, and then use "Save as..." from the File menu.

Others have experienced similar "Save" failures when the document was left open (either idle or working, usually multi-page documents) for a long period of time. I have not been able to reproduce this behavior with AppleWorks in two trial runs--but there is sufficient evidence to use caution.

The only workaround (so far) is to exercise caution with open documents when renaming, moving, or "idling" multi-page open documents for extended periods time, and to be attentive when saving! Always invoke "Command-S" before closing a document, and if AppleWorks warns you to save again, use the "Save as..." command, or your work will be lost!

A final comment for those of you working on long documents (college students in particular who are writing term papers right around this time!):

Anyone in the midst of a multipage document--10, 20, or more pages, multiple chapters, graphics, charts, etc. Be safe and save multiple copies of your work! If possible, print individual full pages as an incremental "paper" backup. Back up your data on your local harddisk, as well as on a secure server or other media that is separate from your trusted home environment. Save often (in particular before printing and before you walk away for a stretch or coffee break) and create multiple backups of documents you really don't want to lose. Remember to open and verify your saved work, including your backup. A power glitch, an unexpected HD failure, or a particularly harmful bug need not be the harbinger of a catastrophic loss."

From the AppleWorks forum:

I stopped losing new work when I changed two habits...

1. I never "Save" a new document. I use "Save As...", instead. Then, before closing the document, I press command+S again.

2. I always "command+S" twice whenever updating an existing document that I'm working on.

Normally, the "Save" option is only available on a changed AW document, but for some strange reason, AW 6.2.9 doesn't behave this way. The "Save" option is still available after a save -- but only until you save immediately a second time. Apparently, a single "Save" doesn't always get everything done, and the only way to make the "Save" option goes away is to save twice. I suspect that this bug is why simply saving a new document by closing it (or using the Autosave feature) tends to be unreliable