Automatic Backups Using Export Feature

[rserkes]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel
Email Client: imap

I manually backup all my Entourage data using the export feature, but I'd like to have it done automatically in the early morning hours. How can I set up an automatic backup schedule?

 

[William Smith]

I manually backup all my Entourage data using the export feature, but
I'd like to have it done automatically in the early morning hours.
How can I set up an automatic backup schedule?

This can be scripted with AppleScript but are you sure this is how you'd
like to back up your data? The .rge files created by exporting must be
completely imported again before you can read messages in them. You
won't really have any means of determining what's in the archive files
other than dates.

This would probably be the AppleScript syntax you're needing (untested):

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
export archive to alias "path:to:your:new:file"
only "category"
item types mail items
delete false
end tell

The four lines between the "tell" and "end tell" lines are actually just
one line with spaces between them but I've broken them into four for
easier reading.

This could be put into an Entourage schedule that runs at a specified
time. It can also include all mail, calendar, task, contacts, etc., or
just specified items in categories or projects.

How this works would depend on your criteria. If you need help with
putting something together then post back with details of what you're
doing now.

Hope this helps!

--

bill

William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>

 

[rserkes]

Bill, your suggestion is a little beyond my talents. All I want to do is to save my contacts, email, and calendar in case my hard drive fails. I really don't need to check back through old emails on a regular basis.

I currently have a .Mac feature (Backup) make a copy of Microsoft User Data in my Documents folder. Will this be sufficient? If I had a hard rive failure could I copy my old Microsoft User Data folder over the newly created one to reinstate everything?

 

[Diane Ross]

I manually backup all my Entourage data using the export feature, but I'd like
to have it done automatically in the early morning hours. How can I set up an
automatic backup schedule?

Use this tutorial as a guide to setup auto backup.

Entourage and Time-Machine-like backup (creates chronological backup of
Identity can be used by both Tiger and Leopard allowing you to roll back to
previous dated backups.

I currently have a .Mac feature (Backup) make a copy of Microsoft User Data in
my Documents folder. Will this be sufficient? If I had a hard rive failure
could I copy my old Microsoft User Data folder over the newly created one to
reinstate everything?

This should be sufficient but with a few exceptions.

1. sometimes your database has problems and you need to revert to an older
snapshot of the database in order to get to the point where it is not
corrupted.

2. If the daemon is open and accesses the database while it is being copied,
the copy can be bad.

My tutorial will get you exactly what you need. The only manual part is
going back occasionally and deleting the daily backups. I keep one per week,
then later on the oldest ones keep one per month.

 

[rserkes]

Use this tutorial as a guide to setup auto backup.

Entourage and Time-Machine-like backup (creates chronological backup of
Identity can be used by both Tiger and Leopard allowing you to roll back to
previous dated backups.




This should be sufficient but with a few exceptions.

1. sometimes your database has problems and you need to revert to an older
snapshot of the database in order to get to the point where it is not
corrupted.

2. If the daemon is open and accesses the database while it is being copied,
the copy can be bad.

My tutorial will get you exactly what you need. The only manual part is
going back occasionally and deleting the daily backups. I keep one per week,
then later on the oldest ones keep one per month.

--
Diane


This is very doable and exactly what I wanted. Thanks for your help!