Cloud and WebAcappella
We strongly advise against placing your WebAcappella work folder on a cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, Kdrive, etc.). This practice can lead to irreversible data loss.
Why the cloud is problematic
Cloud synchronization services (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, etc.) are not designed to manage projects consisting of many interdependent files such as those in WebAcappella.
Here's what can happen:
- Partial synchronization: the cloud synchronizes some files but not others, making the project inconsistent
- File conflicts: if the cloud detects a change while writing, it can create conflicting copies
- Data corruption: files may be truncated or corrupted if synchronization occurs during a backup
- Unusable project: in the most serious cases, the project can no longer be opened
These issues are related to the very nature of cloud services and cannot be entirely avoided by WebAcappella.
Our recommendation
Always work locally (on your computer's hard drive) and use the cloud only to store your backups.
- Place your WebAcappella work folder on your local hard drive
- Make regular backups via the "File > Back up site to archive" menu
- Store these archives (.zip) on your cloud or an external drive
This way, you benefit from the security of the cloud for your backups without risking corruption of your work project.
How to make a backup
To back up your WebAcappella site:
- Go to the File menu > Save site to archive
- Choose the location (your cloud, an external drive, etc.)
- Click "Save"
- Confirm the integration of publication settings if desired
The generated .zip archive contains your entire project and can be restored at any time via File > Restore a site from an archive.
Get into the habit of making a backup after each important work session. This is the best protection against data loss.
If you still use a cloud
If, despite our recommendations, you want to work directly on a cloud, here are some minimum precautions:
- Always wait until synchronization is complete before shutting down your computer
- Never open the same project on two computers at the same time
- Make very frequent backups in .zip archives
- Regularly check that your project opens correctly
If you encounter any problems, you can restore your project from your latest backup archive.