5.2. User data

5.2.1. Location

The location of data and settings depends on the operating system. Fanurio does this to integrate smoothly with each platform it runs on. As a rule, it stores them somewhere in the user's home folder. Knowing the location can be helpful if you want to backup the settings and data by hand.

By data and settings we mean:

  • repository folder: This is the folder where Fanurio keeps the database and templates. To change the location of the repository folder, use File » Change Repository Folder....

    • data subfolder: This folder contains the user entered data like clients, projects and invoices.

      • audit file: This file is used by Fanurio to log database actions so that data can be recovered if something goes wrong with the database or the backup copies. Fanurio keeps at most three audit files. The size of an audit file is no larger than 2 MB.

    • templates subfolder: This folder contains subfolders with user-defined templates. You can open these folders by using commands from File » Open Templates Folder.

      Fanurio also has some default templates.

  • backup folder: This folder contains backups made by Fanurio. You can open it from File » Open Backup Folder. To change the location of the backup folder, use File » Change Backup Folder....

  • settings file: This file keeps application specific settings like the position and size of the Fanurio window.

  • log file: This file is used by Fanurio to log messages and errors related to its execution. Fanurio keeps at most two log files, depending on the volume of errors and warnings. The size of a log file is no larger than 2 MB.

  • user translations folder: The folder where users can add their (unofficial) translations of the application.

Table 5.1. Location of user data on Windows (XP, 2000)

Item Location
Log C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\fanurio.log
Settings C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\fanurio.properties
Default repository folder C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\
Default backup folder C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\backup
Default templates folder C:\Program Files\Fanurio\share\templates
User translations folder C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\i18n

Table 5.2. Location of user data on Windows (Vista, 7)

Item Location
Log C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\fanurio.log
Settings C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\fanurio.properties
Default repository folder C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\
Default backup folder C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\backup
Default templates folder C:\Program Files\Fanurio\share\templates
User translations folder C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\i18n

Table 5.3. Location of user data on Mac OS X

Item Location
Log ~/Library/Logs/Fanurio/fanurio.log
Settings ~/Library/Preferences/Fanurio/fanurio.properties
Default repository folder ~/Library/Application Support/Fanurio/
Default backup folder ~/Library/Application Support/Fanurio/backup
Default templates folder /Applications/Fanurio.app/Contents/Resources/Java/share/templates
User translations folder ~/Library/Application Support/Fanurio/i18n

Table 5.4. Location of user data on Linux

Item Location
Log ~/.fanurio/fanurio.log
Settings ~/.fanurio/fanurio.properties
Default repository folder ~/.fanurio/
Default backup folder ~/.fanurio/backup
Default templates folder

./share/templates

/usr/share/fanurio/share/templates

User translations folder ~/.fanurio/i18n

5.2.2. About repositories

A repository is a folder on your hard-disk where Fanurio stores data and files. A repository folder contains:

  • a data subfolder for its database where the actual data (clients, projects, etc) is saved and

  • a templates subfolder where user-defined templates may be installed.

A repository is created when Fanurio is set up for the first time but other repositories may be created from File » New Repository... especially if you need to manage multiple repositories.

Besides creating a new repository, you can also:

  • Open a different repository: Go to File » Change Repository Folder... to select the new repository.

  • Move the current repository: Go to File » Change Repository Folder... to select the new location and check the "Copy files to the new folder" box. Fanurio will copy the current repository to the new location and then open it.

Fanurio can manage only one repository at a time. The current repository is opened automatically when you start the application.

5.2.3. About backups

We know data is a very important asset. That's why Fanurio creates backup copies every six hours (1:00, 7:00, 13:00, 19:00) when it is running and another copy when it is started. A backup copy is also created when a new version is installed. Fanurio keeps at most 25 backup copies.

An additional security measure is the audit file that contains the latest database operations. The audit file can be at most 6MB in size and that should be enough to record the data entered during the last week. The audit file can be used to recover data just in case there is no backup copy and the database is corrupted. We don't imagine how both these things could happen and that's why this is an additional measure.

For experts: Just in case you want to change the number of backup copies or the time when Fanurio saves the backup copies, you need to change the following settings manually. This example shows how to create a new backup copy every 5 minutes and keep 20 backup copies. When specifying new autosave patterns, make sure you test them first.

backup.autosave.running.pattern=0 0/5 * * * ?
backup.copies.number=20

5.2.4. Creating and restoring backups

You can manage backups using the following commands:

  • Go to File » New Backup... to create a backup.

  • Go to File » Restore Backup... to restore an existing backup.

  • Go to File » Open Backup Folder to open the backup folder. You can then delete or copy older backups.

  • Go to File » Change Backup Folder... to change the location of the backup folder. When you change the location of the backup folder, old backup copies are copied to the new location.

Besides being useful in case something wrong happens with your data, backup copies can also be used to transfer data between two computers. Whether you want to replace your desktop PC with a laptop or you decide to switch from Windows to Mac OS X or Linux, you can transfer your data from the old computer to the new computer using backup copies. Here's what you need to do:

Old Computer

  1. Start Fanurio on your old computer

  2. Go to File » New Backup... and name the backup migration

  3. Go to File » Open Backup Folder to open the backups folder

  4. Copy the file called migration.fro to your new computer

New Computer

  1. Start Fanurio on your new computer

  2. Go to File » Open Backup Folder to open the backups folder on the new computer

  3. Copy the migration.fro file to the backups folder on the new computer

  4. Go to File » Restore Backup... and choose migration from the list of backups

Once you complete these steps, the data from the old computer will be available on the new computer.

5.2.5. Syncing data between multiple computers

If you install Fanurio on two different computers (desktop and laptop) or two different platforms (Windows and Mac OS X), it's very likely you will want to keep your data synchronized. Here are some common situations:

  • If you do consulting work and you need to travel a lot, you may have a laptop and a desktop PC in your office. When you get back to the office, you may want to sync the desktop with the laptop.

  • You're a big Mac fan but unfortunately you have to do some of your work on Windows. You want to use Fanurio to track time while on Windows and then sync this information with the Mac.

This section explains how to synchronize your data between two computers. There are multiple ways to do it, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

A. USB stick

The first solution is also the easiest. Instead of installing Fanurio on two or more computers, install it on a USB stick. This will save you the trouble of synchronizing the data because it will always be kept on the stick.

Download the cross-platform version and follow these instructions to install it. The nice thing about the cross-platform version is that you can install it on a USB stick and then run it from there on any computer, whether it uses Windows, Linux or Mac OS X.

Tip

Use this method if you have to work on your client’s computer and you don’t want to install Fanurio there.

B. Shared folder (Dropbox)

If you run Fanurio on two computers that are not in the same network, you can share a folder using file synchronization software like Dropbox. Here's how to do this:

  1. Make sure you have Dropbox installed on all computers where you want to use Fanurio.

  2. In your Dropbox folder, create a folder called Fanurio with two subfolders: repository and backup.

  3. Start Fanurio on your first computer.

  4. Change the repository folder from File » Change Repository Folder... to point to the Dropbox repository folder created at step 2. Make sure you check the "Copy files to the new folder" box to copy existing files to the new location.

  5. Change the backup folder from File » Change Backup Folder... to point to the Dropbox backup folder created at step 2. Make sure you check the "Copy files to the new folder" box to copy existing files to the new location.

  6. Close Fanurio on your first computer.

    • Use File » Exit to close the application on Windows

    • Use Fanurio » Quit to close the application on Mac

    • Use File » Quit to close the application on Linux

  7. Start Fanurio on your second computer and repeat steps 4 and 5 without checking the "Copy files to the new folder" box. There are already some files in there so you don't need to copy them again from the second computer.

  8. Now both computers will keep their data in the Dropbox folder.

Dropbox will make sure that whenever you work on one computer, data will be synchronized on the second computer. Just remember not to run Fanurio on both computers at the same time as it cannot merge changes made at the same time.

Important

If you share the database folder between two computers, make sure you don't use it at the same time on both computers. The database doesn't support concurrent access.

Tip

Use this method if you can share a folder between two computers or two platforms (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux).

C. Backup transfer

The last solution and probably the less practical one is to create a backup on one computer and then restore it on the other. The main disadvantage is that you have to do this manually every time you switch computers otherwise they will be out of sync.

Read this section for more details on how to create and restore a backup.

Tip

Use this method only if you need to use a second computer from time to time otherwise there's too much overhead to create and restore the backup.

5.2.6. Exporting the log file

If you notice something unusual about Fanurio, you can always send us the log file. You can either locate it on disk or use the Export Log button from the About dialog.

When you export the log from the About dialog, Fanurio creates a file called fanurio.log.zip at a location you specify. It's recommended that you export it to Desktop so that you can locate it easier.

5.2.7. Changing settings manually

Warning: Changing settings manually should be done with care and only if it's absolutely necessary. In some situations (very very rare, maybe never), it's the only way Fanurio can be configured.

The settings are different from the actual data (like clients or projects) that users enter in the application. Settings refer to anything Fanurio must remember between successive runs like the position of the application window or the output folder for exported invoices, just to name a few.

Some settings can be changed from the application but others can only be changed by editing the settings file. By doing this, we keep the user interface simple to use and learn with only a few options.

Follow these steps to edit the settings file manually:

  1. Make sure Fanurio is not running

    • Use File » Exit to close the application on Windows

    • Use Fanurio » Quit to close the application on Mac

    • Use File » Quit to close the application on Linux

  2. Find the file fanurio.properties in:

    • C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\ on Windows

    • C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\ on Vista

    • ~/Library/Preferences/Fanurio/ on Mac OS X

    • ~/.fanurio on Linux

  3. Open it with a text editor

  4. Add, edit or remove the lines that contain the settings that you want to edit

  5. Save the file and close the editor

  6. Restart Fanurio

Example 5.1. Mini-timer size and coordinates

Fanurio uses the ui.window.mini.bounds setting to remember the size and location of the iTunes-like mini timer. If you want to reset this setting, you have to follow the above steps and delete the line that starts with ui.window.mini.bounds.


5.2.8. Translating to other languages

Fanurio keeps all translations in an archive called fanurio-i18n.zip.

You need this even if you create a brand new translation. The file fanurio_i18n.properties is the main file that contains the English translation of the application. The others contain translations of other languages and have a suffix of the form _ll_CC where ll is the language code and CC is the country code.

For instance, fanurio_i18n_fr_CA.properties represents the French translation for Canada while fanurio_i18n_en_CA.properties represents the English translation for Canada.

  1. Download fanurio-i18n.zip

  2. Extract the contents of the .zip archive somewhere on your computer (e.g. Desktop)

  3. Download PRBEditor and start it from your computer

    PRBEditor is an application that can help you translate Fanurio easier. Just in case you are wondering what PRB stands for, it means Property Resource Bundle and is a technical term that Java uses when dealing with *.properties files like the ones found in fanurio-i18n.zip.

    A *.properties file can also be edited using a plain text editor but it's a lot more work.

  4. Once PRBEditor starts, select Open resource file from the Welcome Form

  5. Locate fanurio_i18n.properties in the folder created at step 2

  6. Check the languages that you want to see in the Select Locales to Open dialog.

    If you want to translate to a language that's not displayed there, don't select anything.

  7. Select Locale > New Locale from the menu to add a new language.

    You don't have to do this if the language you want to translate to already exists. When adding a new locale, make sure you select one that includes both the language and the country, Greek (Greece) for instance and not just Greek.

  8. Click on a cell from your language column and type the translation to translate a key.

  9. When you're done, go to File > Save. It will save the language file in the folder created at step 2.

While using PRBEditor, you can press F4 to display the Statistics Form. It shows how many keys are translated.

If you choose to share your translation with other users, please send it to us so that we can make it public.

5.2.9. Installing a custom language file

Follow these steps to install a language file or to test a translation file that you created:

  1. Locate the user translations folder:

    • C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Fanurio\i18n on Windows Vista or Windows 7

    • C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data\Fanurio\i18n on Windows

    • ~/.fanurio/i18n on Linux

    • ~/Library/Application Support/Fanurio/i18n on Mac OS X

  2. Copy the language file to the translations folder. It can be the language file created above or any other language file from fanurio-i18n.zip.

  3. Start Fanurio

  4. Go to the Options/Preferences dialog

  5. Go to the Locale section

  6. Change the language and press Done

  7. Restart Fanurio

5.2.10. Password encryption

Fanurio encrypts the email password using your computer's id so that it cannot be decrypted anywhere else. In other words, if someone (our support team, for instance) has access to the configuration file where your email password is saved, they will not be able to decrypt it on other computers unless they know your computer's id.

Fanurio decrypts the password and uses it only when it needs to send an email, for instance when emailing invoices. If Fanurio fails to decrypt the password, it will ask you to reenter it. This is not supposed to happen but if it does, you should contact us.

Fanurio uses the MAC address to determine your computer's id.