How does local storage work?

[JDCis 19]

So, I keep a copy of my Evernote content on my computer, which as you know can be set as an option in settings. I went into the directory folder today to take a look at this data, and I was surprised! I assumed that one of the things there would be copies of my notes in ENEX format, but there but it was a lot of other files and folders that were not really comprehensible, usable and don't map a all to the contents of my Evernote account.   

 

How exactly does local storage work? Is this local storage accessible only inside of Evernote? (So, like, not able to be accessed in other ways).

[PinkElephant 8,413]

It's a database. That's all you need to know - don't mess with it.

ENEX is the export format. These files are only created when you decide to export your data.

ENEX alone can't be used. You need to import them, into EN or one of the other apps supporting it.

[Grant837 123]

I will add that local storage does not equal universal offline access either.  If you log out of Evernote, rather than quit, you can not geto to your data until you are online again. 

It would be extremely cool if I could also login locally, if I happen to be logged out, when I am offline.  I would not need this often, if at all, but it would provide me with peace of mind, knowing I really always have access to this important database of my life...

[gazumped 11,838]

5 hours ago, Grant837 said:

I really always have access to this important database of my life...

I think that's what local backups are for.  If it were possible for users to log in while offline,  and a copy of your saved database files fell into someone else's hands,  they could have ample time to try defeating its security.  

[Grant837 123]

15 hours ago, gazumped said:

I think that's what local backups are for.  If it were possible for users to log in while offline,  and a copy of your saved database files fell into someone else's hands,  they could have ample time to try defeating its security.  

@gazumped I am not sure what you mean when you say that is what local backups are for?  Does some version of that allow me to access Evernote data when logged-out and offline?

Regarding security, I keep much more sensitive information on my PC than in Evernote.  That is what people even recommend - do not put the sensitive suff in Evernote.  I do not see why basic encryption and a password for a local login to use Evernote would be an added risk to my data.   I am responsible for protecting my PC data - which I do with the Windows tools to start with, and sensitive data is always stored in a password protected file. 

I find it more a risk that for some reason, Evernote servers, which are outside my control, are not accessible for a long period, or gone, and that I no longer can use my Evernote data. Keep in mind, I lot of the value of Evernote is the the structuring of the data, tags, and links.  So simple HTML dumps would still result in a loss of data/value. I need the app, and the data, always available offline, with local login (security).

Perhaps wishful thinking, but it seems like it would be an option that is useful for many, and so add value to Evernote (and its business) in general.  But this is just my view of life 😉

[gazumped 11,838]

52 minutes ago, Grant837 said:

I am not sure what you mean when you say that is what local backups are for?

You wanted to ensure that you "always have access to this important database of my life" - and backups will provide you with the basis for this - even if you have to import the content to another app to actually use it.  AFAIK Evernote still use Google servers for storage,  so "losing access" would require a Zombie Apocalypse - or at least a collapse of the internet. 

Requiring access to your data with all of Evernote's features though,  means running the app;  and doing that securely IMHO means having access to the constantly-updated and infinitely greater resources of an online server,  rather than your simple,  basic PC.

There still seem to be some hopeful individuals running Legacy on their own system,  which (again IMHO) seems to me to be like crossing Niagra on a tightrope - a sneeze couid ruin your day. 

It's equally possible to run v10 offline for a while - but I doubt there will ever be a 'stand-alone' option.

That's just my opinion though - who knows what Evernote has in store?

[mirayong 0]

Hi, thanks for the explanation I wanted to know too

[eric99 1,033]

On 5/19/2024 at 10:56 AM, Grant837 said:

Keep in mind, I lot of the value of Evernote is the the structuring of the data, tags, and links.  So simple HTML dumps would still result in a loss of data/value. I need the app, and the data, always available offline, with local login (security).

Perhaps wishful thinking, but it seems like it would be an option that is useful for many, and so add value to Evernote (and its business) in general.  But this is just my view of life 😉

Yeah, Evernote's html export is useless. That's the reason I've written html4ever, my own enex to html converter which shows even more note info than the evernote app itself (location address and corresponding google maps url). My project is currently private on GitHub, but I might consider making it public if there’s enough interest. In that case, I’ll need to further develop and refine it first.

[PinkElephant 8,413]

It’s far from useless, it just has one of these little bugs that survive an incredible amount of time because it seems solving them is below the pay grade of the devs.

An intern could fix it, but they are busy preparing the coffee, it seems.

[eric99 1,033]

1 hour ago, PinkElephant said:

It’s far from useless, it just has one of these little bugs that survive an incredible amount of time because it seems solving them is below the pay grade of the devs.

An intern could fix it, but they are busy preparing the coffee, it seems.

I wouldn't call it a little bug,  attachments and note links not functioning properly are critical issues, especially considering their significance in HTML

The issue with evernote devs is that they prioritize cosmetics over functionality. Instead of offering a robust native HTML URL, they start with fancy icons and buttons and then don't have the time or knowledge to finish it with a functional link underneath.

An empty note in evernote html takes  355 KB  (the same empty note converted by my html4ever takes 1KB only. The simple html is almost as readable as MD)

[PinkElephant 8,413]

The bug is little because it is only 1 character missing in the links.

Should be done between ramping up the dev machine and fetching the first coffee. „Should be“ means since nearly 4 years now.

[eric99 1,033]

2 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

The bug is little because it is only 1 character missing in the links.

Should be done between ramping up the dev machine and fetching the first coffee. „Should be“ means since nearly 4 years now.

then we are talking about a different bug, but I agree, it's not very difficult to fix it. As you know I reported it at the very beginning of V10.

[chutoi 1]

Hi, thanks for the explanation I wanted to know too.

 

192.168.1.1 192.168.100.1

[raimirezdotey 1]

Hi there,

Local storage in Evernote can be a bit confusing. Here’s how it works:

Proprietary Format:

Evernote stores your notes in a proprietary format. That's why you see different files and folders that don't seem to match your notes directly.

Access Within Evernote:

These files are designed to be accessed and managed only within the Evernote app. You won't be able to open them directly outside of Evernote.

Backing Up Notes:

If you want a readable backup, use the Export feature in Evernote to save your notes in ENEX or HTML format.

Offline Access:

The local storage ensures that you can access your notes offline and sync changes once you're back online.

Hope this helps clarify things!

[gazumped 11,838]

On 5/22/2024 at 5:14 PM, raimirezdotey said:

Hope this helps clarify things!

I love AI explanations...  that one is almost correct.  But you don't necessarily see 'files and folders' in the local storage - depends on your OS.  And backups need to be at Notebook level,  not  Note:  and ENEX is not human readable:  and offline access requires that you download your notes to the local device first and don't log out of the app... and there's more,  but I can't be bothered.

So please - don't post AI stuff here unless you are sure the content is correct.  Otherwise it will be deleted.

[rocky500 0]

On 5/19/2024 at 1:05 AM, gazumped said:

I think that's what local backups are for.  If it were possible for users to log in while offline,  and a copy of your saved database files fell into someone else's hands,  they could have ample time to try defeating its security.  

I switched a while ago away from Evernote as wanted something a bit more secure (encrypted notes etc). Wanted to put in all my sensitive info and passwords etc.

I also deleted all my evernote backups on my PC's from Evernote. The reason been was it seemed if someone got my PC, all they would have to do is import my backups into any other notetaking software that imports Evernote.

I did keep my very last backup but encrypted it with a password on my hard drive.

Has this changed with local backups at all lately or is this still like this?

[agsteele 3,011]

Nothing has changed. Note encryption isn't offered. The normal suggestion is to use an external encryption tool. I have successfully used Axcrypt and Saferoom but now more often encrypt the content in a PDF or Word document using the built in security.

As an aside, for passwords I and others would strongly recommend these not be stored in Evernote. Instead use a bespoke password manager. I use KeePass XC but there are many others available.

[PinkElephant 8,413]

@rocky500 if somebody who gets your computer can read out your drive, you don’t need to think about security: It sucks.

State of the art is a fully encrypted drive, protected by a security chip that does the encoding on the fly, a strong password and biometric access protection. It’s your responsibility to enable this.

EN is no password manager and should NOT be used for passwords, bank account access data, cryptocurrency wallets and the like.

[bmcl26 540]

All my sensitive information is in PDFs, which are password-protected.

[rocky500 0]

4 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

@rocky500 

State of the art is a fully encrypted drive, protected by a security chip that does the encoding on the fly, a strong password and biometric access protection. It’s your responsibility to enable this.

I would hazard a guess that over 99% on evernote users would not have this.

Hence I thought it might be worth mentioning as others might not realize that if someone gets your backup (by whatever means) , it is easy to load the data back up and access without needing passwords etc.

I like how my new software also encrypts the backups now on my PC.

 

4 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

@rocky500 

EN is no password manager and should NOT be used for passwords, bank account access data, cryptocurrency wallets and the like.

That is why I looked for another program to have easier access to all my info.

[Grant837 123]

On 5/22/2024 at 6:14 PM, raimirezdotey said:

Offline Access:

The local storage ensures that you can access your notes offline and sync changes once you're back online.

Not (entirely) true.  If you log out, you will have zero access to your content if you are offline.  This is wrong in my opinion. 

[Grant837 123]

On 5/19/2024 at 12:02 PM, gazumped said:

......

Requiring access to your data with all of Evernote's features though,  means running the app;  and doing that securely IMHO means having access to the constantly-updated and infinitely greater resources of an online server,  rather than your simple,  basic PC.

....

This is not really relevant, given if I am logged in, when I go offline, I can still access and edit my content.  So it still does not explain why being logged in before you go offline a requirement to access your data when you are offline

I can imagine its in part ease-of-implementation of good security, where the function to do so is based on a cloud server service, and not local.  Still, I am pretty sure they could implement a local login option that is secure, couldn´t they?  

I can accept this lack of access to my content from services that are totally online and make no such claim (Reddit, Facebook, etc), and not critical to my work and life, but given Evernote claims ´offline´ access to my ´second brain´ data and linkages, when its not entirely true, is misleading (and frustrating that it is not!)

[PinkElephant 8,413]

Very simple: The app authenticates the rightful access with the server. It can only perform this when connected.

The login is stored for times of offline use. If you log out, this access token is thrown away.

It is a protection for your data, and no issue because the stored login survives anything: You can quit the app, switch users, shut down the PC, whatever. Just don’t log out.