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[Feedback] Please don't use AppData for Notebooks.


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My computer recently experienced an OS failure, and unfortunately as part of the System Restore all programs were uninstalled. When I came around to reinstalling Evernote, I was dismayed to find all my local notebooks had been lost, as AppData was, understandably, wiped during the System Restore.

Therefore, this is simply a request to the developers, please don't store Notebooks in a system location that is meant to be used for program settings and temporary files. Other programs that I've used which store their important data in Documents, or a similar location, I had back to a previous functional state in minutes. However, now that I've lost the vast majority of my Evernote notebooks I will probably move onto a platform that stores its data sensibly.

A shame, up to this point I had really enjoyed Evernote as a lightweight alternative to OneNote.

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2 hours ago, LeftRight92 said:

My computer recently experienced an OS failure, and unfortunately as part of the System Restore all programs were uninstalled. When I came around to reinstalling Evernote, I was dismayed to find all my local notebooks had been lost, as AppData was, understandably, wiped during the System Restore.

Therefore, this is simply a request to the developers, please don't store Notebooks in a system location that is meant to be used for program settings and temporary files. Other programs that I've used which store their important data in Documents, or a similar location, I had back to a previous functional state in minutes. However, now that I've lost the vast majority of my Evernote notebooks I will probably move onto a platform that stores its data sensibly.

A shame, up to this point I had really enjoyed Evernote as a lightweight alternative to OneNote.

I'm pretty sure that the database file is stored in AppData by default because Evernote considers the database to only be a cache file of the files in the cloud. But if you want you can easily move the default location on the first tab in options. It might be more relevant to those who use local notebooks.

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Interesting note: what Microsoft says about AppData: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/app-settings/store-and-retrieve-app-data. Seems to accord with LeftRight92. Since desktop users are allowed to have local, non-synched notebooks, it doesn't seem quite correct to treat the database that holds these notebooks as a transient bit of data by default. Even further, the article claims that if you uninstall an application, then its APPDATA will also be removed. I don't know whether that holds true for Evernote, but that's scary. Yes, you can move the database, but the implications of AppData and local files may not be immediately evident to most users, and traps abound.

The money quote:

*Important note about app data: *The lifetime of the app data is tied to the lifetime of the app. If the app is removed, all of the app data will be lost as a consequence. Don't use app data to store user data or anything that users might perceive as valuable and irreplaceable. We recommend that the user's libraries and Microsoft OneDrive be used to store this sort of information. App data is ideal for storing app-specific user preferences, settings, and favorites.

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3 hours ago, LeftRight92 said:

My computer recently experienced an OS failure, and unfortunately as part of the System Restore all programs were uninstalled. When I came around to reinstalling Evernote, I was dismayed to find all my local notebooks had been lost, as AppData was, understandably, wiped during the System Restore.

Therefore, this is simply a request to the developers, please don't store Notebooks in a system location that is meant to be used for program settings and temporary files. Other programs that I've used which store their important data in Documents, or a similar location, I had back to a previous functional state in minutes. However, now that I've lost the vast majority of my Evernote notebooks I will probably move onto a platform that stores its data sensibly.

A shame, up to this point I had really enjoyed Evernote as a lightweight alternative to OneNote.

Wow, this is an excellent point. It's one I hadn't ever considered because I am in the habit of moving all data including the EN database to the 'My Documents' folder, and moving the 'My Documents' folder off of the operating system partition. 

But as @jefito notes, this requires a bit of technical knowledge and sophistication that a product that appeals to a very broad user base should not assume of its users.

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6 hours ago, LeftRight92 said:

My computer recently experienced an OS failure, and unfortunately as part of the System Restore all programs were uninstalled. When I came around to reinstalling Evernote, I was dismayed to find all my local notebooks had been lost, as AppData was, understandably, wiped during the System Restore.

It's great that you've submitted this request to address this

I would also think that anyone with local notebooks should have a backup process in place.
I would want this in case of hardware crashes, or to restore accidental note changes/deletions

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