FreeOffice: These functions are not available in this form in SoftMaker FreeOffice. Only simple backups can be made here, and this setting can be found on the Files tab.
If desired, PlanMaker creates a backup copy of the previous version of the document each time the document is saved. You can even instruct the program to automatically take "snapshots" of the document at regular intervals while you're working on it (similar to the common Auto-Recover function). You can also access these snapshot versions later even if you have not saved the document manually using the command File | Save.
The settings for this can be found on the Backup tab in the dialog box of the command File | Options 
. Select here whether and how file backups are to be created:
▪Keep older versions of the document (if you save a file manually)
| Several generations of file backups are created for each document. All of these copies are stored in a special Backup folder. |
| Tip: If this option is selected, the command File | Versions  (in the group File management) is also available and can be used to easily return to a previous file version of the document that is currently open (see below). |
| Use the Number of versions to keep field to specify the maximum number of versions of backups (generations) to be kept per document. |
▪Automatically created file versions ("snapshots")
| If you want automatic "snapshots" to be created as an additional backup while the document is being edited, enable the checkbox here. In the dropdown field to the right, you specify the interval at which the snapshots are to be taken regularly. |
| In the dropdown field below, enter the maximum number of snapshots you want to save. |
▪Folder for file versions
| Here, you can change the path for the Backup folder in which all backups are stored. |
▪"Clean up" button
| This button provides the following two commands for deleting backups: |
| Delete orphaned file versions removes all file backups for which the corresponding original document no longer exists. |
| Delete file versions of all documents removes all file backups in the folder for file versions. |
How do I use the command "File | Versions"?
If you enable the creation of file backups (see above), all backups end up in a special Backup folder. This folder is managed automatically by the program. We do not recommend that you manually move or rename the files in this folder.
To return to a previous version of a document, you don't need to be interested in this folder at all – as there is a separate command for it: File | Versions.
You can use this command to revert to a previous version of a document as follows:
| 1. | Open the desired document (if it is not already open). |
| 2. | Choose the ribbon command File | group File management | Versions . (Click directly on the icon itself to open the version manager.) |
Tip: You can proceed even faster by clicking on the icon's arrow for the dropdown menu instead of on the icon itself. The available backups are listed here. Restore the desired version by clicking on the version entry – this will open the version in a new document window.
However, the icon 
to the right of it will open the version in the current document window. (Warning: This will overwrite the currently open document with an older version.)
| If you click on the small black arrow of the Versions icon and select the entry File versions in the menu that appears, you will reach the version manager, which will provide you with additional details for a better overview. For more information, see the following steps 3. and 4. |
| 3. | Version manager: The program displays a dialog box that lists all available backups for the current document. Use the dates and times to find and select the version that you want to restore. You can use the Preview button to display a preview of the selected version. |
| The version manager list shows that a backup for the Test.pmdx file might be called Test.pmdx.135.pmbak, for example. Thus, a sequential number and the extension .pmbak are always appended to the file name (and an "s" is also inserted into the sequential number for snapshots). |
| 4. | If you click on the Restore button, the selected previous version of the document will be restored in the current window. |
Warning: The currently open document is now replaced by the selected previous version. So if you save it now, you're overwriting the current version with an older version!
| Alternatively, you can also click on the Open as copy button. This opens the selected file version in a new document window (instead of replacing the document in the current window). This is useful if you want to compare the current version with an older version. |
What should I do if I lose the original file?
The aforementioned procedure only works if the original document is still available. What should you do if the original file has been lost, for example, because it was accidentally deleted?
Even in this case, you can still access the backup copies of this document (unless they have been deleted as well). Simply open the backup copy itself.
You can see where the backups are in the dialog box of File | Options . On the Backup tab, the file path is displayed below in the Folder for file versions field. By default, this is a folder called Backup within the SoftMaker folder.
When you open a backup from this folder in your file browser, PlanMaker immediately starts to open the file. The procedure is as follows:
| 1. | In your file browser (for example, Windows Explorer), navigate to the Backup folder. |
| 2. | In this folder, search for files whose name starts with the name of the original file. A backup for the Test.pmdx file might be called Test.pmdx.135.prbak, for example. Thus, a sequential number and the extension .pmbak are always appended to the file name (and an "s" is also inserted into the sequential number for snapshots). |
| Tip: The higher the sequential number in the file name, the more recent the file version. |
| 3. | In the file browser, double-click on the file version that you want to open. |
| 4. | PlanMaker detects that you are trying to open a backup and asks you what you would like to do now. It displays a dialog box with the following options: |
| Open the backup file: This option opens the selected file version. |
| Invoke the version manager: This option opens the version manager like the command File | group File management | Versions. This then offers all available earlier versions of the original document for selection. For more information on using this command, see above. |
| Open the original file: This option opens the original file for this file backup. (Of course, this only works if the original file still exists.) |
| 5. | Make your choice, and then click on OK. |
Once again, please note that PlanMaker automatically creates and manages the files in the Backup folder. Thus, you should not make any manual changes to these files, such as renaming or moving the files.
If you need more space on the disk, you can delete all files in this folder at any time, but then you will lose all file backups as a result.