The way the new versions-feature works is actually too magical for me. For sake of control I want at least to know, where all those old versions of documents are actually stored on my harddisk. With that knowledge perhaps further questions like how to delete old versions become redundant.
There's some information about Versions here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4753
I think the older versions are all stored in the same file as the main version - it only stores the differences, not a complete new copy.
Regards,
Colin R.
I suspect it's somewhere in a library like with timemachine. And probally not something you can get into and mess with. It's very easy to delete an old version, just call it up in the timemachine-like display and click in the version options area, then just delete it. so simple, it's like magic!
Unfortunately no technical background-information there.
added a screen shot for ya. it has been interesting, as i could not find any of this in the help file, i just had to hunt and peck to figure out versioning, but as a testament to the interface design, i was able to do in a few minutes and just ONE post here in the forum. love it. thank you apple.
Ah, if it's technical info you're after then you might want to start digging around in here:
In particular the section on Automatic Document Saving and Versioning
Regards,
Colin R.
The versions are directly saved in the file.
If you open up versions in the file you can directly delete them.
Interesting. They mention the new class NSFileVersion, but a reference page for it doesn't exists right now (at least I can not find it).
If it would be as simple as that, then the file-size would grow as more versions are created and if I would for example send a file by email or copy it onto an usb-stick, all versions would be copied, too. But both isn't true. The versions must be hidden in some strange place on the harddisk.
yep, ur right. my dream of distributing versions of documents all in one file are dashed. When you copy a versioned document to another machine you get this:
And guess what - there was a message initially where the "No previous..." is that said, and get this, "Retrieving versions from TimeMachine." So that's how they are doing it folks.
Implications? Smoke and mirrors or true innovation?
No, versions also works without having time-machine configured at all (= time-machine not enabled). So this is not the sought answer of my question.
But I don't think you see...they are using the underlying infrastructure of timemachine for versions. They just allow you to access backed up copies of your documents, which I hear has changed drastically in TM this release anyway, without you having to have TM turned on. It's a pretty smart trick. One interface for backups, and another for versions. Backups require massive storage space, while just documents wouldn't - hence the external drive requirment and TimeCapsule sales for TM.
When I use time-machine, I know there's a *.sparsebundle file on my external harddisk. So I have control, because I know where the data is. I could simply delete the that file, if I would like to get rid of it.
But when I use versions (without time-machine configured and any external harddisk attached to my Mac), I have no clue where the data actually is. So I don't have the kind of control I would like to have. You understand?
(Again: Versions doesn't need, in contrast to time-machine, an external harddisk to work. I know it, because I've tried it.)
I'm on a role now: imagine this, which I bet is now possible...
Smart folders that can be created to automagically version every document type stored there, so each time you open and close a file, versions are automatically created. Even if a document version is deleted in the present, it could still be there for the future.
Just a thought.
mrjazzycharon wrote:
The way the new versions-feature works is actually too magical for me. For sake of control I want at least to know, where all those old versions of documents are actually stored on my harddisk. With that knowledge perhaps further questions like how to delete old versions become redundant.
To come back to the original question: the modifications for each version are stored in a couple of SQLite databases in a hidden folder named DocumentRevisions-V100 in the root directory of your drive. It's accessible only by the root account so I suggest to stay out of it.
The main idea behind time-machine isn't versioning, but protection against disk failure. Hence the requirement of an external drive.
Where exactly are old versions of files stored on the harddisk?
