ALL substitution lists are GONE!

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Open firefox.
2. Go to a site with a substitution list, discovering list inactive.
3. Open "FoxReplace Options...", find NOTHING.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
Expected to see the many lists I've compiled over a lengthy time (at least 1+ 
year, maybe 2).
Ended up seeing no lists. Zero.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
FoxReplace 0.13.0
OS: Windows 7 (32-bit)
Browser: Firefox, version 13.0.1

Please provide any additional information below.
Just started my browser after logging in for the first time today, and all was 
gone.
Yesterday, it worked fine. In fact, I even added a list or two yesterday (I 
like to translate sites that would otherwise interest me).
I've translated Roman/Latin (Hungarian, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, 
Russian, Polish) and CJKV (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) languages. Yesterday, 
though, I added a sub. list for a site in Persian (which worked during that 
session). That's the only thing different I did.

All the substitution lists must be stored SOMEwhere on my hard drive, but 
where, and in what format?
I can't lose all that work...

Original issue reported on code.google.com by o.BenHar...@gmail.com on 5 Jul 2012 at 7:47

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I just noticed in my Add-ons menu that FoxReplace upgraded *yesterday*, the 
last day I saw my lists. Did it download the upgrade during that session, and 
wait for an exit/restart to apply it, meaning I wouldn't use that version until 
today?

Original comment by o.BenHar...@gmail.com on 5 Jul 2012 at 7:50

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hi, v0.13.0 had two bugs (issue 70, issue 71), that are the probable cause of 
this problem. Yesterday I removed that version from addons.mozilla.org to stop 
its distribution to more users, and today I have uploaded a new version.

Your substitution list should not have disapperared, just changed its format to 
the one in the new version.

First of all you have to install the new version from here: 
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/foxreplace/versions/0.13.1 . Then, 
hopefully you should see your list again. If not, there are still some 
possibilities to recover it.

Tell me if with this step you see your list again. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Original comment by marc.r...@gmail.com on 5 Jul 2012 at 10:54

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Installed 0.13.1 from your link, restarted, checked "Add-ons", verified I was 
now using 0.13.1, and all my lists are still gone.

Any further ideas?
Also, where are the lists stored on my drive; and in what format?

Thanks for the speedy response.

Original comment by o.BenHar...@gmail.com on 5 Jul 2012 at 11:38

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Well, then that's bad news but you can still recover a previous version, 
hopefully. Windows 7, by default, stores a few previous versions of some files 
(http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Previous-versions-of-files-frequent
ly-asked-questions), and my idea is to recover the list from one of those 
previous versions.

0. Have Firefox closed (copy this instructions to Notepad or something)
1. Open Windows Explorer and open the following path: 
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
2. Here there must be your profile folder, named xxxxxxxxxx.default
3. Inside it there is the preferences file, prefs.js
4. Right click on it and select "Properties"
5. There should be a tab named "Previous Versions", like in this picture: 
http://res1.windows.microsoft.com/resbox/en/Windows%207/main/1febb176-70a8-4ea2-
b8f4-3cf1d98fa8e8_45.jpg
6. Open the most recent previous version and search for the string 
"extensions.foxreplace.substitutionListXml". If you don't find it try with the 
next most recent previous version.
7. If you find it, it will contain the full substitution list you had at that 
time. Copy the entire line, open the current version of prefs.js and paste it 
at the end; make sure "extensions.foxreplace.substitutionListXml" is not found 
anywhere else, only in your pasted line; save and close the file.
8. Open Firefox and check that the substitution list has been correctly 
restored.

I hope that this works, because it's my last resort :S

Original comment by marc.r...@gmail.com on 6 Jul 2012 at 8:59

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Have you been able to recover your substitution list?

Original comment by marc.r...@gmail.com on 7 Jul 2012 at 4:26

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Weirdly, the method didn't quite work.

When I went to open the older version (and later, even the current version), I 
was met with an "Invalid character" error:
http://i.imgur.com/9Fz9s.jpg
I assumed the characters in question were the foreign language ones that, to be 
seen, had to be saved in a unicode format, so I opened them in Notepad++ 
without a hitch.
Unfortunately, neither the older nor current version had the line in question, 
BUT...

In the folder, just beneath "prefs.js", was a file called "prefs.js.lpbak", 
last modified July 2nd. I changed the extension, opened it in N++, and there it 
was, all the changes I'd made, including ones made *after* July 2nd.
I opened copied/pasted the line into prefs.js just before the line 
"extensions.foxreplace.substitutionListJSON", saved, opened firefox, all the 
lists were back, then went to re-open prefs.js, and found that the *JSON and 
*Xml lines had been merged, with the *Xml line prefix taken out.

It works, nothing is lost, and I made a backup in case something like this 
happens.

Thanks for the help, all is well again!

Original comment by o.BenHar...@gmail.com on 7 Jul 2012 at 7:25

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Well, I don't know where that prefs.js.lpbak file has come from, but I'm happy 
you could recover the list.

Original comment by marc.r...@gmail.com on 7 Jul 2012 at 9:19

• Changed state: Done

[GoogleCodeExporter]

[deleted comment]

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Maybe creating a auto-backup feature (like creating a .bak file) could be 
included in the future?

If it weren't for that .bak, I would have *literally* been lost on some of 
those sites. All the road signs in a language you don't even remotely 
understand is a pain, and finding FoxReplace in the first place was a godsend.

Thanks again, guys.
If not for the prefs.js backup (which FoxReplace may not have made?), then just 
for the add-on itself, and for the EXTREMELY quick, helpful, and sincere 
responses to the (two?) problems I've posted about in my year(s) of use.

Original comment by o.BenHar...@gmail.com on 8 Jul 2012 at 6:36

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I think the auto-backup feature is very out of scope for my extension, but I 
can recommend you an extension that I use and is called FEBE, and which I think 
is what you are looking for. It can create backups of the entire Firefox 
profile (or just the selected parts) and can be programmed to do regular 
backups. You can get it here: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/febe/

Original comment by marc.r...@gmail.com on 9 Jul 2012 at 1:12