Backup and import
What the backup is for
Your notes, comments and highlights live only on your device: they are not synced and they disappear with the extension. The backup lets you keep a copy in a file, to get them back after a reinstall or to move them to another browser or device.
It is in the Settings, in the collapsible “Backup” block, under “Reset settings to defaults”. It is manual (no automatic or scheduled backup), local (nothing is sent, no network request) and needs no extra permission.
Exporting your data
The “Export my data” button produces a file
scriptorium-YYYY-MM-DD.json, dated today. It contains:
- your 🔥, ❓ and 💬 notes, with the text of your comments;
- your highlights;
- your settings and your theme.
It contains neither your reading position nor any Bible text. The file is generated in your browser and handed to it like any download: it is placed in your downloads folder, or the browser asks you where to put it. A “File generated” window recalls its name and counts the notes of each type and the highlights of each color it contains.
The file is not encrypted: your comments can be read in it. Keep it as you would keep a personal notebook.
Importing a file
The “Import a file” button lets you choose a backup file. The extension reads it on your device (it is not uploaded), checks that it really is a Scriptorium backup, then opens an “Import this file?” window that shows what the import would change, in a table with three columns:
- Imported: added to your data;
- Merged: already present;
- Skipped: not added (note limit reached, or verse already highlighted in another color).
Nothing is written until you click “Import”. If everything in the file is already in your data, the window says so and the button is disabled; importing the same file twice therefore changes nothing.
How data is merged
The import merges the file with your current data; there is no “replace” mode. It deletes nothing, except to respect the number of notes allowed per verse.
- Notes: a note that is already present (same creation date, same type, same verses) is not duplicated. For a comment, the most recently modified version is kept.
- Limit per verse: if a verse goes over the number of notes allowed for a type, only the most recent ones are kept. This can remove older local notes; the window warns you before importing.
- Highlights: a verse that is not highlighted receives the file’s color; a highlight that is already present is never replaced, even if the file gives another color (your color is kept).
- Settings and theme: they are replaced by those of the file. A file created before a setting existed puts that setting back to its default value.
Notes are saved in the reference numbering, independent of the Bible on display: a file from another device needs no conversion. When the import is done, a message gives the actual counts: notes added, comments updated, notes removed and highlights added.
Files that are refused
The extension refuses, with a precise message, a file too large to be a backup (over 5 MB, which it does not even read), a file that is not valid JSON, a file that is not a Scriptorium backup, and a file from a more recent version of the extension (update it to import the file). An unreadable entry in a valid file is ignored and counted. If the notes or highlights already stored have an unexpected form, the import is refused so that nothing is overwritten.
Limits
- No automatic or scheduled backup, no sync between devices, no encryption;
- no choice by category: the file holds everything, and the import applies everything;
- the reading position is not exported.
Still unclear? Suggest an improvement to the docs.