Saving, Autosave, and Recovery

Common Cents is built to reduce accidental data loss, but it still helps to know which changes are being written to your file, which ones are only in a working copy, and what to do when something feels off.

How autosave works #

When your current file has a real save target, Common Cents saves in the background while you work. It does this after a short pause and also on a repeating timer during longer sessions. In the header, the File menu includes a status light so you can tell whether the current file is saved or still has changes waiting to be written.

In normal day-to-day use, that means you do not need to hit Save after every single edit.

If you still want to manually save your file, you can do so from the File menu, with Cmd/Ctrl + S, or by using the Actions Combo Palette.

The File menu is the main place for file actions #

The header now uses a File menu instead of a separate Save button.

Use it when you need quick access to the current file without opening Settings first.

The common actions there are:

• New/Open to create a file or load another one
• Save to write pending changes immediately when saving is available
• Save As to create a new working .cents file and switch to it
• Create Backup to write an extra .cents copy without switching away from the current file
• Export actions for CSV-style outputs
• Auto-load this file to control whether the current bound file reopens on startup

The File menu label also shows which file is currently loaded, so it doubles as both file status and file actions.

Undo and redo are for recent mistakes #

Undo and redo are useful when you catch a mistake quickly and want to step backward or forward through recent changes. It is not version history nor does it persist between app reloads. You can only undo or redo changes made in your current session.

You trigger undo and redo in 3 different ways:

• Use the Undo and Redo buttons in the top right of the app
• Use Command + Z on macOS or Control + Z on Windows and Linux to undo. Use Command + Shift + Z or Control + Shift + Z to redo.
• You can also run Undo and Redo from the Combo Palette.

Use Save As or Create a Backup when you want a second file #

If you want another copy of your current data, use the File / Export settings page or the Combo Palette instead of relying on autosave alone.

• Use Save As when you want to keep working in a newly named .cents file. This writes the current data to the new file and makes that new file your active document.
• Use Create a Backup when you want an extra .cents copy for safekeeping but want to keep the current document exactly where it is.

This is useful before major imports, cleanup sessions, or any change where you want a clear checkpoint file.

Data Recovery #

If something happens to your .cents file you may still be able to recover your data. If the Recover Data button is available on the Start Screen that means that the app still has your data stored in the browser. If you click this button you will be able to save that data to a new .cents file.

Next in Getting Started: Navigation Basics.