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The Manual Recovery Procedure is a re-index of the Fusion internal database and should be used if the auto-optimize feature fails to remedy your site issues

This article provides steps to be used on .nod files under the following conditions:

  • Version 4 and earlier .nod files migrated to the current version which are found to contain an instability
  • Version 5 and newer .nod files migrated to the current version which are found to contain an instability and not corrected by the auto-optimize feature
  • Any .nod files which would benefit from file validation and compaction and are having issues with the auto-optimize feature

If your site file is returning errors or crashing, or the site file is excessively large for any reason, your site file could benefit from the recovery procedure. If you have a 3.x or 4.x file you must first convert it to 7.0 format using the procedure "Converting your 3.x or 4.x file to 7.0 format".  If you already have a 5.0, MX, or 7.0 file, or you have a 3.x or 4.x file that you wish to recover in the 3.x or 4.x versions respectively, use the procedure outlined in steps 1 through 13


Converting a site from 3.x, 4.x , 5.0, MX, to 7.0 file format

Please be aware of the following known issue:

Components - most will import. However, if some do not, or if some import and do not function correctly, you will need to delete them and add them again.

If your files are in a 3.x or 4.x format they must be opened in 7.0 first to be converted into the 7.0 file format. You cannot perform the recovery procedure in 7.0 without first converting to a 7.0 format.  To convert a file to 7.0 format use the following procedure:

1. Open NetObjects Fusion 7.0.

2. From the File menu, choose Open Site, select your .nod file, and click Open.

3. A warning dialog asks if  you want to open a copy instead. Click Yes, enter a new name  for the .nod file, and save it to the same folder as the original .nod. Your site opens in NetObjects Fusion 7.0. It is now in 7.0 format.

If your file will not open using this procedure, this means that the file is not in a state such that it can be properly converted and may benefit from the recovery procedure in the earlier version of the product before being converted.  Substitute your previous version number for 7.0 in the recovery procedure. Once the file has been successfully recovered in the earlier version of NetObjects Fusion, attempt to convert your file to 7.0 format.


The Manual Recovery Procedure

Please be aware of the following known issue before you start:

Components - most will import. However, if some do not, or if some import and do not function correctly, you will be required to delete them and add them again.

To manually recover a 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, MX, or 7.0 site file:

  1. Make a new blank site. From the File menu, choose New Site --> Blank, enter a new name, and click Save.
  2. You will be in Site View and have a single page called Home.
  3. In Site view, from the File menu, choose Insert Template (in 3.x Import Template, in 4.x or above Insert Template)
  4. To see .nod files in the Import Template dialog, change Files of Type option to All Files. Select the nod file which is reporting or exhibiting instability.
  5. Click Open.  The file imports.

    Your site is now recovered (continue with steps 6 through 13).

    If your site experiences an error after step 4 and does not complete the import, this means that the file did not have enough valid information to be properly processed during the import.

    If the file is migrated forward from a previous version of NetObjects Fusion, try steps 1-4 in the version from which the file is from before converting the file to the 7.0 format.  Use the original copy of the file, not the converted 7.0 file, as 7.0 files cannot be opened in previous versions of NetObjects Fusion.

    If the file was already a 7.0 file but still experienced this problem, try steps 1-4 on any backup files which were saved prior to the current file. NetObjects Fusion automatically saves backups of your site files every time you close your file, unless you have disabled this preference.  By default these backups are kept in a directory called Backups located in the same folder as your site file.

    If the import was successful, the new site now has two Home pages. The second Home page is your site's original Home page. The top Home page is a new, blank Home page, from the blank site template used to create the new site.

    The following steps show you how to copy the contents of the second Home page to the first Home page, move all the second Home page's child pages under the first Home page, and then delete the extra Home page.  This restores your site's original structure.
     
  6. Click the second Home page from the top and go to Page view. Click in the MasterBorder to bring up General tab of the MasterBorder Properties palette. Note which MasterBorder was in use on this old Home page in the Name field, so that it can be assigned to the new Home page.
     
  7. Click the Layout area, and from the Edit menu, first choose Select All and then choose Copy to copy all the Layout's contents.  Return to Site view, then double click on the top Home page to go to Page View. Click in the upper left corner of the Layout area (not in the MasterBorder area) and from the Edit menu, choose Paste.  The content from the second Home page is pasted into the layout area of the top Home page.
     
  8. Assign the correct MasterBorder to your new Home page. Click in the MasterBorder and select the old Home page's MasterBorder from the drop down menu on the General tab.
     
  9. Return to Site view. Select one of the pages on the third level and drag and drop it next to the second Home page.  A red outline with an arrow points to the left or right of the second Home page when the drag is to be successful. The page becomes the sibling of the second Home page, and a child of the top Home page.  Repeat Step 9 for each page on the third level until all third level pages are at the second level.
     
  10. Once the second Home page has no children, click on it and press Delete, and confirm the deletion.  Your original site structure is restored.
     
  11. Go to Style view and set the style you want to apply to this site. If the style does not appear in the list, choose Style --> Add Style to List..., find and open the style's .ssf file, and it will be imported into the current file.
     
  12. Click on the style you wish to assign and click "Set Style."
     
  13.  You may now continue development on your site file.


More information about your recovered file:

If you find that site files are often reporting instabilities there are several techniques you can use to help prevent problems:

  1. Always run your site file from your local drive. Do not run the site file from a network drive or from a removable media drive.  NetObjects Fusion was not designed to properly track errors which might be incurred under these conditions.  If files are run under these conditions, the probability is increased that an error could be introduced.
     
  2. Make sure that you have enough resources available for the program. This means not only physical RAM, but also free drive space for virtual memory and other system resources. The two largest contributors to reduced resources are multiple programs run at the same time, and resource leaks in the programs which are running.  To help prevent low resource conditions, keep the total number of programs running at any one time to a minimum.  If you are not really using a particular program, close it down.  This frees up the resources it was using to be used by other programs.  Periodically shut down large programs which use lots of resources.  This includes most browsers, as well as NetObjects Fusion. Particularly resource intensive procedures include the following:

     a. Previewing the entire site frequently
     b. Publishing frequently
     c. Copying and pasting many elements at once, particularly linked elements or components.

    If you have been doing any of these, it is good to close the program down to free up system resources.
     
  3. Keep backups of your files.  NetObjects Fusion automatically provides backups. These preferences are controlled in the Edit --> Preferences menu under the Backup tab.  This allows you to set the total number of backups kept, as well as what naming convention to use and where to store the backups.  The default number of backups is four; however, a recommended number of backups to keep is ten.  The total number of backups kept will depend on your available disk space and level of paranoia. Another method by which to keep backups as well as archive your site is to Export the site as a Template.  This is covered on the gotFusion web site.
     
  4.  Make sure that compaction is left turned ON in your preferences. The compaction routine not only helps reduce site file size, but also performs an error check on the file.  If you ever experience an error or crash during the compaction procedure revert to a backup immediately.
     



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