Restoring a Radio weblog from HTML files

The worst-case scenario for new Radio webloggers is to delete the Radio UserLand installation folder or lose it in a crash without a backup.

Many new users believe that because their weblog is still on the Web, it can be easily restored from backup. Unfortunately, this is only true if the user has turned on nightly backups. Otherwise, there's no automated way to grab the entries from HTML Web pages and save the data in weblogData.root, the database in the Data Files folder where the entries and other weblog data are kept.

To help the publisher of the Patriotically Incorrect weblog, I'm working on a script that downloads all of a Radio weblog's Web pages and builds a new copy of weblogData.root. Though it's not ready for release yet, the script appeared to restore all 35 entries of that weblog correctly. If you know anyone trying to restore their Radio weblog with nothing but Web pages left for backup, tell them to contact me.

Radio Userland · Salon Blogs · 2003/06/14 · 11 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

I'm having some trouble getting it to recover material reliably, but I'm still working on it. The first thing I need, after you have reinstalled Radio and gotten past the "Welcome!" sign-up page, is a copy of your weblogData.root file.

#1 · Rogers Cadenhead · -1/11/30

Skip me for now. I'm chasing my own solution. Things work fine under OSX, but a reinstall and file copy on my OS9 iMac don't work.

#2 · Steve Kirks · -1/11/30

Thanks!

I've been bitten by this before. For me it was a change for a clean start, like a WikiFire , etc., and I could re-do old content based on google cache and wayback machine. (And, most notably, Phil sent me a backup of the server files.)

An interesting angle has that the only data on PyCS didn't delete after I re-upped w/ the same info, and at some point my new posts we're getting the comments from the previous round of posts.

Send me email if you'd like to experiment with this scenario on my site.

#3 · DeanG · 2003/06/14

Rogers,

I would like to be able to restore these pages to my radio weblog. I would be happy to bet test your script if you need someone to do it.

Regards,

Skip

#4 · Skip Dodson · 2003/07/11

Err I just lost 3 months of content because the backup of the data didnt work.

Please please help me out. I have all the html data but no weblogdata.root

#5 · Gavin Sheridan · 2003/07/11

Hi,

Left a comment elsewhere but not sure if you're monitoring that post. I just had a hard drive crash and also need to recover my blog, so if you'd like another tester... Thanks.

#6 · Harrison Brace · 2003/07/25

Rogers:

Add me to the list. I tried the Trackback beta and toasted my install. Here's a link to my weblogData.root:

http://houseofwarwick.com/weblogData.root

Steve

#7 · Steve Kirks · 2003/07/26

Thanks! Where should I send it? I don't see an email link on your page.

#8 · Harrison Brace · 2003/07/26

My e-mail is rogers at-sign cadenhead.org.

#9 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2003/07/28

Ah, thanks so much. I'll send when I get home later this evening.

#10 · Harrison Brace · 2003/07/29

Sent the file; hope you got it ok. It does not look as if I have any backup on my web site--I don't see the monthly rss file that's supposed to exist if you turn on the feature.

#11 · Harrison Brace · 2003/07/31