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Discussion I deleted my sprite...

Monchan

Member
Please tell me GMS2 has some way I can recover a deleted sprite.

I've been working on a sprite animation for a bit and I accidentally deleted it thinking it was something else. Is there any way I can recover it? I tried Ctrl + Z to see if I can pop it back, but once it's gone I guess you can't.

I tried closing GMS2 afterwards to see if it would give me the prompt to save my progress, to which I would click "No", open it back up, and hopefully it would be there.

Needless to say it didn't give me the prompt, and it's not there anymore.

I'm just really frustrated and I need to know if there's any way I can my work back.

Thank you.
 

flyinian

Member
If its deleted its deleted for ever. As far as I know.
If you have more one save of your project, you should be able to go into the older file and retrieve that sprite if it exists.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
I don't think its their responsibility to make sure we don't accidently delete our assets. It is really OUR responsibility to always have backups, and to make sure we only delete what we should be deleting.

That said, I don't disagree with the idea of a recycle bin of sorts...but in the mean time, I guess you learn to be more careful.
 

Monchan

Member
Funny thing is this isn't the first time I've done this. :potato:

Yeah we could all learn to be more careful, but I'm rooting for a recycle bin. 👾
 

flyinian

Member
Funny thing is this isn't the first time I've done this. :potato:

Yeah we could all learn to be more careful, but I'm rooting for a recycle bin. 👾

For me, I don't delete anything right away. i'll place things that I plan to delete into a file in the IDE and once it gets full enough I'll go through it. Double checking everything, and confirming that I want to delete it before deleting. Possibly also making a backup save before any deletion occurs for an extra layer of safety net.
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
Funny thing is this isn't the first time I've done this. :potato:

Yeah we could all learn to be more careful, but I'm rooting for a recycle bin. 👾
I've done similar. I also have 3 types of backups though, an external drive(automated daily backups), a github repo, and its in a dropbox too...one local and two cloud backups.
 

rIKmAN

Member
You could also turn on the Confirmation Dialog in preferences so you have to click YES before it actually deleted the file, although this only helps if it's a selection mistake - not if you think you want to delete it and confirm the dialog but then realise later you didn't.

What flyinian said about moving things to a "BIN" folder and appending "_OLD" to the resource name so you can go through it later and double check things is a simple solution, but I'd advise learning to use Source Control sooner rather than later. It's literally free (BitBucket/Github) and prevents all these kind of accidents having any level of importance as you can just rollback (as long as you commit regularly).
 
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MissingNo.

Member
I honestly don't understand why there isn't simply a hotkey to create a backup of the project when used. Sure I can do this outside of the program by copy and pasting but I rather have a command
in the program for convenience.

This sort of thing seems like a no brainer and it's shocking nothing like this is included with the program by default.
 

samspade

Member
I honestly don't understand why there isn't simply a hotkey to create a backup of the project when used. Sure I can do this outside of the program by copy and pasting but I rather have a command
in the program for convenience.

This sort of thing seems like a no brainer and it's shocking nothing like this is included with the program by default.
There is. It's called source control, and once you hook it up there's a button that does exactly that (though I personally prefer to interact with it outside of GameMaker's interface).

To the original post, there is no way to get back a deleted sprite or object. It is possilbe that control z or undo would work if you did it immediately, I know it will bring back deleted events which are another thing you can't generally recover, but otherwise the answer is either manually duplicate your project folder or use source control.
 

MissingNo.

Member
There is. It's called source control
That is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about a function that simply saves to the directory of your choosing somewhere on your computer or another drive. Rather then needing to use a website or get
some sort of auto backup program or having to copy and paste it yourself.

It's baffling that something like that is not already in GMS2.
 

Evanski

Raccoon Lord
Forum Staff
Moderator
That is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about a function that simply saves to the directory of your choosing someone on your computer or another drive. Rather then needing to use a website or get
some sort of auto backup program or having to copy and paste it yourself.

It's baffling that something like that is not already in GMS2.
It's not a button and its not the best but, I made a windows batch file that makes a copy of your project folder for you
 

MissingNo.

Member
If you don't want to use Source Control then File > Export Project or press CTRL + E and save the .yyz somewhere.
Funny, I have used that before but I never thought to use it as a backup.

I suppose that isn't a terrible way to backup a project quickly, a little more finesse would be nice but at least it's something.
 

Roldy

Member
That is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about a function that simply saves to the directory of your choosing somewhere on your computer or another drive. Rather then needing to use a website or get
some sort of auto backup program or having to copy and paste it yourself.

It's baffling that something like that is not already in GMS2.
It is not baffling. The feature you want is already included: File Menu -> Save Project As. Will let you save a new copy of the project anywhere you want.

However, It is not the purpose of GMS to be 'backup software.'

Unity, Unreal, Photoshop, Audition, Visual Studio, Word, etc... pretty much no authoring software has a button to 'make a backup.' It is not a standard feature, because all the developers of those software understand there is specialized software for making backups. The best you can hope for is they have integrated support for backup software and VCS software, which GMS2 has with integrated support for git.
 

MissingNo.

Member
It is not baffling. The feature you want is already included: File Menu -> Save Project As. Will let you save a new copy of the project anywhere you want.
This is a bit of a redundant comment as I already acknowledged that in my previous post. rIKmAN already made me aware. Honestly it's a bit silly I didn't realize that before considering I have used
"export project" before to share my project files with others. It just never occurred to me to use it for backups.

Unity, Unreal, Photoshop, Audition, Visual Studio, Word, etc... pretty much no authoring software has a button to 'make a backup.
Honestly this means very little. For one Game Maker is aimed at beginners and as such I think it's unreasonable for beginners to be expected to use 3rd party software or online websites to make backups.
I'm not knocking git or auto backup programs, those options are great, I just think its unreasonable for software who's main audience is beginners to be expected to use 3rd party options.
Just as a bit of a disclaimer though I'm not criticizing GMS2 at this point, as rIKmAN has made it clear that a way to make manual backups within the program already exists.
So as far as I'm concerned GMS2 is doing what it needs to.

As for my second point, those programs you mention (except for maybe Unity) are used by more seasoned developers that have a much firmer grasp on things and wouldn't want or need a feature like that.
Although honestly those programs should have a feature to do that still because why not? I wouldn't think implementing a command that basically amounts to copy and paste is hard or time consuming.

As for my third point, Game Maker already had this feature in many previous versions, so to suddenly have a new version remove a way to manually make a backup would be silly.
Especially for a program aimed at beginners.
 

MissingNo.

Member
This is the question you should focus on.
Are you saying why not use git? I'm not saying don't use it, just some people might not want to resort to backing up things online or through the use of another program.

Hope that is what you meant, if you were making some other point then you will have to elaborate.
 

Roldy

Member
Are you saying why not use git? I'm not saying don't use it, just some people might not want to resort to backing up things online or through the use of another program.
There is no other way of 'backing up.' You either backup your data to another media at another site, or you are not backing up anything. What you are doing is called Not Backing up. That is why there isn't a 'Make a backup' button that just performs 'File-> Save As', like you proposed.

As for my second point, those programs you mention (except for maybe Unity) are used by more seasoned developers

Word, Excell, or MS Paint aren't for 'seasoned developers.' And none of them have a 'Make a backup' button. Just like virtually no other software does either. But they do have File -> Save As. And the OS will let you copy and paste files and folders all day long. Neither of which are considered 'making backups.'

I wouldn't think implementing a command that basically amounts to copy and paste is hard or time consuming.
Exactly. How many options do you want to do the same thing or more. You can:

  • Copy and Paste in the OS
  • File->Save As
  • Export
  • Windows File History or OSX Time Machine
  • A 3rd Party Backup service
  • Version Control
  • Etc...
Hope that is what you meant, if you were making some other point then you will have to elaborate.
With all those options you think it is 'unreasonable' and 'baffling' that there isn't one more option for you. Or are these too time consuming for you that you need someone to waste time making a feature that already exist, in numerous ways in and out of the GMS.
 
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TsukaYuriko

☄️
Forum Staff
Moderator
As for my second point, those programs you mention (except for maybe Unity) are used by more seasoned developers that have a much firmer grasp on things and wouldn't want or need a feature like that.
Although honestly those programs should have a feature to do that still because why not? I wouldn't think implementing a command that basically amounts to copy and paste is hard or time consuming.
Whether something is hard or time consuming isn't all there is to deciding whether a feature should be added to a product or not.

Implementing such a thing isn't as much "fire and forget" as it may appear to be. Whenever you implement a feature, you also implement the need for maintenance and support. If this feature was as dead simple as you described, chances are high that those who use it will eventually wish that it could do more. As a result, they might file support tickets, which need to be handled by support staff, might be forwarded to the developers, and who knows, maybe they'll even implement a bit more than what was originally planned. Otherwise, it still takes time out of someone's day to discuss whether the suggestion should be listened to or ignored.

That would mean that the super simple copy and paste just turned into something that most likely took more than a day or two to discuss, implement and support.

If these suggestions all get turned down and the feature remains as just a basic copy & paste, which still has to have graceful error handling in case the program lacks permissions to write to a certain directory, or the user lacks them, or there's no space on the storage drive... this may leave a bad impression of the developer, as they are not listening to improvement suggestions of a feature that is obviously lacking. Now the addition of such a simple feature has led to damaging the company's image.

None of the outcomes above are desirable for the developer, the product or its community as a whole, and these are just a few examples of the side effects of sloppily implemented, badly maintained and close to irrelevant features. Using the proper tools for the job, rather than a low-effort reinvented wheel, should take precedence over convenience for a limited subset of users.


@Monchan: Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, your only hope to get it back at this point is file recovery software. Due to the nature of file deletions, the more you've used your storage drive in between the deletion and now, the lower the chance of successful recovery... but it's there.
 

MissingNo.

Member
What you are doing is called Not Backing up. That is why there isn't a 'Make a backup' button.
Copy and pasted from Merriam Webster:
: to make a copy of (a computer file or data) to protect against accidental loss or corruption
You may have your own version of what a backup is but for me a backup is simply a copy of a file. It can be argued which "backup" method is better for example: online, remote drive or simply a file duplicate on the same drive.
But I'm not saying any one of those methods are better or worse. I'm simply saying a file copy regardless of where you put it, qualifies as a backup to me. It's fine if you think otherwise, I don't.

Also the GMS2 manual considers "File > Export Project" as good for making "backups"


Now I think there has been a little confusion, I'm not saying there should be another button. "File > Export Project" is perfect. I am merely arguing that NOT having that is terrible.

See originally I thought that wasn't an option:
Funny, I have used that before but I never thought to use it as a backup.
That is my response to rIKmAN when he pointed out such a feature already exists.

Once rIKmAN responded I realized I was wrong and that I had exactly what I wanted right there all along. But then Roldy responded I guess thinking I wanted yet another command/button on top of export.
Which I don't. I wanted what was already there in the first place.
I just simply never really considered it for backups. Which is silly of me, I know, but I think that is what led to this confusion.

Sorry @Roldy, I thought you were arguing against Game Maker from even having a "file save as" feature or a "file export" feature in the first place.
 
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curato

Member
you could try and undelete tool or if you had shadow copy turned on in windows it will let you recover the file. Also, I have see some cases where I delete something in the gui but the actual file is still in the folder, probably not, but worth a look.
 

FrostyCat

Redemption Seeker
Honestly this means very little. For one Game Maker is aimed at beginners and as such I think it's unreasonable for beginners to be expected to use 3rd party software or online websites to make backups.
I'm not knocking git or auto backup programs, those options are great, I just think its unreasonable for software who's main audience is beginners to be expected to use 3rd party options.
Just as a bit of a disclaimer though I'm not criticizing GMS2 at this point, as rIKmAN has made it clear that a way to make manual backups within the program already exists.
So as far as I'm concerned GMS2 is doing what it needs to.

As for my second point, those programs you mention (except for maybe Unity) are used by more seasoned developers that have a much firmer grasp on things and wouldn't want or need a feature like that.
Although honestly those programs should have a feature to do that still because why not? I wouldn't think implementing a command that basically amounts to copy and paste is hard or time consuming.

As for my third point, Game Maker already had this feature in many previous versions, so to suddenly have a new version remove a way to manually make a backup would be silly.
Especially for a program aimed at beginners.
Recycling bins and automatic backups get in the way of experienced usage of GMS 2, while only facilitating inexperienced usage for a short run. Bending over backwards just to appease rookies who won't learn to do things properly is a bad idea in the long term, and YoYo is starting to realize that.

I don't want or need a recycling bin in the file format when I have source control set up. I can already revert at will if I commit frequently enough, and the bin itself becomes a source of conflict when merging branches or pulling work that someone else has done, as well a source for unintentional changes when committing.

As for automatic copies, this strategy only works for very small projects. For production-level projects, automatic full backups add so much extra time to saves and runs (at least several full minutes by some testimonials), learning to use source control is the only way to mitigate the delay and still maintain project integrity. Automatic full backups also result in silent multi-GB-sized hoards, which YoYo has gotten support tickets for. This is why full backups are now completely manual, either with Save As or Export Project.

There used to be an auto-backup option and a soft version of the recycling bin in GMS 1.4 (keep files in tree after deleting). Experienced users always had to shut both down to compile at a reasonal pace and get source control to track stuff right.

Are you saying why not use git? I'm not saying don't use it, just some people might not want to resort to backing up things online or through the use of another program.
There is a copy of Git already shipping with GMS 2, so it's not really "another program" anymore.

And Git does NOT always mean online, I've been using local Git repositories and remotes on thumb drives for projects not intended to go public. This myth that you absolutely need a GitHub or BitBucket account to use Git is popular but patently false.

Now I think there has been a little confusion, I'm not saying there should be another button. "File > Export Project" is perfect. I am merely arguing that NOT having that is terrible.
That option can be accessed using Ctrl+E, so there's your backup key if you decide to use it as such.
 

MissingNo.

Member
Recycling bins and automatic backups get in the way of experienced usage of GMS 2, while only facilitating inexperienced usage for a short run. Bending over backwards just to appease rookies who won't learn to do things properly is a bad idea in the long term, and YoYo is starting to realize that.

I don't want or need a recycling bin in the file format when I have source control set up. I can already revert at will if I commit frequently enough, and the bin itself becomes a source of conflict when merging branches or pulling work that someone else has done, as well a source for unintentional changes when committing.

As for automatic copies, this strategy only works for very small projects. For production-level projects, automatic full backups add so much extra time to saves and runs (at least several full minutes by some testimonials), learning to use source control is the only way to mitigate the delay and still maintain project integrity. Automatic full backups also result in silent multi-GB-sized hoards, which YoYo has gotten support tickets for. This is why full backups are now completely manual, either with Save As or Export Project.

There used to be an auto-backup option and a soft version of the recycling bin in GMS 1.4 (keep files in tree after deleting). Experienced users always had to shut both down to compile at a reasonal pace and get source control to track stuff right.
Yeah I wasn't arguing for auto backups or anything else, I was arguing for a feature that already existed. I was confused by Roldys reply. I thought he meant there doesn't even need to be a export project option or a save as feature.
Which he didn't mean that.

This myth that you absolutely need a GitHub or BitBucket account to use Git is popular but patently false.
Good to know, I didn't know that.

That option can be accessed using Ctrl+E, so there's your backup key if you decide to use it as such.
Yeah I realize that after rIKmAN responded. My initial confusion is what led to more confusion. It's a mess.

To make myself clear for everyone, I was criticizing GMS2 for not having something that it already has. By the time rIKmAN responded I realized how silly I was.
But then Roldy responded thinking I wanted even more than that and then I responded thinking he meant something else.

In short: it's a big mess.

I apologize to @Roldy and @TsukaYuriko for my confusion leading them to making lengthy responses to a argument I wasn't trying to make.
 
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