[Music Lover]

1. Can a Library Backup from a Windows version be used to Restore to an Android version regardless of the version number installed on either device

2. Can a Windows Library Backup done on a v3.8.32 installation be used to restore to a Windows installation version 3.8.34  ie. do you have to match the version number of the device for the backup and restore process

3. What about a Library sync, would there be aby issue when syncing between devices with different versions installed

[alternativepets]

I think Backup and Restore work the same between any device and version. I've done it with my library a few times to and from Android and iPad, and they might have been different sub-versions.

[Rey_a]

In regards to backups, I would expect that backups, made in older versions of MobileSheets will restore to newer versions of MS without problem.
The other way around is a bit more tricky. If new features have been added in the recent version of MS that require a change in the database, they will also require a change in the backup file. Then the  older version of MS may not be able to 'understand' that new backup file when asked to restore it.

Bottom line :
 I expect it to work all the time when restoring an older backup file to a newer version of MobileSheets
 I expect it to work most of the time but not always when trying to restore a newer backup file to an older version of MS. 
If you want to be sure, keep MS at the same version on all devices/platforms you want to exchange backup files with. The bigger the difference in versions between MS on the devices, the higher the risk will become.

No experience with library sync, but I guess the same logic will apply

Rudy

[Zubersoft]

Rudy is absolutely correct. The app will allow synchronization between different versions (and restoring backups between different versions) so long as the database has not changed between those two versions. When the database changes, it creates an incompatibility between versions so all devices have to update to be compatible again. 

Mike

[Music Lover]

Thanks for the info.  Is there a simple way that one can determine whether there is any changes to the database between different versions.  Can one assume that a change in the last number in the version ie. anything after the last "." would not have any database changes.  My thinking is take the latest 3.8.32 android version as an example, this version was released while the Windows version is still at 3.8.31.  Is it save to assume that a Library backup or Library sync from the Windows version 3.8.31 can be restored or sync properly on the android version 3.8.32 as I usually do all my updates and changes on the Windows versions and then sync it over to the android version.  If during the process some issue due to database incompatibility happens and the restore or sync have a problem, I may end up with a corrupted database in the newer version device and there is no way to go back so my android device will not be useable until Windows have released the identical version so I can do another backup and restore.  If there is some guidelines on this, then I may be able to determine what the risk is before doing the restore or library sync.

[Zubersoft]

A sync will never be allowed if there is an incompatibility - the application will warn you and prevent it. With a library restore, you can certainly run into more issues. MobileSheets does not check if the backup file contains an incompatible database. That's something I may have to fix at some point. I will try to make sure I include information in the release notes if the database changes. I try to change it as little as possible (it's been a long time since I modified it). Also, when adding new fields in a table, I can often provide a default value for the field meaning it's backward compatible.

Mike

[Music Lover]

Thanks Mike for the info.  Maybe to prevent a Library restore to an older version by mistake, would you be able to make such version change release to have a different version level say from 3.8.34 to 3.9.0 etc. so at least everyone will know that a restore within the same level ie. 3.8.xx to 3.8.yy will not be impacted by this possibility.

[Zubersoft]

Sure, I can bump the minor version whenever a database change occurs.

Mike