If disaster strikes

In case you are affected by bugs that may have caused loss of data, there are a couple of ways in which you can get it back.

I thought Id take a moment and describe all the ways that I know of. In case anybody should need them. There are two ways to get your data back, either you can extract data from an iTunes backup or you can extract it directly from your iDevice.

Extract data from iTunes backups

There are several tools available for extracting data from iTunes backups.
Basically what these tools do is show you a list of all your iTunes backups. When you select one of them you get access to your iDevices file structure as it was when you made the backup. It is important to know that if you have selected to encrypt your backups, the information you extract is encrypted aswell. Even if it is possible to decrypt it, it is tedious and time consuming.
Lets say you want to retrieve your MyWallet+ database from an iTunes backup, these are the steps necessary:

Mac

  1. Download the iPhone Backup Extractor from http://supercrazyawesome.com/
  2. Install and start the iPhone Backup Extractor
  3. Click “Read backups”
  4. Select one of your backups, preferrably the latest one, and press “Choose”
  5. Look for “com.block21.minautgifter”, select it and click “Extract”
  6. Navigate to the desktop and click “Extract here”
  7. Now you should have a folder called “com.block21.minautgifter” on your desktop. In this folder you should be able to find files that end with “.sqlite” or “.mw”. These are databases that contain your data.

PC

  1. Download the iPhone backup extractor from http://www.iphonebackupextractor.com/
  2. Install and start the software
  3. In the dropdown below “Select backup”, select the latest one
  4. Click “Expert mode”
  5. You are presented with a directory structure snapshot of your iDevice from the moment when you created the backup
  6. Look for “Applications”, open it and then look for “com.block21.minautgifter”, open it aswell
  7. Look for the “Expenses.sqlite” file, usually placed inside the “Library” folder, and check it
  8. Now, the “Extract selected” button will get enabled – click it.
  9. Choose the target directory, for example the desktop, click Ok
  10. Now you should have a folder called “application” on your desktop. Inside it you will find “com.block21.minautgifter” and in it “Library”. In this folder you should be able to find “Expenses.sqlite”. This is the database file that contains your data.

In order to restore one of these backups, read the steps described in the “Restore” paragraph below.

Extract data from your iDevice

There are tools for accessing the filesystem on your iDevice. iExplorer is easy to use and available for both platforms.

iExplorer (Mac and PC)

  1. iExplorer is available for both Mac and PC, get it from: http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/
  2. Connect your iDevice to your computer
  3. Install and start the software
  4. Make sure your device is selected in the top left corner
  5. Open the “apps” folder and look for “com.block21.minautgifter”
  6. Open it and look for the “Library” folder
  7. If there is a file called “Expenses.sqlite”, it is your current database. In case you have had issues with your database, there might be a file called “Expenses~.sqlite” too.
  8. Extract files by dragging them to your desktop

In order to restore a database file, read the steps described in the “Restore” paragraph below.

Restore

There are multiple ways to restore a backup file. Through Dropbox or through iExplorer.

Dropbox

  1. First of all, you need to create an account at http://www.dropbox.com
  2. Log in to your dropbox.com account and create a folder called “MyWallet”
  3. If your database is called “Expenses.sqlite”, rename it to “Expenses.mw”
  4. Upload it to your “MyWallet” folder in your dropbox account
  5. Start MyWallet on your iDevice
  6. Go to “Settings” and select “Backup”
  7. Press “Connect to Dropbox”
  8. Log in to your account
  9. If you were logged in, you are presented with the option to “Restore backup from Dropbox”, press it
  10. This should display a list of backups, press the one you uploaded
  11. Thats it!

iExplorer

  1. iExplorer is available for both Mac and PC, get it from: http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/
  2. Connect your iDevice to your computer
  3. Install and start the software
  4. Make sure your device is selected in the top left corner
  5. Open the “apps” folder and look for “com.block21.minautgifter”
  6. Open it and look for the “Library” folder
  7. If there is a file called “Expenses.sqlite”, it is your current database
  8. If you want to restore another database, you must replace the existing “Expenses.sqlite”
  9. Thats it, start your app and your good to go

Related Posts