Archive (Command)

This article is about the current version of Grooper.

Note that some content may still need to be updated.

2025

Archive is a command that creates an archive of the current state of a Project. At a later time, you can restore an archived version of a Project, overwriting any changes you have made since the last archive. Archived Projects are stored in the file store as a zip file.

You may download the ZIP below and upload it into your own Grooper environment (version 2025). The Zip contains one or more Projects with resources used in examples throughout this article.

Media:2025 Wiki Archive Project.zip

Introduction

The Archive command creates a versioned ZIP snapshot of a Project so you can preserve, audit, and roll back configuration as needed. Archiving saves a copy of the Project's configuration into a file attached to the Project.

⚠	Archive only works on the full Project. You cannot archive individual objects inside a Project or Batches.

When to use

Use Archive when you want to:

Retain a historical copy of a Project before making significant changes.
Recover from accidental modifications or deletions by rolling back to a known-good configuration.
Audit or inspect previously published configurations.

Prerequisites:

The Archive command is available on Projects.
To restore, the Project must have one or more archived ZIP files attached.

How to use the Archive command

The Archive command can be accessed by right-clicking on a Project Node Type and selecting the relevant command from the fly out menus. There are no special configurations needed prior to archiving a Project.

Archive a Project

Follow these steps on the Grooper Design page:

In your Node Tree, select the Project you want to archive.
Right-click on the Project. Then in the fly-out menu hover over "Archive" and then click on "Archive Project..."
(Optional) When the pop up appears, set the "Prefix" property to prepend a label to the archive file name. For example, entering Version 1.0 results in files like Version 1.0_Archive_yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss.zip.
Execute the command to save the archive.

Results:

Grooper creates a ZIP archive and saves it as a file on the Project. You can see what files are attached by selecting the "Advanced" tab of the Project node.
The archive file name format is Archive_yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss.zip with optional prefix: Prefix_Archive_yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss.zip.

Restore an archived Project

Use this to roll back the current Project to a previously archived state.

Select the Project you want to restore.
- If the Project CAN be restored, an Archived zip file will be attached to the Project. To check for an archived file, visit the "Advanced" tab of the Project Node.
Right-click on the Project. Then in the fly-out menu, hover over "Archive" and click on "Restore From Archive...".
In the pop up, click the "..." to the right of the Archive File Name property.
Choose the archive file you want to restore from the list. Only valid files are listed (names containing Archive_ and ending with .zip).
Click "OK".
(Optional) By default, the "Archive Current" property is set to "True". This will preserve the current Project configuration before restoration. To disable, click the check box to the right of the property. When enabled:

Grooper first archives the current state (using the same naming format and "Prefix" if set).
You can set a Prefix to the new Archive with the Prefix property.

Execute the command to import the selected archive into the Project.

Results:

If "Archive Current" is enabled, the current configuration is saved first.
The Project is cleared and then reloaded from the selected archive ZIP, restoring the prior configuration.

Deleting an Archive:

Navigate to the "Advanced" tab of the Project node.
Select the Archive zip file on the right that you want to delete.
Click the delete icon in the top right corner of the Files panel.

Where archived Projects are stored

Archives are saved as files attached to the Project and appear in the Project's file list on the "Advanced" tab.
Valid archive files are ZIPs that contain Archive_ in the name and end with .zip.
Files are sorted chronologically by their timestamp in the name, helping you find the most recent archives first.

Example: safeguard before a major redesign

Before restructuring a Content Model and its Data Fields across a Project:

Use Archive Project and set "Prefix" to PreRedesign.
Proceed with changes.
If the redesign causes issues, use Restore From Archive and select the PreRedesign_Archive_yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss.zip to roll back to the known-good configuration.