Export/Import FAQ

How do I import my entries from Evernote, Penzu, Diaro, or WordPress?

The Journal supports importing from a variety of other software products, including Evernote, Penzu, Diaro, and WordPress. This same process can be used for any software products that can export to the ATOM publishing format.

1. Export the entries from the other software to a file.

2. In The Journal, click on the File menu, Import sub-menu, and choose “Import Entries…”

3. Browse to select the file you exported in #1.

4. Do the import.

You don’t have to worry about importing the same entries more than once. The Journal detects this, and checks the entries. If the entries are identical, nothing happens. If the current entry and the imported entry are different, however, you will be prompted to choose whether to import the new entry, keep the current entry, or keep both.

Diaro NOTE: If possible, point the import to the folder with the Diaro xml file *and* the “Media” folder (with “Photo” sub-folder). That will allow The Journal to import your photos as well as your text entries.

 

How can I import my entries from another diary or journal program?

The Journal supports batch entry import, which makes it relatively simple to import entries from other diary or journal programs.

1. Create a temporary folder on your hard drive.

2. Export your entries from the other software into individual text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or HTML (.htm;.html) files. Export to the temporary folder you created in #1. If the entries are for a particular day, make sure the date is used in the name of the exported file. The best date format will use a 4-digit year, a 2-digit month, and a 2-digit day.

Example:
1993-10-05.rtf (entry for 5 October, 1993)

3. Once you have the entries exported, start The Journal. On the File menu, Import sub-menu, choose “Batch Entry Import…” to import the entries into The Journal.

4. Choose the option “Each in a separate file”, and click on “Next”.

5. Choose the category you want to import the entries into (like “Daily Journal”).

6. Browse to the temporary folder where your exported entries are.

7. Set the “Specify Date Format” to match how the export named your entries.

Example:
yyyy-mm-dd.rtf

Then do the import.

 

How do I synchronize 2 installations of The Journal?

Keeping two (or more) installs of The Journal synchronized (in sync) is simple, and can be done a variety of ways.

You can sync The Journal from any of the following:

  • A backup file created by The Journal (.JBACKUP).
  • A Journal Volume folder on an external hard drive.
  • A Journal Volume in The Journal.
  • An export file created by The Journal (.TJEXP, .TJXML, .JNX, .JNL).

In each case, the steps are the same:

1. Click on the File menu, Import sub-menu, and choose the appropriate “Sync from …” command.

2. Select the Journal Volume, or browse to select the file or folder you’re syncing from.

3. Select what you want to sync/import.

4. Map categories from the sync file to the categories in The Journal.

5. Review and resolve any conflicts in your entries, reminders, images, topics and text styles.

6. Run the synchronization.

NOTE: When syncing from a backup file, The Journal creates a temporary Journal Volume restores the backup file into that Journal Volume. If the backup is from an earlier version of The Journal, this Journal Volume will need to be upgraded before the syncing can happen. If that happens, you will see notifications. When the syncing process is finished, this temporary Journal Volume is deleted. The backup file is not affected or updated in any way.

Example 1. Syncing The Journal from Work to Home

You have The Journal installed on your laptop at work and your desktop at home, and you want to keep them in sync.

NOTE: This process takes longer to describe than to actually do. So don’t panic. 🙂

1. On your work laptop, run The Journal and create a backup file. File, Maintenance, Backup The Journal…

2. Copy the backup file you created to a USB/Flash drive or email the file to your home address.

3. On your home desktop, run The Journal and log in.

4. Click on the File menu, Import sub-menu, and choose “Sync from Backup File…” Browse to select the backup file. If your login has a password, you will be prompted for that. If you have more than one login, you will be prompted which one to sync from.

5. The first step of the sync process is to choose what you want to sync:

  • Categories & Entries
  • Reminders
  • Topics
  • Images (entry backgrounds and calendar charms)
  • Text Styles

By default, all of these options are checked.

6. If you are syncing categories and entries, the next step is to “map” the categories in the backup to the categories you already have. The Journal attempts to do this for you automatically. By default, if a matching category exists, it is automatically mapped. If a category in the backup does not have a matching category in The Journal, it will be set to be created and copied. You can change the mapping of categories and/or you can choose *not* to import certain categories by un-checking them in the list.

7. Once the categories are mapped or set to copy, the sync process will analyze all the entries in the mapped/selected categories for conflicts. Conflicts only happen if the same entry is in the backup file *and* already in The Journal. In this case, The Journal inspects both the entry in the backup file and the entry in The Journal. If the two entries are identical, there is no conflict. If the entries are different in some way, how they are different is reported.

8. If there are entry conflicts, you will need to resolve them. What this means is that for each entry conflict, you have to choose one of the following:

  • Import the entry from the backup file, overwriting the current entry; or
  • Keep the current entry (discarding the entry in the backup file).

NOTE: If the actual content of the entries have a conflict, you have an additional option. You can view the two entries side-by-side and edit the current entry manually.

9. If you have any reminder conflicts, you will need to resolve those.

10. If you have any image conflicts, you will need to resolve those.

11. If you have any text style conflicts, you will need to resolve those.

12. The last step is the actual syncing. Up until now, and even now, you can choose to exit the sync-ing process and nothing is changed or updated. Once you press “Sync”, though, all of the changes begin and cannot be interrupted.

NOTE: The first time you go through the syncing process is usually the longest and most involved. You may to map categories and resolve a lot of conflicts. After that, though, you can usually just click Next, Next, … Sync and you’re done.

To sync the work laptop from your home desktop, you do the same thing, but sending a backup file from home to work.

Example 2. Syncing The Journal from USB to Desktop

You have The Journal installed on a USB/Flash drive and your desktop at home. You normally keep the USB drive with you so you can access The Journal from any Windows computer, but you also want all the same categories and entries on your desktop at home.

1. Insert your USB drive into the desktop computer.

2. Run The Journal on your desktop computer and log in.

3. Click on the File menu, Import sub-menu and choose “Sync from External Journal Volume…” Browse into the folder on your USB drive that has your Journal Volume. The default path is:
Z:\The Journal 6\The Journal Volumes\6\My Journal\

4. Follow steps 5-12 in Example 1 (above).

 

Don't See Your Question?

If you have any questions about The Journal, please don't hesitate to ask. Email met at (support@davidrm.com) mailto. I’m here for you. :-)

 

The Journal FAQ