Boring post alert! This is for mine and James’s benefit really because living in this tiny house things get lost all the time. James is in the habit of posting any new techy info he needs to remember on his blog, which works really well so I thought I’d try some of the same. As things like this are bound to come up again I’ve created a new category called Nerd Alert! This and any future computing-related posts will be filed under there. (This is me trying to be more organised and also rewaken my work brain.)
So, Anki flashcards. What are they and why am I backing them up? Well, the clue’s in the name. Yes, they’re digital flashcards that can be customised so that you can design your own system or download an existing deck and start from there. We’re both using the template deck that Gabriel Weiner advocates on his Fluent Forever site. The software is open source freeware that with versions for PC, Android, Mac. It’s a brilliant tool for learning a new language – or anything else, for that matter. You create your deck, adding new words or phrases then open up the software which uses spaced repetition to show you cards depending on how well you have learned them. Words or phrases you’re familiar with get shown less often than those you’re struggling with. It basically feeds you information in the same way that a parent teaches a child new words. Similarly, the key to success is little and often. Anyway, I digress.
The Anki software is easy to use – just download it from the web (for your PC) or from the Google or iTunes stores (for Android or Mac) – and away you go. If you’re moving between devices, as most people are these days, you can create an AnkiWeb account, which allows you to sync any changes in the form of new cards you’ve created or the latest results from a revision session so you can pick up and continue on any other device. It makes the learning method very portable unless sync doesn’t work properly. This has only happened to me one time and I think it was a “feature” of the way the Kindle Fire handles memory but enough hard work wasted in that one time – about three weeks worth of new cards, I think – that it can really throw your progress because without a backup you have to create any cards that have been lost from scratch. With so many new words to learn that’s not something I would wish on anyone (remember the days before autosave where the essay you were about to print out just disappeared because of a power cut?) Anyway, let’s just remind ourselves – always back your work up. Since that fateful day that an Anki sync ate my homework, this is the method I use. It works because I only ever use my PC to create new cards. Any other devices, like the Kindle or the mobile, come out when I want to test myself while out and about. With the “development deck” existing only on the PC, here are the steps I take to back it up after every deck update:
- Open SyncBack and run the Anki backup.
Haha, yes, that’s it! SyncBack is a genius bit of freeware that saves me hours of time backing up individual software programs or folders. When I got into trouble with Anki I created a new backup profile for Anki and now I can update it without having to remember where any of the files are.
So let’s make that:
Step 1. Download and install SyncBack. There’s a freeware version that I use but if you like it and will used it more extensively there are also paid for versions with more features.
Step 2. Open up Syncback and create a backup profile for Anki. This is what mine looks like. (**** is the username.) You want to backup (copying contents of folders A, B, and C, to D) not sync.
Step 3. Run the Anki backup profile. You can check the files list or just okay it. I think I checked the first few times but now I’m happy with the way it works I just hit OK.
Step 4. Relax, you’re done!
Easy peasy, eh?
Are you using Anki to learn a language? How do you backup your files? Feel free to share!
A Leap Into the Void 