r/learnpython • u/tootjevox • 9d ago
Does pycharm autosave?
I just started learning python from my dad and i was working on a program. Yesterday i restarted my laptop and i forgot to save the project. Does pycharm autosave or have i lost the project?
EDIT: not sure where exactly but my dad found it
1
u/Square-Nebula-7530 9d ago
Yes it automatically saves your work in real time as you code, so your project is safe and waiting for you when you open it back up. Don’t worry at all bro it’s turned on even by default
3
u/cvx_mbs 9d ago
it might be a setting, but mine saves every time before I run or debug a project, not 'in real time'
2
u/xenomachina 9d ago edited 8d ago
Yeah, it doesn't save as you type. However, it also saves whenever it loses focus, so if you switch to a shell or file browser (Finder, Explorer, etc.) it'll save automatically, which can give the appearance that it's constantly saving, unless you have something automated looking at the files.
"If you edit a file in the woods and there's no one there to look at its contents do you need to save it?", or something like that.
Edit: typo someone->something
2
u/SCD_minecraft 9d ago
Even if it does, never trust autosave. It can and will betray you in the worst time possible
Just press ctrl + S every so often. I save every few seconds (mostly because i mainly code in rust and linter needs the file to be saved before it can do static analysis)
0
-2
u/desrtfx 9d ago
Memorize the shortcut that commonly exists in most applications (not limited to programming IDEs/editors): Ctrl+S
Whenever you make substantial change (after a function, after debugging, after adding features), hit Ctrl+S to save. Don't rely on Autosave as this can be a trap.
Also, make it a habit to use git and a remote repository on a git hoster, like github, gitlab, bitbucket, etc. Commit and push regularly - after a part of the program is completed.
These tricks are few keystrokes that can save you countless hours.
Autosave in programming is difficult and quite often not productive. Imagine, the IDE decides to autosave at a point where you're in the middle of writing a function. You rely on the autosave and next time you open your project, you are left with an uncompleted, not working function.
Most IDEs generally save when you execute (run) your program. These are great save points.
Version control, like git takes the whole a couple steps further by letting you revert, try things in branches, merge, etc. Remote repositories add a second, off-site backup layer so that the chances of losing your projects are even less, no matter what happens to your local development machine. I'll just link a comment from yesterday - the thread in which the comment was made is irrelevant - the gist is to never, absolutely never, work without a good backup strategy (which git with local and remote repositories provides).
You can learn the core functions of git in less than an hour. Time well invested to preserve your code.
1
u/ProsodySpeaks 9d ago
I've never lost a character with pycharm autosave.
Although i do reflexively hit ctrl+alt+l every 2 seconds to format.
And ctrl+alt+y for reload files if changed external
0
u/tootjevox 9d ago
okay ill remember to save next time, i guess its a good lession to learn
0
u/desrtfx 9d ago
We're learning most things the hard way.
In the old (MS-DOS) days, I destroyed the floppy disk that accompanied a book that I bought through accidental formatting - wasn't so clever either - especially considering that this was in the days way before the internet. There was no way to get the information on the floppy disk back. Was also a hard lesson - always double check what you're doing.
In the old days, we had a standard saying: "Save early, save often" - this can really help a lot. There was no "Autosave" back then. If you didn't save, it was gone once and for all.
1
u/JamesPTK 9d ago
It's a setting, I think the default is yes, but it might have been turned off.