Outlook “Sent Items” - an unlikely backup system
At SSW, when we finish a task for a client, we take a few screenshots and send them an email so they knows it’s done. For some reason, we copy and paste the code changes we made into the email too (the person we’re emailing is usually an IT guy, so it doesn’t scare people). I always wondered why we email the code - why not just label the build in SourceSafe or something?
Anyway, this morning I went to run the application, and realised my changes weren’t there. I looked through the History in SourceSafe, and saw I’d never checked the changes in. Then I remembered what happened.
Yesterday, after I finished the first thing I was working on, I sent the email and went straight onto the next task. I didn’t check things in. The stuff I was working on was kinda big (changing some code generation templates), and whilst I was working, the great Adel asked me to regenerate something. So I undid my checkout, regenerated the code, and checked everything in. I lost all the changes I made yesterday morning.
Fortunately for me, I had an unlikely backup source: my Outlook “Sent Items” folder. Now I see why we include the code with our “done” emails!
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Soon you’ll be substituting your exchange inbox for your file system!
Al.
Hey no joke! Seen a few of these programs around.
http://www.filequota.com/
Now that must have been a rather nerve-racking few minutes. After reading this, I might take a another look at the way I let people now something’s done, having that level of documentation might come in handy.