Questions and answers

Is my data sent anywhere?

Not unless you ask for it. Your documents are stored in your own browser and are not uploaded to a SideDoc server. If you set up backups in Settings…, your browser copies the workspace to the place you chose: your Google Drive, an S3-compatible bucket or a folder on your computer. See Where your data is stored and Backups.

I opened SideDoc on another computer and my documents are gone. Where are they?

They are still in the browser where you made them. Documents are not shared between browsers or computers by themselves. To move your work:

• With backups: on the first computer, click Back up now in Settings…. On the second, connect to the same Google Drive, bucket or folder and restore that backup. See Using SideDoc on more than one computer.
• Otherwise: export each document as JSON and import the files on the second computer.

Can I save to Google Drive, SharePoint or a shared server?

SideDoc can keep backups of your whole workspace in Google Drive, in an S3-compatible bucket or in a folder on your computer, if your installation offers them (see Backups). A folder on a network drive or a synchronised SharePoint or OneDrive folder works too, in Chrome or Edge. Your documents themselves stay in the browser. You can also export a document as JSON and store that file wherever your organisation keeps its files, and import it again at any time.

How do I share a document with a colleague?

Export it as JSON and send the file. Your colleague imports it with Import JSON. If they don't use SideDoc, send the HTML or PDF export instead.

Can two people work on the same document at the same time?

No. Each copy of a document lives in one browser. If you take turns, pass the JSON file back and forth and agree who has the latest version. Shared backups do not help here: SideDoc does not merge changes, and restoring a backup replaces everything in your browser.

How do I undo a change?

There is no undo button. For text, your browser's own undo (Ctrl+Z, or Cmd+Z on a Mac) works while you are still in the text box. Before making big changes, make a copy with Save as… or export a JSON backup.

Can I change the profile of a document?

No. The profile is fixed when you create the document. Create a new document with the right profile and copy the information across.

Can I import CMDI, DCAT-AP or a spreadsheet?

No. SideDoc imports its own JSON format only. DCAT-AP JSON-LD files that SideDoc exported can't be imported either, because that export is one-way. You can paste BibTeX records into a reference, see References and citations.

Which profile should I use?

For a cultural heritage dataset, use Datasheet v2.1 unless you have been asked for another format. See Profiles.

Why does the validation say there are errors when I can't see any?

Errors can sit inside an entry that opens in a separate window, such as a distribution, or inside a collapsed section. Look for red borders, open the entries inside them, and check the field messages. See Finding the fields with problems.

A field asks for a term, but my term is not in the list. What now?

Use the Custom tab to enter a label and the web address of a term from another vocabulary, or use the Term / Text switch to describe the value in your own words. See When the term you need is not in the list.

How do I write my description in Dutch as well as in English?

The editor works in English for now. Text in other languages that is already in a document is kept. See Languages.

The document title in the header is the file name. How do I change it?

Click the name in the header and type a new one. This only changes the name of the document in your list; the title of the dataset is the Title field in the form.

A message says some documents use an older schema version. What should I do?

Nothing is lost. Choose Download backup first if you want a safety copy, then Open documents. You can upgrade a document later with the Convert to button in the header. See Documents made with an older version.

I deleted a document by mistake. Can I get it back?

Only if you have a copy: a JSON export, or a backup made before you deleted it. Import the JSON file, or restore the backup in Settings… (which replaces all documents in the browser with the ones in the backup). Deleted documents can't be recovered from the browser.

Can I use SideDoc in dark mode?

Yes. Click Settings… and choose Dark under Appearance, or Follow system setting to follow your computer.

What does "Beta" in the corner mean?

SideDoc is still being developed. Features may change, and options marked experimental, such as the NDE and DCAT-AP profiles and the JSON-LD exports, need checking before you rely on them. Keep JSON backups of your work.