Saving & Sharing Layouts
The layout file
Each layout is saved as a single .railplan file. Save, Save As…, Duplicate, Rename…, Move To… and Revert To in the File menu all work as they do in other Mac apps.
Your layouts live wherever you save them. Gauge Buddy has no account and no cloud storage of its own, and never sends a layout anywhere.
Backing up
A .railplan file is an ordinary file. It is included in Time Machine backups, and you can copy it to an external drive or keep it in iCloud Drive or another synced folder.
Sharing a layout
Send the .railplan file by email, AirDrop, a shared folder or a memory stick. The recipient needs Gauge Buddy on a Mac.
What travels inside the file:
| Travels with the file | Stays on your Mac |
|---|---|
| Track, flexible track and scenery | Favourite and recent pieces |
| Baseboards, room and reach zones | Saved views |
| Dimensions and reference images | Reusable assemblies |
| Layers and groups | Window and panel sizes |
| Stock, prices and accessories | Track libraries you imported, unless embedded |
| Embedded track libraries |
Using imported track?
If the layout uses a track library you imported yourself, embed it before you send the file. Bundled libraries need nothing doing.
To share a layout with someone who does not have Gauge Buddy, export a PDF or an image.
Opening layouts from other versions
Older layouts open in newer versions of Gauge Buddy. The layout is brought up to date as it opens, without changing any geometry. The file on disk is only rewritten when you save.
Newer layouts cannot be opened by an older version of the app. It tells you so and leaves the file alone. Update Gauge Buddy from the App Store.
If a layout will not open cleanly
Gauge Buddy is careful with files it does not fully understand.
- If a file can be opened but something in it needed attention, a sheet lists every warning. You can see it again from Layout → Document Opening Warnings….
- If a file cannot be opened, the app explains what it found. It never repairs a file in place and never modifies a file it refused to open, so the original is always there to recover from a backup.
- If an embedded track library cannot be read, the rest of the layout still opens, and the unreadable library is kept in the file when you save so that it can be repaired later.
See Troubleshooting for what to try.