I installed 3rd party extension "PL/SQL Unwrapper for SQL Developer" in my SQL Developer 23.1. After the re-start of SQL Developer that happened during installation, I am missing the latest connections I have created.
It looks like something like this has happened:
- I added update center http://update.salvis.com/, checked for updates, put checkmark on the PL/SQL Unwrapper and asked it to install the extension.
- It wanted to re-start SQL Developer in order to finish the extension installation - I accepted this.
- During re-start I think I observed “migrating settings” messages similar to when I upgrade to a new SQL Developer version.
- After the installation + re-start, the connections.json file in folder AppData\Roaming\SQL Developer\system23.1.0.097.1607/o.jdeveloper.db.connection now contains exactly the same connections as the 3 months old connections.json file in folder system22.2.1.234.1810/o.jdeveloper.db.connection (just with a different encrypted password.)
- All connections I created in my 23.1 in the last 3 months (i.e. after I upgraded from 22.2 to 23.1) are gone.
I'm guessing maybe that the extension installation restart maybe set a “flag” to tell the restart “this is an update”, causing the restart to think it should migrate configs from the old 22.2 installation, just like it did 3 months ago, thereby overwriting my new 23.1 config?
I am not sure if it is only the connections.json it has “re-migrated” or if it is all configuration - I can't remember if I have changed anything else in those 3 months. But for certain the extension installation killed several new connections I am certain I created during those months.
Possibly this is an older issue, as someone else seems to have hit something similar by installation of another extension: https://github.com/utPLSQL/utPLSQL-SQLDeveloper/issues/98
Whether it only happens for 3rd party update centers or not, I don't know.
(I guess maybe it would be a good practice to turn on File History or other periodic backup of folder AppData\Roaming\SQL Developer ? ;-) But not sure if it would be good for all files in that Roaming folder…)