Skip to main contentSettings Files Help
Settings Files let you save all of your sky chart options so you can restore them at a later date. You can email settings files to yourself or download them from LiveSky, and even send them to your friends, so that they can easily reproduce a sky chart which you have created.
To do all of these things, select the Save Settings item from the main Settings view.
Saving New Settings Files
To create your own settings files, tap the “Create Settings” button and select “Save Current Settings”. SkySafari will make another “snapshot” of all the app’s current settings, and save them as a settings file called “Current Settings.” If the date and time are set to something other than current time, the simulated date is used as the file name: for example, “April 15, 2014 Settings” for a settings file that reproduces the total lunar eclipse of April 15th, 2014. You can edit the settings file name to something else if you want a more descriptive title.
Description: SkySafari generates a default description for your settings file, to give you an idea of what’s inside it. You can edit this description as well. When you are satisfied with the name and description, tap the “X” button in the upper right side of the status bar to return to the list of settings files that you have already saved - your new settings file is added to the list!
Restoring Settings Files
To restore a saved settings file, tap its name in the list of settings files. SkySafari will display the file’s description, to let you make sure this is the file you want. If so, tap the “Apply Settings” button - and all of the app’s settings will be replaced with those from the settings file. You can tap the “Cancel” button if you don’t want to do this! We suggest you “Preview Settings” first.
Editing and Emailing Settings Files
You can view and edit a previously-saved settings file’s name and description by selecting the files name and tapping the Edit button at the top of the screen. You can overwrite the settings inside the file with a copy of the app’s current settings, by tapping the “Update with Main Chart Settings” button. You might want to do this if, for example, you wanted to tweak the settings inside that file, without having to save them to an entirely new file.
You can email a saved settings file to yourself, or to anyone else, by tapping the “Email This Settings File” button. When the email is received, the e-mail app on the recipient’s phone will launch their copy of SkySafari, import the settings file into their list of saved settings, and let them restore the settings you sent them - all in a single step!
Rearranging and Deleting Settings Files
You can rearrange and delete settings files. Here’s how.
On iOS, tap the Edit button at the top of the screen. Then tap and drag the “grip” icon on the right side of the settings file to move it around the screen. Tap and drag the - (minus) icon on the left side of the settings file to delete it. Tap the End Edit button at the top of the screen when you’re finished.
On Android, tap the Edit link at the top of the screen. Up/down arrows and a trash can appear at the bottom of the screen. Then tap the settings file you want to move or delete. Use the up/down arrows to move the item in the list, or tap the trash can to delete it. When finished, tap the End Edit link at the top of the screen.
Reverting Chart to Factory Defaults
You can restore SkySafari to its initial state at any time by tapping the Revert Chart to Factory Defaults button found at the bottom of the main Settings screen.