The backup process uses a standard web browser and a Wi-Fi connection to communicate between your iPhone/iPod touch and your computer.

Unlike some competing solutions, there is no additional desktop software to purchase, no online subscription service required, no wonky Java applets or other software to download and install, and no sending all of your private list data off to a server in some unknown developer’s basement.

Network & System Requirements

1. Both Mac and Windows computers supported.
   
   

2. Your iPhone OS device and your computer must be connected to the same local network, with no firewall settings blocking communication between them.  (The iPhone/iPod touch must be connected to the network via Wi-Fi.)
   
   

3. For the desktop browser, Safari 4.0 and Firefox 3.5 have been tested on both Mac and Windows.  Internet Explorer 7 & 8 have also been tested on Windows.  Other browsers are likely to work but are untested.
   
   

4. If an appropriate network is not available but your computer has a Wi-Fi card, in many cases, an ad hoc, computer-to-computer network can be used to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection between the computer and the iPhone/iPod touch.
   

Restoring ListMonger Data from an iTunes Backup

(A tip for “emergency” situations...)

By default, each time you connect your iPhone/iPod touch via a USB docking cable to the computer that hosts your iTunes library, iTunes starts with a backup and sync of your device.  This backup process includes the application data for the apps you’ve purchased and installed through the iTunes App Store.  Therefore, your latest and greatest ListMonger data is captured each time the iTunes backup is performed.

The iTunes backup process, however, can only be used to restore your entire device to the last saved state.  It does not support restoring data on an individual-app basis, nor does it keep incremental backups.  If your phone is lost, it breaks, or you upgrade to a new iPhone, in most cases, iTunes “Restore” can be used to set-up your new device to the state of your last backup.  However, if you want to restore just your ListMonger data without reverting the whole phone, restore a different version of the LM database, or move the LM database freely between devices, iTunes will not facilitate this.

For additional information on iTunes backup, see the Apple Knowledge Base article, iPhone and iPod touch: About Backups

If you have a complete iTunes backup, however, it is possible to use a third-party “iTunes backup extractor” utility to grab the ListMonger database from an iTunes backup.  This may be helpful if you wish to revert to a previous version of your LM database and the iTunes backup is the only backup available.  A variety of back-up extractors exist for both Mac and Windows, including free and donation-ware options.  Google “iPhone backup extractor” to find current offerings.  The LM database file you’ll be looking for is called “listmonger.sql” and it will be located in the ListMonger > Documents folder.  With this file extracted, you can use ListMonger’s restore function to upload this file back to your device.

Troubleshooting

If the backup or restore process does not appear to be working for you, here are some things to try:

1. 1.Ensure that Wi-Fi is enabled on your iPhone/iPod touch in the “Settings” app.
   

2. 2.Ensure that your computer and iPhone OS device are connected to the same network.
   

3. 3.Make sure your router or computer-based firewall are not blocking communication between your iPhone OS device and your computer.  Consider temporarily disabling all firewalls.  In ListMonger, try turning on “Use Specific Port” and set it to 8080.
   

4. 4.Even when the “Enable Sharing” switch is on, the backup server only runs when the “Backup and Restore” view (shown above) or its “Help” menu are visible.  Therefore, ensure that the backup view appears on your iPhone or iPod touch while trying to access ListMonger from your desktop browser.
   

5. 5.If your Wi-Fi connection became active while using ListMonger but is still not being found by the backup service, try quitting and restarting ListMonger.
   

6. 6.If ListMonger is set to automatically choose a port, please note that the last few digits of the address will change each time you enter the backup view.  Ensure that you are trying to reach ListMonger at its current address.
   

7. 7.If restoring, ensure that the file being uploaded is named “listmonger.sql”.  Your computer may be configured to hide extensions (the “.sql” part) even when this extension is present.  To verify a file’s complete name including extension, right click on the file and select “Get Info” on the Mac or “Properties” on Windows.  When the file upload is complete, a confirmation message will pop-up on your iPhone/iPod touch.  This message will indicate if the file was improperly named for use by ListMonger.
   

8. 8.If: a) no Wi-Fi network is available or the available one appears to be blocking your traffic, and b) your computer has a Wi-Fi card, then you might try setting-up an ad hoc, computer-to-computer network.  Then, on your iPhone/iPod touch, go to the “Settings” application > “Wi-Fi”  > “Choose a Network” to join the new ad hoc network you created.  Re-launch ListMonger.