How to use RKive

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Overview

This guide explains how RKive works when generating project archives, what to expect during the process, and how to handle common scenarios. 

• Purpose: To help you understand how RKive creates archives, what normal behaviour looks like, and how to manage or troubleshoot the process if needed. 
• Who It’s For: Users responsible for exporting or archiving project data 

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What to expect

RKive generates files in the background and downloads them as they are ready. You should see continuous progress — if this stops, you can pause and resume or contact Support. 

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Step-by-Step Instructions

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✅ Step 1: Open RKive and Connect

1. Open the RKive application
2. Enter your RDrive URL (e.g. yourcompany.rdrive.io)
3. Enter your API Key
4. Click Connect

Once connected, you will see your available projects

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✅ Step 2: Create a New Archive

1. Click Create Archive
2. Select the project you want to archive

You will now see the archive configuration screen

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✅ Step 3: Configure Archive Settings

1. Enter an Archive Name
2. Choose a save location (local drive or external drive)
3. Select your options:

• Include drawings (optional)
• Select a report template

4. (Optional) Open Advanced Configuration to:

• Include linked issues
• Include linked documents
• Merge attachments into PDFs

Click Save and Load

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✅ Step 4: Select What to Archive

Choose how much data to include:

• Archive All → full project archiveor
• Apply filters (e.g. Closed items only, date range, category)

Click Next

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✅ Step 5: Define Folder Structure

Choose how your archive will be organised, for example:

• Drawing
• Location
• Category
• Profile

This determines how files are grouped in folders Click Start

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✅ Step 6: Run the Archive

RKive will now:

• Generate PDFs
• Download files
• Build the folder structure

You can:

• Monitor progress
• Pause the archive
• Resume if needed

You should see continuous progress as items are processed

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✅ Step 7: Access Your Archive

Once complete, you can:

• Open the archive folder
• Browse structured folders
• View PDFs and attachments
• Use RKive to search and filter data

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✅ Step 8: Resume if Needed

If the archive is paused or interrupted:

1. Re-open RKive
2. Select your archive
3. Click Resume

RKive will continue from where it left off Notes:

• RKive processes data in the background and downloads files as they are ready. You should see steady progress throughout. 
• Archives are generated on the server, not your device
• RKive requires an active session to continue processing
• Large archives may take time but should always show progress
• If progress stops completely, this should be investigated

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FAQs & Troubleshooting

Q: The archive looks like it has stopped or stalled — is this normal? 
A: No — you should normally see a steady stream of progress as items are downloaded. If the archive appears stuck for a long period:

• Wait a few minutes to confirm no progress is happening
• Try pausing and resuming the archive
• If the issue continues, contact Support with logs (see below)

Q: How long should an archive take? 
A: This depends on the number of items and overall data size. Large archives can take a significant amount of time, but progress should be continuous throughout. Q: Does my computer affect performance? 
A: Very little. RKive no longer relies on your device to generate PDFs. You only need:

• Enough memory to run the application (2GB free)
• Enough storage space for the archive

Q: Why is my archive slower at certain times? 
A: This depends on the number of items and overall data size. Large archives can take a significant amount of time, but progress should be continuous throughout.  Q: What happens if my computer goes to sleep? 
A: If your device goes to sleep:

• The archive process will pause
• It will not continue in the background

You can resume the archive when you return. Q: Some items failed — what should I do? 
A: 

• Resume the archive
• Failed items will be retried automatically

If failures continue, contact Support with logs. Q: How do I share logs with Support? 
A: To help investigate issues, please send:  From your archive folder:

• The logs folder
• The database (duckdb) folder

Zip these folders and send them to Support.