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Aviation MetaHow to preserve Qs&As from Aviation StackExchange...?
[+2] [4] xxavier
[2018-10-04 09:47:34]
[ discussion ]
[ https://aviation.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3654/how-to-preserve-qsas-from-aviation-stackexchange ]

Well, this is a sort of meta-question; not about aviation itself, but on the study of aviation. I use to read Aviation SA with my Mac, and –very often– I would like to 'cut and preserve', for later reading, some interesting and instructive answers, for example those from Kämpf and other savvy veterans here...

I use to do that by cutting and pasting the relevant texts to 'Word', but the formatting is partially lost in the process. I'd prefer to save a graphic image of the full answer, but the very useful 'capture/selection' utility is limited to the size of the screen, and scrolling is not allowed...

Any helpful hints...?

I just noticed that on Mojave (maybe others) there is a File -> Export as PDF that exports all of the questions and answers as formatted PDF. - JScarry
Thanks, that would be useful, but that can't be done in my PC... Anyone out there with a MacBook air using Chrome...? - xxavier
(1) If you insist on using Chrome, then you can copy and paste selected text into LibreOffice and it retains formatting. Chrome can also print the page and then save it as a PDF. File -> Print then Open in Preview. This only prints the content of the posts, not the sidebar stuff. - JScarry
@JScarry Thanks for your help. 'Printing' to PDF seems to be a nice option... - xxavier
(1) See superuser.com/q/470813/204692 - Dan Hulme
[+1] [2018-10-18 11:40:08] Farhan

With the commonality of Internet and ever changing nature of text, it is neither possible nor recommended that you preserve the state of an article/text/etc. which has chances to be changed/edited/updated.

The preferred way on StackExchange is this (see red circle polygon):

bookmark

Then this question will be available on your activity page under favorites tab.

If you don't like this way and want to directly save the link to a question or answer, you can do this:

share

and then save the URL.


(1) Thanks for your answer, but I prefer to preserve valuable texts as they are, without risking eventual edits or disappearances... Printing them to PDFs, as JScarry pointed out, is easy and fast, and retrieving the stored texts is internet-independent... - xxavier
(3) @xxavier I can assure that any edits/rollbacks on this site will always show you the best version of a post. Several people and the mods keep a close eye on this and make sure that nothing is disappeared. - Farhan
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[0] [2018-10-04 10:28:08] Antzi
  • Bookmarks/Favorites
  • Save to PDF
  • Click on edit and save as markdown
  • ...

Thanks, but when I click 'Bookmarks', I see no 'save to PDF' option... I'm using a MacBook Air... - xxavier
(5) Those are separate options. Save a bookmark to the question (questions on Stack Exchange boards are effectively permanent, and occasionally collect comments or even answers years later), OR save the page to a PDF file (using your browser's options to do that), OR click your browser's edit and save as markdown. - Zeiss Ikon
I'm using a Macbook Air with Chrome, and there is no way to copy and save a graphic file larger than the screen... That can be done with 'Capture/Selection', but it isn't 'scrollable', so it does work only with small files... - xxavier
Why are to taking screenshots rather than Saving (or Printing) to PDF as the answer identifies? - selectstriker2
An screenshot rarely comprises an answer, that is usually much longer... - xxavier
There an option to « archive » a web page. Then again, try safari’s reading list or a bookmark - Antzi
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[0] [2018-10-04 19:21:56] Steve V.

You could also try converting the pages to an e-book, perhaps with dotEpub [1]?

I have no specific experience with dotEpub, it was just the top google result. If it doesn't suit your specific case there are many others.

[1] https://dotepub.com/

Thanks, but the suggestion of 'printing' the relevant page(s) to a PDF suits me well enough... - xxavier
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[0] [2018-11-09 15:02:45] TRiG

Probably your best bet is StackPrinter [1], which reformats Stack Exchange questions for easier printing. Example [2].

[1] http://www.stackprinter.com
[2] http://www.stackprinter.com/export?question=3654&service=aviation.meta.stackexchange

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