# Lost my Perspective Views after Exchange download **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** perspective\ **Created:** [July 15, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227 "2024-07-15T13:45:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_Perks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@Jim\_Perks](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Jim_Perks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/1 "2024-07-15T13:45:02Z")
I downloaded an exchange file called Perspective Alert Dialogs and after reopening Designer I lost all my Perspective views. The new file installed a new folder in my Perspective Views called Alerts. However, all my other views under page configuration are now gone and of course all my page links are broken. What did I do wrong and how to restore? I did do a full backup before I downloaded the exchange file. ![noviews](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/0/0/008990ee76372db59368d8656ec3bf05e2487b68.png) ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/2 "2024-07-15T13:51:56Z")
You can restore the backup in the Ignition Gateway: [Gateway Backup and Restore | Ignition User Manual](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/docs/8.1/platform/gateway/gateway-backup-and-restore#gateway-restore) Can you link to the resource? It's hard to say what went wrong in retrospect, we have no idea what you did or what that resource is right now. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Perks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@Jim\_Perks](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Jim_Perks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/3 "2024-07-15T13:58:38Z")
I downloaded this: > **[Ignition Exchange](https://inductiveautomation.com/exchange/142/overview)** > > Discover, share, and download community made Ignition resources in collaboration with your organization or the Ignition community. # Perspective Alert Dialogs By: Ray Sensenbach I can restore my backup from just before I downloaded, but I am waiting on IT to backup the server as recommended. First time I ever downloaded and installed from the exchange. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/4 "2024-07-15T14:03:27Z")
Did you import the project resources via the gateway or via the designer? To import "partially" (ie some resources from a project export into an existing project) you _must_ use the Designer. If you try to import from the gateway it'll just overwrite your whole project. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Perks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@Jim\_Perks](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Jim_Perks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/5 "2024-07-15T14:10:17Z")
Gateway. I did not get it to work from Designer, so I used the Gateway. Ok my project is still there and if I move some view into that new page config and re-do the URL's I can get a page back with a new URL. However, it sounds like I really needed to import using Designer and using the Gateway I lost all my page config links and really should restore using the backup from a couple hours ago? ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/6 "2024-07-15T14:12:22Z")
Yes, at this point I'd strongly recommend restoring from your prior state. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Perks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@Jim\_Perks](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Jim_Perks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/7 "2024-07-15T14:13:06Z")
Ok will do. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/8 "2024-07-15T14:19:39Z")
> [@Jim\_Perks](#): > > I did not get it to work from Designer It's probably because Exchange resources are themselves packed up as ZIP files, so it's slightly awkward to restore them from within the Designer. So, given the resource above, if you download it you get an archive. If you extract that you get...a folder containing another archive 😄 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/6/e/6e1a46d20d45178f9945f7f8423a25953373fb80.png) If you attempt to import that _inner_ archive within the Designer, you should be able to successfully partially import it: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/6/3/63119be2dd4e5be4eb2c1601c52d4685e015790e.png) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Perks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@Jim\_Perks](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Jim_Perks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/lost-my-perspective-views-after-exchange-download/93227/9 "2024-07-15T16:27:06Z")
Thank you again. Yes, I extracted it and then saw that other zip (2nd archive) and then decided to just drag and drop the zip file in the Gateway and then I found out how to nuke my URL's 🙂 Nice to learn what NOT to do 🙂 Still waiting on my IT department to backup the server 🙂 haha yawn.....