Working off of network drives (MobileMe, thumb drives...)

[signinstranger]

using Synk 4.2 an older but still perfectly functional freeware version of Synk 6.x).

http://blog.plasticsfuture.org/2006/04/ ... e-harmful/

[Scott_R]

using Synk 4.2 an older but still perfectly functional freeware version of Synk 6.x).

http://blog.plasticsfuture.org/2006/04/ ... e-harmful/

4.2 is substantially different than the 5.x reviewed in the linked page--one reason I'd never upgraded. In the years I've used Synk 4.2 I've never had a failure--it's been totally rock solid, at least for my limited needs (making sure I have up-to-date versions of certain files and folders between desktop Macs and PowerBooks/MacBooks). Versions 5.x and later are from a different programmer, who took over the formerly freeware version (which is nearly impossible to find now).

I use Time Machine for backup now (before that, Intego Personal Backup, which I gave up on as being vexing to use).

Interesting note that the article you linked to says "Partially recommended" for Deja Vu. I have it (from Toast) and found it pretty undependable.

[jgreiss]

Could Sente's new synchronization feature shed some light on the technical feasibility of syncing for Scrivener, with copies on both computers open?

http://thirdstreetsoftware.lunarpages.n ... view2c.mov

[Tullio]

Did somebody try Zumodrive?
https://www.zumodrive.com/

[Scott_R]

Did somebody try Zumodrive?
https://www.zumodrive.com/

A solution like that presumes that you have a wifi connection when you need it.

[gnoli]

Did somebody try Zumodrive?
https://www.zumodrive.com/

looks like Dropbox, with half Gb free space ...

[Nick Wreden]

I've got a problem working with Scrivenir on two different computers -- "office" and "home." The office mac is where I do the bulk of my work with Scrivenir, and it works fine. I back it up both to the local disk and dropbox. I can retrieve my work from the both the local disk and dropbox with Office Mac without difficulty from either storage location.

However, when I try to retrieve my work from Home Mac via Dropbox, I get a version that is 2 or 3 versions previous to my actual work file. In other words, the file comes up fine, but it is not the latest version, even though I had saved the latest file to dropbox. From reading the comments in this forum, I suspect it is because I am guilty of turning off the Mac too soon after backup.

With that being said, how can I get my files synchronized again? You would think that the same file name on dropbox would download the same material into both office and home, but no. I get the correct and latest version in Office Mac, but an older version in Home Mac. Again, the file names are the same. What is weird is that it's not the same wrong version -- it's an updated one, but not the latest one. It seems to lag 3-5 versions behind; in other words, doesn't reflect the new material in the last 3-5 saves. To put it another way, it is out of date, but dynamically so.

How can I get everything synched again on dropbox? In other words, how can I get the latest version of the same file name on dropbox to download the same information everywhere?

And I will hold off on turning off my Mac so fast.

Thanks for help.

Nick

[AmberV]

Just to clarify, you are using the zip option when saving back-ups to DropBox, right? So you basically have a file called `ProjectName-Date.scriv.zip` (obviously it will look different than that), and when you try to copy that file to your home Mac and unzip it, it's two or three versions old? That would be very weird, to say the least.

[Sam]

Yeah, doing the zip thing would solve your problem.

[InklingBooks]

I don't know if anyone posted this earlier, but DropBox itself has commented on this problem:

https://www.getdropbox.com/help/6

They claim to be working on it. Here's what it says:

***********
For Our Advanced Users

Some older Mac and Linux files that depend on metadata are incompatible with Dropbox. Metadata, such as resource forks, are invisible files that contain data essential to the visible file. Dropbox ignores resource forks when syncing the file. The file on the original computer remains untouched, but the synced copies won't open on other Dropbox-linked computers without the necessary resource forks.

A list of files known to use metadata:

Mac OS X Finder Aliases
Mac OS X Finder Colored labels
Mac OS X Finder Spotlight comments (File > Get Info...)
Mac OS X Finder Custom icons
Mac OS X Finder Clipping files (.textclipping)
Mac OS X Finder Saved url files (.webloc)
iWork (05-08) files (.numbers, .pages, .key, .knt, and .keynote). iWork 09 files are compatible
iWeb files (.sites2)
Quicken for Mac files (.qdfm)
Panorama database files (.pan)
Scrivener files (.scriv)

If you use multiple computers, it is possible that putting these types of files in your Dropbox and renaming or editing them could cause them to break when accessed from other Dropbox-linked computers. The Dropbox engineering team is working on backwards-compatibility for files with metadata. In the meantime, you should avoid storing these file types on Dropbox until the problem is addressed.

If you accidentally put one of these types of files in your Dropbox and it now fails to open, it is possible the file is still in the Dropbox cache on your computer. Dropbox keeps a copy of all files in its cache for three days after they are moved, revised, or deleted. You can find your cache folder where Dropbox settings are stored.

[AmberV]

This is a strange posting by DropBox. My guess is that they were getting reports from users regarding Scrivener, and since it is a Mac application, lumped it together with this which, as far as I understand, shouldn't have any kind of negative impact on Scrivener projects. It doesn't use resource forks---or even the bundle bit for that matter.

This isn't to say that the original advisor can be ignored; just the resource forks have nothing to do with it.

[Rosamune]

I wish I'd come here to see the warnings about DropBox. I switched to it four or five days ago as a temporary replacement for Time Machine, as the external hard drive died. I'm not using it to open the files from, but simply as a backup.

It was kind of a comedy of errors really, some my fault for forgetting a cardinal rule of dragging and copying files on a Mac. I just went to backup my novel file in DropBox, and my first mistake was forgetting that simply dragging and dropping would not 'copy', but 'cut'. This is probably the biggest part of this mess really.

I finished typing a scene, posted a quick Twitter about how happy I was that I would finish revising my previous novel just in time to start fresh for NaNoWriMo, and then proceeded to back it up. When it was pasting into the DropBox folder, I got an error saying that one of the picture files in my research folder was in use, and I realized that I had forgotten to close Scrivener. So I did, checking to make sure Scrivener had auto-saved.

When I clicked the 'OK' button on the error though, Finder crashed and I had to Force Quit.

So the copy failed, but because I had make my earlier mistake, the original file was no longer on my hard drive. I hoped that maybe it had made it to DropBox only without the image file, but when I opened the backup, there was the copy I had saved only days earlier. However, having worked my tush off to try to be done for NaNoWriMo, I have lost five fairly large chapters that compose the lead up to and nearly the entirety of my climax.

Needless to say, I'm buying a new TimeMachine drive tomorrow.

So call this my cautionary tale. If you do use DropBox as a backup, don't forget to 'copy' not 'cut' and remember to close Scrivener first.

[xiamenese]

Rosamune, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles ... that must be extremely disheartening. I only lost a small amount of data when using DropBox as the location of the active file and suffering a minor network problem, no doubt all my fault.

But don't give up on DropBox ... it's great. Just simplify things for yourself ... set "Save Backup to" with DropBox as your target and setting the backup to be zipped by clicking the box in the dialog. No need to remember to "copy" and as a single zipped file your project will be saved more reliably on the cloud than as the scores of little files it actually is.

Also, go to your DropBox online and check whether you have any copies of it there by showing the deleted files.

Mark

[Rosamune]

Thanks for the support.

I did check the DropBox site and the copy there wasn't any better. That said, after a dinner of comfort food, I've managed to create empty scene files with as full synopsis' as I could remember and even managed to rewrite one of them in full. It looks like I lost 10 (now 9) full scenes and another bunch will just need to be revised again. How many days until NaNoWriMo again?

I've been writing for long enough that I can say that I'm surprised I haven't lost something sooner, and it could have been a lot worse. You only ever let it happen once though.

[gtcaz]

Dropbox keeps versions of your files. For packages, like .scriv, you'll need to navigate into the files and look at them. I'd probably copy the text out and re-insert it via Scrivener than trying to restore the files directly.

https://www.getdropbox.com/help/11

Perhaps this would help?