DTTG4 Can not change between "download all" and "manual download" for my database

DEVONthink To Go
1

Hi there,

I recently changed from DTTG3 to DTTG4. Beside the mobile versions, I use DEVONthink on 2 Macs.

All share the same Database which is synced in two ways. The Macs use iCloud sync. For the mobile devices I change according to the current situation between iClod sync and bonjour with one of the Macs as server, as this speeds up the sync dramatically.

Since my older iPad hat not so much memory, I choose manual download for this device to reduce the space, needed, while the database on my iPhone is set to “always download”

To change from DTTG3 to DTTG4, I installed DTTG4 without removing DTTG3 first.

The Database was correctly recognised by DTTG4 but after syncing my iPad (which had an a bit outdated version of my database) via bonjour with my Mac I realised, that not all files were downloaded.

I did a long press at the database, chose “i” and tried to change the download behaviour from manual to always, but this does not work. I see the options, but they do not react.

I checked my iPhone and face the same problem, with the only difference, that at the iPhone, the database is set to “always download” (which is fine) but also in this case, I can not change this.

It seems the settings were taken from the old app and now, can not change anymore.

I even uninstalled the DTTG4 App from the iPad, and this time synced via iCloud. The sync took a long time, as expected but the behaviour of the database was the same. What I did not try yet is to remove the database completely and then grep it from my computer or from the iCloud.

This seems like a bug to me, but I would like to be sure I did not miss something obvious…

By the way: when I uninstalled DTTG4 from the iPad and reinstalled it, it ate up another one of my licenses, so the same device uses two of my licenses at the moment. I red in the forum, that this problem was already solved but on my device with version 4.0.5 is is not.

I would be happy to hear from you.

All the best and thanks for reading this longish problem report!

2

Welcome @Ingo.Pr

This is not a problem to be solved. It’s a byproduct of the anonymity Apple ensures for your mobile device but also makes it impossible for us know a device has been registered.

What are the sync settings for each sync location in DEVONthink To Go?

1 Like
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Thanks for the clarification.

Concerning the sync settings, I post a screenshot. They are the same for both iOS devices.

IMG_5063
IMG_50631179Ă—2379 247 KB

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You’re welcome.
You said you used Bonjour. Was that set to Download Files: Always ?

1 Like
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I would say yes, but since I uninstalled DTTG4 once, changed to iCloud sync and then back to bonjour, I can not verify this so this assumption can not be taken as 100% sure.

However, when I do a long press to the database, I see the option to change between “always download” and “manual download”.
I’ll attach a screenshot of this view.
This option is under no circumstances changeable I tried so far .

IMG_0001
IMG_0001838Ă—2166 188 KB

I don’t know if this option is just an artefact from my years old database, but its there and I can not change between these two options.

6

Addendum to @BLUEFROG’s answer: You can, of course, log into your customer account and remove the unused ghost device manually after five days.

2 Likes
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I faced the same problem, and the solution is easy, but rather unintuitive:

  1. Go to Settings > Synchronization > Locations
  2. Tap Edit
  3. For each sync store (Bonjour, iCloud, …):
    • Choose Edit from the three-dots-menu
    • Set Download Files to On demand
  4. Go back to your database list
  5. For each database:
    • call up its properties (info button), and choose Download… > Always or On demand

Only after all sync stores are set to Download On demand does switching become possible for each database.

2 Likes
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Thanks for mentioning this. I am already waiting for the 5 days to end. Since I have 5 licenses of which only 3 are used at the moment, its no really problem, but I was a but puzzled, as I was thinking, that the device could be fingerprinted (I was not aware that Apple is blocking this vor developers)

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Hi Doris_R.

Thank you, this did the job.

So if I get the intention right, it allows different decisions per database on the question, if anything should be downloaded while syncing.

However this gets overruled if you define via a sync store that all files should be downloaded, which then would be the case for all databases.

Makes sense to me, but from a UX perspective, I think bringing these options together in one view and explaining how they are connected, would be a good idea.

Thanks to all of you who helped me to understand what’s going on here!

I really appreciate your willingness to help.

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That is correct. And you can’t have a mix of the two, so you can’t sync a database, e.g., Bonjour set to a full sync (Download Files: Always) and Dropbox with a shallow sync (Download Files: On demand). Those are contrary options.

that the device could be fingerprinted (I was not aware that Apple is blocking this vor developers)

I had similar thoughts during development and testing. While it makes things more difficult for us, protecting peoples’ privacy is a better reason for it.

11

Also, people need to realize this: If they set up a sync location as a shallow sync, databases imported from this location also only have the metadata, not the contents. This respects inheritance but a shallow sync is not necessarily desirable for all people, in all cases. So when importing a database, people should keep in mind they will need to go into the Info popover for a database and set it to Always if they want a full sync.