How can I share a DT database with my wife?

DEVONthink
1

Hi,

I am still fairly new to DT and use one database mainly for me. Now I want to create a shared database for my wife and me so that we access some content together.

Is there an easy way to share the database with her? I don’t use Dropbox.

As I understand iCloudKit isn’t an option for that scenario. Could iCloud legacy sync work?

I also have a Fastmail account and could use my storage there with WebDAV.

Best

Daniel

2

WebDAV syncs are supported, though we can’t speak to the specifics of Fastmail’s implementation.
See the In & Out > Sync: WebDAV section of the built-in Help and manual for more general information on that sync method.

3

Do I understand correctly that there is no way to share a database via iCloud sync with a person with another iCloud account?

4

Yes, you understand correctly. If it was feasible, it would be documented. Apple doesn’t allow syncing between Apple IDs.

5

Also not currently a Dropbox user, but it would be my solution for a shared database
Seems easier than setting up WebDAV service but Fastmail looks interesting
see Have Fastmail? It has WebDAV already and it has been working great for DT syncing for me and my wife

6

We use WebDAV for this and it’s been fast and solid. Tried Dropbox, but the free version limits sync clients, but if your wife has just 1-2 devices that can sync with one of your devices, it should work.

7

Might the DT Server Edition be a solution for you?

I myself have not tried the Server Edition yet, but if I understand the features correctly, you are able to share content from DT through a web interface.

But, also if I am correct, DT must be running and your wife must be able to access the web page. At home probably not much of an issue, but on the road this would need a more sophisticated network configuration (e.g. like vpn).

8

I’m assuming your wife’s computer has a second seat of DEVONthink installed, and that both computers are on the same “house” local area network. A quick and fast sync between the two devices can be achieved using Bonjour method. All the documented sync methods work, with varying degrees of complexity on setup and operation. Up to you. I recommend you at least try Bonjour before going into anything more complex and usually slower.

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9

Another option we use is iCloud. My wife doesn’t use DT. But we have an iCloud shared folder structure and then I have an indexed database of it that I can access in DT. In this way we can share view iCloud or I can access/copy stuff from DT there.

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10

I wouldn’t start with Bonjour unless she never needs documents on her phone or out of the house. It’s the sync approach most likely to be behind in those scenarios.

11

My wife don’t have a Mac. Only an iPhone and iPad. And the database that we would like to share is not really big.

I used syncing over Fastmail WebDAV with DT 3 and it worked quite well. So I think I will do it with DT 4 as well.

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12

Actually, I will politely disagree with this assessment of Bonjour:

  • Unless the person is using a shallow sync and is mobile. In that case, there would be no ability to pull content on demand.
  • Unless the person has a need for frequent or rapid updates to a database. Many scenarios and databases, especially personal ones, don’t need to be updated that quickly. In those cases, a sync when you’re back on the network with the Bonjour server is sufficient.
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13

Those two unlesses are keys to successfully sharing DEVONthink with family, is the thing, unless they’re conscientious about syncing before going into a situation where they potentially need documents. It’s just the reality of sharing DEVONthink with less knowledgeable or computer-oriented users. I like Bonjour for Mac-to-Mac syncing.

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14

I agree with those observations

Moreover - a key limitation of Bonjour is that it only supports one connection at a time.

Bonjour is fine if you only sync two devices - but if you have two Macs plus an iPhone or any other combination of more than two Bonjour devices, then the devices compete and it’s not fun. I gave up on Bonjour for that reason.

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15

I have more than two Macs and use Bonjour all the time.

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16

Like @BLUEFROG, I have multiple devices–two Macbooks and 2 iOS devices … when at Global HQ on same network I use Bonjour all the time with no issues noticed, at all. For years until this summer I had three Macs involved.

I have my “works in progress” database synced using the third party Dropbox service, and again, no issues.

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17

This might be related to the size of your databases which already exceed the recommended values a lot. AFAIR.

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18

Maybe I need to revisit this and see why I got errors saying Bonjour unavailable.

Yes my main database is very large - is that still an issue after the initial sync is done?

Can Bonjour handle sync among multiple devices when they were initially synced and then a large file upload occurs e.g. 1Gb?

19

Due to the size of the database, each sync might require some time and other devices can’t use the sync concurrently. This is what’s probably causing the “Server is busy” messages in your case.

The size of files doesn’t really matter, only the number of items & words in a database.

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20

Thanks for the clarification

This limitation apparently does not apply to the other Sync options? I have used Dropbox, iCloud, and Webdav without difficulty.

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