Second DEVONThink - are files downloaded on the device or not after sync with main device?

DEVONthink
1

Hi,
Please forgive me if this is a really basic question. I have the following devices:

  • Mac Mini (main device on which I set up DEVONThink originally);
  • IPad (DTTG3 installed);
  • iPhone (DTTG3 installed); and
  • MacBook Air from girlfriend with second apple profile of me (DEVONThink installed).

After I downloaded DEVONThink on the MacBook Air of my girlfriend, I synced the database through Preferences > Sync > icloud. The MacBook Air started to synchronize the databases.

My question is: how can I see whether the files are all downloaded on the MacBook Air or only ‘synced’ through the cloud and not actually on the device?
This is clear in DTTG, in which you have to click ‘download’ before a file is fully available. I would like the same for the MacBook Air of my girlfriend, as I do not want to flood her harddrive with all of my documents.

Therefore my question:
(i) Are the files in DEVONThink on the MacBook Air of my girlfriend all downloaded to the harddrive?
(ii) If this is the case, how can I make sure that the files are only available ‘in the cloud’ and need to be downloaded first to have them on the hard drive?

2

Brief answer, add all this has been discussed very often and exhaustively here: files imported into DT are fully synchronized with other DT installations using the same sync location. Afaics there’s no setting to change that.

1 Like
3

Thanks for your reply. I am sorry to read that this has been debated exhaustively. I was searching the ‘help’ section in DEVONThink and couldn’t find the answer:).

files imported into DT are fully synchronized with other DT installations using the same sync location.

I am sorry, but I don’t really know what this means. I have DEVONThink primarily on Mac 1 where I set up all databases, and it is synchronized through iCloud with Mac 2. Indeed all the files appear on Mac 2. But does this mean that all files are actually downloaded on Mac 2, or does this mean that it’s merely synced (so I can see what’s in my database) and only if I click on a certain file it is downloaded on Mac 2 from iCloud?

Sorry for these maybe obvious questions, but it is quite a steep learning curve for a beginner and sometimes I just don’t know where to look to find the answer.

4

Yes that is exactly what it means. And it is really worthwile to search this forum, too, as many questions have already been asked and answered here.

On a side note, are you sure that you want to use iCloud for syncing with your SO? They’d need your AppleID credentials for that to work, and those give access to a lot more than just your sync store. Why not use Bonjour, which has the added benefit of being faster and more reliable than iCloud – assuming that both machines are in the same local network at least sometimes.

Regarding sync in general, you’ll also find a huge number of questions and answers here in the forum.

1 Like
5

Thank so much for you answer! Will definitely checkt his forum out more.

As regard to the Apple credentials, I’ve set up a different profile on her MacBook, so the MacBook is basically treated as two different laptops. She therefore doesn’t have access to my apple credentials.

However, it might be worthwhile indeed to de-activate iCloud sync and just go for only bonjour instead. Will try and test it.

Thanks!