I read a PDF on my Macbook, in DT. I highlight some parts.
I ask to sync and want to continue my reading on the iPAD.
I refresh the synching on the iPad too: by pulling down the main screen, and also the concerned database screen, and also going to Synchning Cloudkit setting screen and checking that it says me that the database is synched. I do all this successively because the previous step has not been able to bring the highlights on the iPAD.
But I cannot find the highlights in the iPad version
I don’t want to lose them or create a conflict between two versions of the highlighted document.
Any idea on what is going on?
Data:
DT 3.7.2
DTG updated on iOS
OSX Big Sur
iOS 14.6
Synching with CloudKit method.
The DT Journal in OSX does not show any issue and when I click long on the cloud icon in iOS, I don’t see any error either. Moreover, the Cloudkit location settings menu lists my databases as already synched. SO, I am quite lost here
Maybe there are too many different systems in the nature, but I am now using a pretty standard setup I think:
OSX BIg Sur with the latest version of DTP ; Latest version of iOS and of DTTG; and cloudkit synching.
So I am rather tempted to expect that DT should work seamlessly with such a setting… (no Dropbox, etc).
One info bit: When I check the information on the file in DTTG (click long on the file + infos), its date of modification is the same as its date of creation, while on the Mac, I see the correct (and more recent) date of modification.
If your two devices are on the same local network, good to add and use the Bonjour sync method which is more reliable and faster than any of the cloud-based methods. Keep the Apple CloudKit method as once it decides to behave better, it will co-exist nicely. No telling what logic Apple uses to sync files.
Thank you! THey connect to the same network. So, bonjour is an option indeed.
Stupid question: on my iPAD Bonjour appears as Deactivated and if I try to activate it (I need to set a password first to be able to activate it), it tells me somethings about purging partially synched data etc. It is rather frightening, I must confess… If I understand correctly, I must activate the direct connection to my laptop in the Synching places list on the ipad.
On my Macbook, it seems activated but I don’t know if the ipad uses it…
In any case, I must admit that I do not feel safe with these synching blues… This is a very critical function, much more than some other bells and whistles for me…
Please re-review the instructions in the DEVONthink Handbook for setting up Bonjour. That same text in DEVONthink Help. Also see the “Tips” category of articles here. The instructions say nothing about a password. They do tell you about an “encryption key”. The instructions also tell you to turn on Bonjour “accept incoming connections” on only one device. Normal practice is to make that be your desktop and not iPads/iPhones. Just one. Try again and follow instructions exactly.
I can’t help you about the “partially synced data” as I never saw that. And you infer more problems by saying “etc”? Please be specific about these others things and maybe someone can help.
Why “frightening”? What is the worst that can happen? Please be specific so that we can ameliorate your concerns.
Exactly what is not “safe”?
And, why “very critical”? I agree “very convenient”, but “critical”? Why do you need to sync? If you think you are backing up, it is not a backup. Not advertised to be and logically does not work as a backup.
Just curious why “critical”? What can’t happen for you if it doesn’t work?
Murat:
Well, the help in DTTG is quite cryptic about Bonjour, really!, but it says that you need to provide the password set on the computer, in the Setting Up Sync page, at the paragraph about Bonjour. In fact, in a first reading, I have thought that it was quite automatic but seeing that I cannot activate it, I had to go in the settings of Bonjour and I have seen the password. Once the password is given, I could activate it. But, I have the impression that this is necessary for the server function, and I do not need a server on my iPad, my MacBook should be sufficient. SO, I have now deactivated that Bonjour functionality, but connected to my laptop in the Sync locations list, hoping that this was the Bonjour connection that I need. Maybe I am stupid, but I think that the process should be clearly described in a way to cover different main scenarios, icludingI want to connect my ios device to my laptop through Bonjour, what should I do?
Well, I most be corrected: The Help in DTP gives the exact steps:
Murat:
I don’t remember the exact message but it has appeared when I have activated my Macbook in the Sync locations list
Murat: Worst would be losing my data during sync as it has happened sometimes in the past. And the database verification continues to give me some lost document warnings from time to time. This is far from perfect for now.
The integrity of the data is critical for me. Not for you? Also, I have switched from Evernote only after DTTG became usable because being able to carry my data with me is critical for me. DTP is my main document and notes archive and I rely on it.
Thank you very much for the link!
I have missed it. Thank you, I will read it. I understand that in the general case, Bonjour should be sufficient for my use because my machines are generally connected to the same networks.
It seems that I have followed at the end (after having set first my iPAD as a server, but this has been corrected) the procedure indicated in the DTP help. Neverteless, DTTG seems to take a lot of time to sync even if my two machines were already synching via Cloudkit. And I cannot continue to work on my document on the ipad (may main machine for reading and annotating PDFs) after more that 12 hours because it has not been synched yet.
Is there a way to tell to DTTG-DTP to sync firts the most recently modified documents, so we can quickly start to work on them on teh other platform, instead of waiting a full sync taking place? In fact the sync seems to sync the most recent database after the others… but that would be a coincidence.
To complete these elements. If I check the sync location corresponding to my Macbook, DTTG can only always show the list of the databases (and sync probably), just after I reboot my iPad.
If I come back to that screen again, sometimes, I cannot see the list of the databases, and if I push the resync arrow on the top of the screen, I just get the beach ball (or its equivalent turning wheel).
Even if Bonjour seems active now, DTTG wants to sync one of my databases using Cloudkit…
Has CloudKit a higher priority than Bonjour? How the DTTG decides which one to use when both are active?
The database currently trying to sync is 648 MB on the hard disk. The database in which I have had to wait for the highlights to sync is 1.2GB. But only that file has been modified in the last week.
Since my DTTG is in French, I have some difficulty to find the elements you ask Jim.
Download is now set to Always (it was Manually before).
I don’t see the On demand option in the settings of the database, neither in the options of DTTG, behind the Settings button at the bottom of the main screen. Where should I look for it?
Clicking the encircled i in the bottom toolbar when first entering a database will open the Info popup. There is a per-database Download Files option found there.
Note: If you have a sync location set to On Demand, and a database set to On Demand…
Switching the sync location to Always will also set the database to Always.
IN the currently problematic database, nothing has been synched even if I let the iPAD run for two days now. When I click on the Cloud icon, it seems to be stuck on a file and I have checked in DTP, it is just a simple 850Kb html file. Something strange is going here… I have restarted several times the ipad during the last two days; but that does not solve the problem.
When I go in this database, it appears empty and the information button is grayed out. It has been telling me for two days that it is synching this database…
When I have installed the cloudkit version of DTTG, I have synched it from scratch with my Macbook. It seems that I left this database on Manual synch, and now I need it so, I have switched to Always.
I cannot find where to set the location on demand or always. I do not have just an option for a specific location. I have the following option, common for all locations, in the global settings screen:
Update: Auto vs Manual
Yes, there is. Simply delete in DEVONthink ToGo. Deleting in one app does not affect the other app.
HOWEVER this won’t achieve what you are trying to do when you say you want to re-synch from scratch.
For that, before deleting on first try the “clean” command to “clean” the synch copy. “Clean” is essentially the same as “delete” for handling the synch location copy on the cloud server.
This is all described in the DEVONthink and DEVONthink ToGo Handbooks. Recommend before doing anything, you re-read these fine documents.
FYI, your 1.2 gb database is pretty big. The time it takes via Apple’s cloud service is sort up to Apple.
Thank you very much.
Again, maybe because it is in French on my ipad, I don’t know where I can find the clean command in DTTG. I have checked the Help, Managing databases and I cannot see anything about cleaning a database.
When I long-click on the database to get the contextual menu, I can see verify and correct but not Clean.
