TIP: Solving deleted indexed files after modified them in DTTG

DEVONthink
1

I made a very serious mistake, at order to had definitively lost some modifications to files… Mistake was entirely mine, but I think it is worth to document how I solved it.

MISTAKE:

  • Delete indexed files out of DT, and then modify them in DTTG after deletion and before DT sync with DTTG (well, DT synchronised with DTTG but as deleted files were done out of DT, DT itself did nothing but mark them as “File missing” --This is the wanted and documented behaviour).
  • If files are restored from deletion, there is a chance that modifications done in DTTG will be overwritten with restored files.

As I’m not sure if that scenario will end in duplicated files, that is, the deleted file and the modified file side by side in DT, and not wanting to risk lose the modifications if the modified file is not overwritten with the restored file nor duplicated,

SOLUTION:

  • As files still are in sync database (and in DTTG), in DTTG, select the file, long press and Duplicate it. Not Replicate, not Move but Duplicate.
  • Let it sync.
  • Now you have the deleted file and the modified file side by side in DT once all is synchronised and can proceed to delete the local indexed file non-existent database entry.

(Same with folders, what is what it happened to me :cold_sweat: :cold_sweat: :cold_sweat: )

2

Indeed an interesting issue. What sync method were you using at the time?

3

The indexed folder was in Dropbox, and the sync, WebDAV in my Synology.

Once duplicated and synched, I had to “move into database” the duplicated folders, that were propagated to Dropbox, but no data was lost.

4

Thank you for the feedback! A future revision might improve the handling of this sync conflict.