Using DT to collaborate on a book project?

I am about to start a new book project with a colleague. I have used DT for my own writing projects for some time. My colleague has not but we would like to try using it together to share notes etc as we are researching and planning.
I would be grateful for any advice about how to go about setting up this kind of collaborative project for two users. I should add that my co-author and I live in different cities so won’t be working on the same server. I use DT 3. Will upgrading to DT Server make this possible?

You could use DT Server but you would lose a lot of functionality that way. The server generally works when one team member is using most of the research/sorting/tagging capability and other team-members are in a supporting role uploading documents. Or the server works for occasional access to your data when you are out of town.

If you instead have two collaborators who will both be integrally involved in the intellectual content of the database, then I would suggest that you set up a sync store in the cloud. You would need shared access to that store so a personal Dropbox or personal iCloud account would not work. You could use a shared Dropbox/iCLoud account or a CLoudMe account for the sync store. Then each of you would have a local copy of the database and would sync your data to the same sync store.

I think syncing this way and having you each use a copy of DT Desktop would be far superior to the server.

Separately you should each backup your local database regularly.

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A @rkaplan has learned well and his advice is spot on.

I would add, you both can keep a separate database for individual work and integrate into a synced database as well. This can be useful since the sync is a mirroring sync, keeping the database in the same state on all syncing devices. This means if you reorganized the database to fit your wants, it would propagate to the other machine and vice versa.

Also, since there’s no requirement to sync any database and the software won’t set a database to sync on its own. You decide if you want to sync it. This means you can sync the common database with each other but not have to sync any other individual databases.

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Thank you both very much for your extremely helpful advice. This really clarifies things for me. I especially like the idea of each of us keeping separate databases for individual work and then integrating into a synced database. Thank you again!

You’re very welcome :slight_smile:

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Syncing over webdev is working well too.

Thank you again for your advice on this. My colleague and I are now in the process of actually trying to set this up (after a break during the holidays). We have set up a shared Dropbox account and I have set up a DT database on my machine for syncing with my colleague but we can’t seem to work out how he can get access to that database. Is there a step by step guide somewhere that we can follow?

You’re welcome.

Did you log into the shared Dropbox account online then set up the sync location in DEVONthink’s Preferences > Sync?

Yes, we did that. But when my colleague enters the Sync Store it does not show the shared database I set up.

To put this another way, the database I set up for us to share is not visible to him under Preferences>Sync. He is not able to select it

Did you sync the database, i.e., check the checkbox to enable syncing it?

Yes, I did do that.

Tell your colleague, hold the Option key in DEVONthink and choose Help > Report bug to start a support ticket. Send me a screen capture of DEVONthink’s **Preferences > Sync ** with the sync location selected.

Will do. Thank you.

You’re welcome.

Here is a screen shot of DT’s Preferences>Sync.

Hi Bluefrog

Just wanted to say thanks again, we got the syncing to work!

Welcome to the forums @mat
Glad to hear it and you’re very welcome! :slight_smile:

Did you use the secondary option I suggested?