I had the exact same on-the-go scenario of ’just wait a minute, I have the info…’ and then waiting for a long time for the small text file to download – and often needing multiple attempts at it. The solution for me was to change the file downloading to ’Always’ in my main Dt database. Luckily I had the memory in my iPad & iPhone to do this. Using iCloud (CloudKit) & Bonjour for syncing.
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I have seen in some MBP this configuration: a Samsung T4/T5 or equivalent size disk, glued with velcro at the laptop cover, near to the lower and at one side, inside enough to cover the start of the USB cable. Then a tiny USB cable from the disk to one of the Mac ports, long enough to allow open the cover. I had this option in my old MBP Retina 2012 until I replace it with a modern mac with 1 TB disk size (and now I have a kidney less).
This solution has two potential problems: the cable will end up tearing apart because of so many flexions and you cannot put your laptop in a bag without risking the connector.
Another solution, and it is the one my employer uses, if your laptop has SD slot, use a special SD that has the exact size of the slot and does not protrude from the laptop.
And, of course, you can sell your two kidneys, one lung and half of your liver and get a Mac with 8 TB of integrated disk. You will die young, but you won’t have space issues. 
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Hi,
I’ve had problems with sync via iCloud. Finally, I decided to use Bonjour which works excellent when I’m not at work. Therefore when I’m at work I use syncing by wire: DEVONtechnologies | How to Sync by Wire
Using these two methods have solved all my sync problems.
Best regards,
Björn
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I totally missed this reply. Sorry.
I already do: I have a “Projects” database where I put only the projects I’m working on.
This database and the Inbox are fully synced with my iPhone, and always downloaded on the device.
But some time it happens that I need infos from older projects (that I store in an “Archive” database), or some info from a paper or similar, that is stored in the huge “Resources” database.
My “Resources” database is about 30 Gb and the Archive is 2 Gb.
They are small, but I can’t store all the databases into my iPhone (I haven’t enough space).
Furthermore, I still have lots of folders in my cloud that I want to move to DT (other resources, past projects…) and it’s more than 300 Gb, so I need a strategy.
I’m planning, but there will always be something out of the local storage on my iPhone.
Maybe I can discern between things that may be needed from things that probably won’t need, and store the latter in an external HD and ready to be downloaded on demand on my iPhone.
Good to know!
How about using both iCloud and Bonjour?
So that I still have a solution when I’m out?
Another question: does Bonjour allow to download the files on demand? Or is all the database automatically downloaded in local?
Hi,
I have tried using both iCloud and Bonjour (and actually still do for one small database) but I don’t know if this is a good solution in the long run. I get into trouble with iCloud because of “missing manifest files” and this is iCloud related (I think). I then usually delete the database on my mobile device and from the sync store on iCloud and start over (therefore I only dare to try this with a small database).
You can set download on demand on Bonjour I think but to really download you need to have the devices on the same network of course.
What would I give for a working DTTG, maybe just a comprehensive, understandable, idiot proof, step by step description on how to make it work.
I’ve DTP on my macbook. My databases are synched via Webdav to my cloud server (SeaFile). So far, so good.
I want my iphone and my ipad automatically be in sync with a database that I always work with on my mac. I don’t want to wait. Like OP I typically have to grab my iPhone and head off. I’ve no time to wait / open DTTG to make it kindly synchronize.
I just opened DTTG again, and am seeing the last time I tried - in vain - to even somehow make it work is back in 2020.
Just shoutout, is there anyone who actually is using it? I don’t want to waste any time on that if it’s not working reliably anyway.
I’ve about half a million entries in my database.
DTP is a lifeline, a reliable storage for things like email. DTTP so far was a complete waste of money and time.
Yes, on four devices, with WebDAV, reliably (if the server is available) and fast. Someone might be able to help you if you were providing any useful information. A lengthy „it’s not working“ is not useful. And yes, DTTG has to run to be able to sync, as has been explained here patiently several times already.
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So that’s great and I’m happy I’m just too dumb to understand how to do it.
What specifically do you need to do to configure it?
Thanks!
Fully explained in the chapter “SYNC” in the “DEVONthink Manual” and in Help.
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There’s also a longish explanation on how to set up WebDAV sync:
So I go there
it explains to me how to set up my Nas / Webdav. I’ve got that.
But then what? Looking at my ipad, I see the database I’ve set up ages ago, probably 10GB in it, but no obvious way to even show / modify the webdav settings.
The only option I’m having is to delete it, which I’m doing at the moment.
I don’t know, when synchronizing on the iPad, all it shows is a minuscule cloud icon which is perhaps meant to fill up - but really no actual way to see what it is doing.
Care to share “where”?
Where “what?”
i am guessing you never visited
Indeed I did.
Now what I’ve understand so far is that I’ve set up a sync target from my macbook to my webdav server. On my webdav server, I then see like a MyDatabase.dtCloud in some directory. So I’m setting the URL on the iPad to https://my.server.com/seafdav/somedirectory/ and the sync store name to MyDatabase. Now it is synchronizing.
Let’s see how that works out.
I can’t really see any meaningful progress so far except for that little cloud icon.
Thanks for the moment.
So now what? Is it doing anything? How long does it think it’ll take? Any progress?
I’ll probably just let it stand there. I don’t know if it is doing anything.
I also apparently cannot edit the connection seeings of the webdav connection, once it is made.
Ahh. “Long press” the cloud icon. Let’s see. It has now synchronized like 10k out of 250k objects.
OK, it appears if I relaunch the application, it’ll re-synch every single object. For a quarter million objects, that’ll take forever.
I’m trying iCloud now. With the hope that those will synchronize to the iPad and phone even with DTTG not running.
You might want to read first. Sync has been discussed ad nauseam here, as has the question of background processing in iOS. And the reliability of iCloud.
WebDAV is regularly described as a reliable sync method (and it is, in my experience). But since you don’t provide any facts on your setup, helping you is not possible. At least not for me.
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The same settings used for the sync location in DEVONthink’s Preferences > Sync should be used across other devices syncing to that location.
Also, the speed and reliability of the sync is related to the quality of the network connection your on.
So now I’m using iCloud (CloudKit) and after like 2 hours (it hasn’t finished pushing from the mac side), I still see only “Inbox” on the iPad. No idea if something else needs to be done.
Plus, the “Cloud” icon now has an upward triangle.