SOLVED: Database can't be synced(use server copy or local)

[jka33331]

This message comes up at least 20 times a day. Can anyone help me with this issue?

[martin3]

I have the same issue, this with one laptop and iphone and the latest software (as of today (July 23, 2008)), and only doing updates on the laptop, so why does "it" think the database needs to be reset?

[Lizard]

This is most likely to occur when multiple devices sync at the same time. If possible, try not to make changes from multiple devices before syncing. When you finish using your laptop, sync it. When you start using your desktop, sync it. Etc.
Please also make sure you're running the latest sneaky peek. We fixed a few things in this neighborhood recently. (It may take a couple syncs after the update before things are sorted out.)

If you're getting the error on multiple devices and always choosing "Local", you're going to keep getting the problem. (It's like two little kids bickering "Do it my way!" "No, my way!" Until you coax one of them to give in, they're just going to keep at it.)

[jka33331]

I haven't touched my iphone in 2days and I still get this message at least 10-15times a day. I put so much time into logging information and this message and sync issue is really slowing down the overall process of staying organized much longer than is worth doing. Can someone walk me through a solution to ease my pain? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much, in advance

[dondo]

I was having this problem as well, and was given this advice via tech support:

Connect to your sync location and move all of the
OmniFocus-related stuff into an "Old OmniFocus Data" folder that we
can examine later.

Moving that stuff into the new folder means that your
synchronization should be back in a pristine, original state.
Synchronize from whichever one of your devices has the most up-to-
date information to make sure that works. Maybe synchronize one more
time to make sure it still works.

If you look at your server at this point, you should see a single
OmniFocus.ofocus file; you shouldn't have any "copy-in-progress"
files lying around, for example.

One by one, go to the rest of your desktop computers and sync. You
may be asked to replace your local copy with the server copy; if so,
say yes. Sync again, to make sure that's solid. Go back to your
desktop and sync there.

I had no fewer than five separate "OmniFocus.ofocus-copy-in-progress-[glyph]" folders in my remote BingoDisk/bingo folder. Starting over as described above made the symptom go away for a while. Sadly, the problem is recurring now, so I'll have to transcribe the data from iPhone to laptop by hand and start over. Again. Sigh.

This is clearly not ready for prime time. Then again, they pretty clearly tell us that it's not ready for prime time when they call the version of the software we're running "sneaky peeks."

[Andrew]

To elaborate a bit, if you are seeing this and it is because you have multiple devices syncing simultaneously (two Macs, or a Mac and an iPhone, etc), then the "correct" way to handle it is to choose the Cancel option, wait until the sync on the other device is finished, then you can attempt the sync again on the device that reported the problem.

We believe we have a fix for this, which is already in the latest sneaky-peek releases of the desktop app, but will still be a problem until 1.0.2 for the iPhone is available (sorry, I don't have an ETA on that).

[mclazarus]

We believe we have a fix for this, which is already in the latest sneaky-peek releases of the desktop app, but will still be a problem until 1.0.2 for the iPhone is available (sorry, I don't have an ETA on that).

I would suggest that your current sneaky peeks do not fix this. I can consistently reproduce it with no other versions of OF trying to sync.

Basically all I have to do is use iDisk as my sync server and really really work in OF. Make multiple changes over multiple minutes (like processing my inbox) and I will eventually get the error. I think the part that tells it to sync soon or in the next minute is causing it to conflict with itself and eat it's own tail.

I have submitted this to support just a few minutes ago, but I think you have something going on where you can pretty easily conflict with yourself if really working OF.

When I am using it normally, i.e. getting real things done and not organizing my tasks, I don't have any problems because I only ever use one at a time and I can rarely do more than one task in the time it takes to do the one forced sync to cause a conflict.

[mclazarus]

So I've come up with a work around that is working for me. When doing lots of heavy lifting in omnifocus. processing my inbox or doing a weekly review I will pop up the sync prefs pane in Preferences and set it to "Nothing"

When complete I will pop it back open and switch it back to mobileme.

Not ideal but it seems to be working for now.

[beharkey]

My wife is experiencing the exact same thing as mclazarus.

She has been in the process of doing some major processing of her inbox on the desktop client for the past couple of days. She started seeing this repeated error on Tuesday night.

[jet14]

So I've come up with a work around that is working for me. When doing lots of heavy lifting in omnifocus. processing my inbox or doing a weekly review I will pop up the sync prefs pane in Preferences and set it to "Nothing"

When complete I will pop it back open and switch it back to mobileme.

Not ideal but it seems to be working for now.

I'll have to give this a try, since that seems to be EXACTLY the situation I run into.

Also, can anyone tell me if there's a specific bug number to tag this with? I just sent a very lengthy e-mail to Omni with some debugging error message data (sorry, I can't remember the thread where I saw the debug "ON" command, but it was posted by Lizard recently).

My own suspicion is that the real problem here is an intermittent connection to MobileMe; I know that my own connection here at work caqn be very spotty, and I don't think that I've ever had this crop up when I'm using my MacBook Pro from home (and the work machine isn't running OF at the time).

Just my $0.02...

J

[Lizard]

Do any of you with this problem have iDisk Syncing turned on in System Preferences?

[jet14]

Do any of you with this problem have iDisk Syncing turned on in System Preferences?
No, I turned that off a while back because of how flaky my connection to Apple's servers had become. Again, I think I may be running into "dropped" connections to the server that end up being interpreted as "simultaneous sync".

Just my $0.02...

J

[beharkey]

No, we don't use MobileMe. We are syncing to Bingodisk via webDAV.

The interesting thing is that I'm not seeing this behavior when I use OF. Well, that's not entirely true - it happened to me once on each client a couple of days ago when the way OF handles the sync files/client files, etc. But since then, I've been running just fine.

Buy my wife says she sees it multiple times a day.

[lilyblossom]

I have this problem aswell with MobileMe, with iDisk sync on and off. With the latest iPhone version it seems to happen with EVERY sync, with the previous version it happens several times a day (like a previous poster mentioned, particularly if I am making a lot of updates on the Mac)
Driving me nuts but otherwise I love the application.

It would be great to be able to edit the location based information on the Mac as well as the iPhone, even if it can't be used on the Mac.

Phillip

[mclazarus]

Do any of you with this problem have iDisk Syncing turned on in System Preferences?

I turned iDisk syncing off as well, as it (iDisk sync) kept getting confused and conflicted and failing.

[jet14]

I turned iDisk syncing off as well, as it (iDisk sync) kept getting confused and conflicted and failing.
Just to clarify: had you turned off your iDisk sync BEFORE ever having trouble with the OmniFocus sync issue? If so, then I think you've got a "problem" connection to MobileMe the same as I do, and I REALLY think that this is the issue that's killing our syncs...

[Ken Case]

I think we've found it! This should be fixed on the desktop in the latest build, revision 103333. (It will take a little while for this fix to make its way to a phone release; in the meantime, just Cancel rather than choosing Server or Local when you get this spurious alert.)

[Quorcork]

This is most likely to occur when multiple devices sync at the same time. If possible, try not to make changes from multiple devices before syncing. When you finish using your laptop, sync it. When you start using your desktop, sync it. Etc.
Please also make sure you're running the latest sneaky peek. We fixed a few things in this neighborhood recently. (It may take a couple syncs after the update before things are sorted out.)

If you're getting the error on multiple devices and always choosing "Local", you're going to keep getting the problem. (It's like two little kids bickering "Do it my way!" "No, my way!" Until you coax one of them to give in, they're just going to keep at it.)

Hey Lizard!

This issues arises without several devices syncing simultaniously, too.
I am syncing one mac and one iphone. The iPhone's OF app is off, all morning since i got to work.
30mins ago OF Mac popped up with this error. I chose local copy and OF Mac started uploading the local file.
Right after the upload exactly the same happens again but there is no other device. iPhone OF is is still off (did not touch the phone) and there is no other Mac.
So, if my Mac uploaded and he get's the same error again right afterwards without other devices fumbling about i think there have to be other reasons that can cause this issue, too.

Cheers
Silvan

PS: The shot shows the second case of the error message. It popped up right after the first copying of the local version to idisk was finished.

[Ken Case]

This issues arises without several devices syncing simultaniously, too.

Yes, build 103333 fixes this recent regression: a few days ago we fixed the case where something changed on the server while a sync was in progress, but that fix accidentally broke the case where something was edited locally while a sync was in progress—which was previously handled correctly, and is even more common.

Anyway, both cases are fixed now: you can edit on either side while a sync is in progress without confusing the sync into thinking that the other side has been reset.

(Unfortunately, it will be a little while before the full fix is available on the phone; in the meantime, I recommend pressing Cancel if you encounter this error there.)

[jet14]

Yes, build 103333 fixes this recent regression: a few days ago we fixed the case where something changed on the server while a sync was in progress, but that fix accidentally broke the case where something was edited locally while a sync was in progress—which was previously handled correctly, and is even more common.

Anyway, both cases are fixed now: you can edit on either side while a sync is in progress without confusing the sync into thinking that the other side has been reset.

(Unfortunately, it will be a little while before the full fix is available on the phone; in the meantime, I recommend pressing Cancel if you encounter this error there.)
Quick follow-up question: when you say "just cancel that alert on the iPhone", does that mean A) that the sync has already happened, B) that a "good" sync will be possible the next time I trigger a sync, or C) a "good" sync will happen at the next automatic sync? In the case of B, I have never found that to be the case.