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-   -   OmniFocus on Multiple Computers [USB, iDisk, .Mac, Syncing] (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=6189)

Michal Young 2007-12-10 04:09 PM

OmniFocus on Multiple Computers [USB, iDisk, .Mac, Syncing]
 
What I would really, really like is computer-to-computer synchronization (the one feature that has me still using Now Up to Date after all these years, despite its bugginess and general decrepitude) ... but I respect that Omni has made a rational choice to leave off true syncing in version 1, in order to get product out the door. So what I'm looking for is clear documentation on how to make do without true synchronization.

The forums have said you can mount OmniFocus data anywhere, and therefore it should work to carry it around on a USB key. This brings up two questions:

* Anywhere at all? So could I use a network mount and have OmniFocus running on a desktop computer at home, using the OmniFocus database on the computer in my office? And if I did that would I need to carefully shut down the copy of OmniFocus in the office before going home, and vice versa? I'm really afraid to try this without an all-clear from Omni.

* OK, let's say a network mount is a bridge too far ... so a USB key, however imperfect, is the answer. But how does one do that? There is no "open" command in the file menu of OmniFocus, and it seems to be hard-wired to use a database in Library/Application Support/OmniFocus. Am I supposed to copy the database back and forth from the USB key whenever I move location? Or maybe if I once make a copy of the database to a USB key and double-click it, OmniFocus will thereafter know that it should read and write to the key? I'm not sure where to start.

ptone 2007-12-10 08:50 PM

You could copy the Omnifocus database to your USB thumbdrive.

From there you could double click the file to open it in OF, or if you wanted to full feature set to work, you could try an alias, or probably more likely to work a symbolic link created in the terminal.

After copying your OmniFocus file from ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus to your thumbdrive. Delete the copy in your Library folder, and then use a terminal command like this to create a symbolic link:

ln -s "~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/OmniFocus.ofocus" /Volumes/thumbdrive/OmniFocus.ofocus

You will need to change thumbdrive to the volume name of your USB storage.

On the other machine, just delete the OF database file, and run the same command.

You will NEED to quit OF before ejecting the drive, or you could lose data, or screw up OF with regard to its lock file.

-P

Ken Case 2007-12-11 06:01 AM

[QUOTE=Michal Young;28176]* Anywhere at all? So could I use a network mount and have OmniFocus running on a desktop computer at home, using the OmniFocus database on the computer in my office?[/QUOTE]

Yes, you can use a network mount. The only problem is performance; OmniFocus is not yet optimized to minimize traffic to its database, so it can be slow over a wide-area network depending on the speed of your connection.

Improving performance over a wide-area network is one of the areas we want to work on after we ship 1.0.

[QUOTE]And if I did that would I need to carefully shut down the copy of OmniFocus in the office before going home, and vice versa?[/QUOTE]

No, you don't have to shut down the other copy of OmniFocus; it maintains a lock file which tracks which application currently has write access to the database, and double-checks the lock before writing any changes. If your local copy no longer owns the lock, it will prompt you to reload and override.

Unfortunately, reloading currently loses whatever change you were in the middle of trying to make (since you were changing an out-of-date set of data), so it's a good idea to trigger this reload as soon as you start using a different copy. (You can do this by closing and reopening the app or by trying to make a change that you don't mind losing—it's a little awkward, but at least you don't have to go back to the other computer to quit it first!)

Since this locking logic was written we've gotten better at merging changes from multiple computers, and our plan is to get rid of the "override" prompt and just transparently merge the changes made on the other computer. But again, that's something we plan to work on after we ship 1.0.

gfloro 2007-12-11 09:30 AM

[QUOTE=ptone;28202]
After copying your OmniFocus file from ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus to your thumbdrive. Delete the copy in your Library folder, and then use a terminal command like this to create a symbolic link:

ln -s "~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/OmniFocus.ofocus" /Volumes/thumbdrive/OmniFocus.ofocus

-P[/QUOTE]

If you only symlink to your OmniFocus document, your saved perspectives will not travel with you. Is this correct? If that's the case, you would also have to move the Perspectives directory and symlink that as well.

ptone 2007-12-11 10:31 AM

True, if you want to travel with perspectives, I would just symlink the whole OF folder.

-P

gfloro 2007-12-11 11:06 AM

[QUOTE=ptone;28257]True, if you want to travel with perspectives, I would just symlink the whole OF folder.

-P[/QUOTE]

That's what I am starting to test out today. Though I am leaving the lock file alone.

chavo 2007-12-11 01:20 PM

OmniFocus on external drive
 
Support for storing your database on a USB drive is built in to OmniFocus. I don't know why people are posting some complicated instructions involving the Terminal.

Just got to Preferences. At the top of the General pane, hit the "Move" button to change the location of your database.

The only little snag that I hit was setting it up on the second computer. When I tried to direct it to the same location on my external drive, it said that there was already a file there and wanted to overwrite it with the current database on that computer. I'm not sure if Omni has smoothed out that rough edge, but it was easy enough to make a copy of the database on the external, direct the Omnifocus to overwrite, quit the program, copy the correct database back into the external drive location, then restart Omnifocus.

That worked for me and it has been working like a charm ever since. This was the one feature that I had been waiting impatiently for since I really need to be able to use the program both at home and at the office.

Hope this helps.

mrtaber 2007-12-21 09:40 AM

Two copies, single database on .Mac?
 
I'm looking to purchase 2 copies of OmniFocus, one for work, one at home, and use a single database residing on .Mac. I've just started using the program on my work computer. Is my idea even feasible? I really need a unified view of my data between the computers (and, eventually, on my iPhone!) :)

Great app, very clean and smooth so far.

Thanks,
Mark

Lizard 2007-12-21 11:08 AM

If you only need OmniFocus open on one machine at a time, you actually only need to purchase one license. A single user may have any of our apps installed on two machines with the same license. Just quit it on one machine before launching on the other.

While .Mac syncing sounds good in theory, in practice it hasn't proved sufficiently reliable. What I'd recommend (and I know some folks, even some OmniFolk are doing) is to put the database on a USB thumbdrive.

Lizard 2007-12-21 11:18 AM

A few more specifics:
Assuming computer A is where your OmniFocus database is now, here's how you'd set it up:
1) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer A.
2) On computer A, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
3) In the Database section, click the "Move to a new location" button and browse to somewhere on the USB drive.
4) Quit OmniFocus
5) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer B.
6) On computer B, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
7) In the Database section, click the "Select a different database" button and go find the file you put on the USB drive in step 3
8) Now just make sure to quit OmniFocus and eject your USB drive every time you go from one computer to the other.

mrtaber 2007-12-21 11:36 AM

Thanks, Lizard! I'm going to check this out. (And it gives me an excuse for a nice new slick thumb drive).

Mark :)

eloyramirez 2007-12-28 11:56 AM

Is it possible to Sync Omnifocus between two Macs
 
I use a MBP and an iMac in the office. is there a way to have my OmniFocus data synchronized between the two. Not talking about syncing to iCal, but syncing the actual data within OmniFocus.

jpitkin 2007-12-30 02:19 PM

.mac syncing
 
Is there any plans to let .mac sync the OmniFocus Data? I use Yojimbo for clipping, passwords, serial numbers etc. and love the fact that it syncs with my .mac account. A similar system for OmniFocus would make this so much more usable for those of us who live on multiple macs during the day...

JKT 2007-12-31 02:43 PM

There have been a fair few other threads on this - the upshot is that OmniGroup intend to add this feature, but it won't be ready for the version 1.0 release (however, they don't state when it will be added, just that it is planned). I believe some people have tried storing their OF database on their iDisk so that more than one computer can access it, but I don't know how successful that has proven to be.

sciman 2008-01-01 05:46 PM

syncing would be great
 
I'm just wanting to support this thread. I use BusySync to keep all calendar items updated on my desktop and laptop through a wireless network around the house. But it'd be soooooo helpful to add to my do items on the desk from the laptop somehow. I'd be more than willing to carry the program or database on a thumb drive if that were possible. I'll try to search for threads and see if there are solutions. Thanks!

jgrafix 2008-01-04 02:41 PM

I've recently spent the last few days trying OF with the database on iDisk. The problem that I tend to get is that the iDisk sync chokes on the OmniFocus Lock file for some reason so the sync is usually not successful.

I've resorted to just copying it to a thumb drive and mvoing it back and forth. It ended up being much quicker for me.

marhar 2008-01-06 06:24 PM

this is my most desired feature
 
+1, I also have a desktop mac and a laptop.

My ideal situation: it will work just like imap mail, where if you have both open and update one, the other will automatically update.

gratuitous suggestion: hey, maybe you can configure to store the data in an imap folder. Walla, easy sharing!

Ken Case 2008-01-06 07:11 PM

+1!

What I'm using right now are crontab entries that rsync each of my commonly used machines (work desktop, home desktop, laptop) to an always-available server, and then when I switch to a new machine I type a command that rsync's the latest version from the server back over my local copy. But I'd much rather have something built-in that handled all this automatically.

(And, of course, that's what we're planning to do.)

digginestdogg 2008-01-08 11:14 AM

Alway-on-server?
 
[QUOTE]What I'm using right now are crontab entries that rsync each of my commonly used machines (work desktop, home desktop, laptop) to an always-available server[/QUOTE]

That's great Ken but not real practical for a lot of us. Don't get me wrong, your team is doing a great job on this. But this is a really, really, really important feature. I rely on GTD to manage my day and having multiple out-of-sync GTD DBs makes me feel like Drew Barrymore in the film "50 First Dates". Its a real inhibitor to using OmniFocus effectively. In fact, if I can't hack some kind of similar solution, I considering stopping using it until you provide this essential feature. I would not have bought Yojimbo if they didn't have this feature--many of us who work have at least a desktop and a laptop and these kinds of tools simply have to be of one mind or their promised productivity is decimated.

The only always-on server I can reach through the port-80-only corporate firewall is my iDrive and people have already reported problems synching with it. Anyone care to share a good SSH-through-VPN-tunnel over port 80 to rsync server solution? Otherwise I need to hack on it myself and it won't be pretty nor quick.

kenny 2008-01-08 02:25 PM

[QUOTE=Ken Case;30455]+1!

What I'm using right now are crontab entries that rsync each of my commonly used machines (work desktop, home desktop, laptop) to an always-available server, and then when I switch to a new machine I type a command that rsync's the latest version from the server back over my local copy. But I'd much rather have something built-in that handled all this automatically.

(And, of course, that's what we're planning to do.)[/QUOTE]

the wording of your solution sounds quite familiar from my *nix days, but thats the past for me now and i never look back ;)

except for a few bugs, i really enjoyed testing omnifocus but i will have to keep on using iGTD simply because it syncs to .mac (and does so flawlessly). it´s one thing that OF does not support .mac-syncing in 1.0, but i am not ready to pay 79,95 if i am not given at least a vague idea *when* it will be implemented.

kenny

umop 2008-01-09 11:12 AM

-1

While I agree that synchronization will be a great thing to have, there are bigger issues that plague the everyday use of OmniFocus. These are things which will cause annoyance all day long. It's relatively painless to rsync or scp the data file at the end of the day (assuming that you aren't jumping back and forth many times during the day). This is really a good habit for me, because I also export my list to html and save it to the web for viewing on my Treo while I'm out. It's not the ideal web interface, but it works just fine for the time being. Ken's crontab idea is great too, for the time being.

gaarch 2008-01-11 05:50 AM

[QUOTE=Ken Case;30455]+1! (And, of course, that's what we're planning to do.)[/QUOTE]

I too am really looking forward to this feature and I wanted to chime in and also say how important this feature is!... any estimation on when it might be available? (Would this be a 1.1 feature or a 2.0 feature?)

Ken Case 2008-01-11 06:41 AM

[QUOTE=gaarch;30924](Would this be a 1.1 feature or a 2.0 feature?)[/QUOTE]

We've already started working on this for 1.1, but it could get pushed back to a later release if it looks like finishing it would delay 1.1 too much.

dkf2112 2008-01-11 09:22 AM

Could you post the rsync command that's been working for you? Does it cause any locking issues?

Chris Humphreys 2008-01-11 10:30 AM

Syncing OF with two computers....
 
So when I'm at my home/office I'm on my MacPro and have OF set up on this machine, but we travel quite a bit as well, sometimes for a week or so at a time and have a laptop that I really only use for when I'm on the road.

How's the best way to sync my laptop version of the program with my desktop version so it's up to date before I leave on a trip and then re-update my desktop when I get back home?

Any of you deal with this?

xmas 2008-01-11 10:37 AM

From the [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?p=30740#post30740"]FAQ[/URL] (sticky):

Q.Can I synchronize my data between multiple computers?
A.We're working on synchronization now that we've finished the basic single-computer functionality for our 1.0 release.

For the time being, you can place your OmniFocus database on your iDisk and access it from your various machines. But I should note that you're definitely heading out towards the land of bleeding-edge beta testing. We want feedback from folks, but we don't want folks to set this up casually and then be upset if something they didn't expect happens. Proceed with our blessing, but also with caution. We recommend you set the backup preference to 'twice a day and on quit' on all your machines. ;-)

On one of your machines, open up OmniFocus' "General" preferences pane and use the "Move" button to get your database on your iDisk.

On your other machines, open up those same preferences and use the "Select a Different Database" button to select your database on your iDisk.

You should now be all set.

xmas 2008-01-11 10:42 AM

all of the threads dealing with syncing OmniFocus have been moved to this thread, note that the post above this is the most recent, and is on the FAQ.

BwanaZulia 2008-01-11 10:58 AM

[QUOTE=Lizard;29524]While .Mac syncing sounds good in theory, in practice it hasn't proved sufficiently reliable. What I'd recommend (and I know some folks, even some OmniFolk are doing) is to put the database on a USB thumbdrive.[/QUOTE]

This should be fixed.

BZ

jcreyes 2008-01-11 12:29 PM

OF Sync via iCal and .Mac
 
Just curious...has anyone successfully synced OF on two macs as follows:

1. Mac 1 OF and iCal synced
2. Mac 2 OF and iCal synced
3. Mac 1 and 2 iCals synced via .Mac.
4. Does this lead to Mac 1 and 2 OF synced?

Lizard 2008-01-11 04:59 PM

It does not sync the Focus databases in any way that is likely to make you happy. (You'll end up with duplicate items, and deleted items re-appearing.) Over on [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=6596&page=2"]another thread[/URL] we've been talking about some ways you *can* sync with iCal on two machines and not wreak havoc.

Shane 2008-01-12 10:07 AM

Xmas,
[quote]On one of your machines, open up OmniFocus' "General" preferences pane and use the "Move" button to get your database on your iDisk.

On your other machines, open up those same preferences and use the "Select a Different Database" button to select your database on your iDisk.[/quote]

I had set up my OF data on my USB thumb drive to allow access on 2 machines (main desktop & laptop) and things have worked fine, but I would prefer not to use the thumb drive. Having now seen this doc on using my idisk/.mac account, I tried to set it up. Each time I attempt it OF begins the process of saving a backup, cleaning up, then moving my file to my idisk. OF then quits responding and I have to do a force quit. What specif files should I send to you for de-bugging/solving?

Regards,
Shane

elgy 2008-01-13 09:12 AM

To clarify .Mac sync question:
 
When you refer to .Mac syncing not being reliable, does this include storing the OF database on one's iDisk and turning iDisk Sync on, on both computers?

clarkito 2008-01-15 08:16 PM

external HD as an option?
 
I've got a small external hard drive I'm going to be using to take stuff between home and work. I'm guessing that will work in the same way as a USB right?

Clark

Lizard 2008-01-15 11:50 PM

elgy: If I recall correctly, the problem with the iDisk was with the automagic syncing it does. If it decides to sync while Focus is saving, your data may get scrambled.

clarkito: an external hard drive would work the same as a usb thumb drive.

Lizard 2008-01-15 11:50 PM

elgy: If I recall correctly, the problem with the iDisk was with the automagic syncing it does. If it decides to sync while Focus is saving, your data may get scrambled.

clarkito: an external hard drive would work the same as a usb thumb drive.

Chris Humphreys 2008-01-17 06:11 AM

[QUOTE=clarkito;31289]I've got a small external hard drive I'm going to be using to take stuff between home and work. I'm guessing that will work in the same way as a USB right?

Clark[/QUOTE]

Yep. It should.

marhar 2008-01-17 08:13 AM

Ken, I've got access to a shared server I can copy the files to, so this sounds like a reasonable approach for me.

Will it hurt if I have two omnifocus's running on two machines? will the
items merge when I copy?

Can you post an example rsync script? Of course they would be unsupported, disclaimed, etc.

Thanks!

elgy 2008-01-18 09:58 AM

Right. That's probably what's been happening. Thanks!

demiurge 2008-01-18 02:58 PM

When will this be included
 
I really need to have OF sink automatically between my computers without the use of a pen drive. Do you have an approximate timeframe when the version that incorporates this feature will be released? It is surprising that this wasn't included in version 1.0. thanks

Brian 2008-01-18 03:38 PM

Demiurge - we don't like to make predictions/announce dates until we're certain we can back them up. Once the code's written, we'll have more to say. ;-)

As for why it's not in 1.0: OS 10.5 includes a couple features that will make this somewhat simpler to implement; since Kinkless ran on 10.4, we thought it would be rude to shut folks running that version of the OS out of the application. This means no features that require 10.5 in version 1.

(Additionally, while this feature is important to some of our users, it's not going to be useful to everyone. Delaying OmniFocus for feature X helps the folks that use it, but hurts everyone else. Sometimes an imperfect solution that ships sooner is still the better choice.)

Tom Negrino 2008-01-20 09:35 PM

I'd like to sync OF between my MacPro up in my office (where the app and its database lives) and my MacBook down in the house, but I'm not going to try to figure out rsync to do it. I don't even have OF installed on the MacBook, but I still use the laptop to enter and edit info in OF when I'm not in my office.

How, you ask? Both machines are running Leopard, and I use Leopard's Screen Sharing to view and work with the MacPro's screen from the MacBook. It works great.

I used some of the tips from Macworld's Screen Sharing article to improve the sharing experience.

[url]http://www.macworld.com/article/131094/2007/12/screensharepower.html[/url]

This works easily for me because my house and office are on the same LAN, but I think it will work over the Internet, too, though you may have to fiddle with router settings.

Until the Omni folks deliver their own sync features, screen sharing does it for me.

elgy 2008-01-21 04:23 PM

Appreciate Not Delaying v1
 
Thanks for getting OF 1.0 out earlier rather than later : )

[QUOTE=Brian;31497]

(Additionally, while this feature is important to some of our users, it's not going to be useful to everyone. Delaying OmniFocus for feature X helps the folks that use it, but hurts everyone else. Sometimes an imperfect solution that ships sooner is still the better choice.)[/QUOTE]

Ken Case 2008-01-25 01:58 PM

[QUOTE=marhar;31374]Can you post an example rsync script? Of course they would be unsupported, disclaimed, etc.[/QUOTE]

Sure! First, I have all of my accounts push their OmniFocus data to a central server every half hour. This central server could be .Mac, but in my case I just push to a Mac that I always leave running (we'll call it "example.org"). So, here's the crontab entry I install everywhere:

[CODE]#
# Mirror current Focus data to example.org
#
*/30 * * * * /usr/bin/rsync -az --delete ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/. example.org:Mirrors/$(hostname -s)/OmniFocus/.
[/CODE]

I use zsh, so in all my .zshenv files I've defined two shell functions: one which publishes manually (called "push-focus") which I use before putting my laptop to sleep (since cron can't run while it's asleep), and one which rsyncs a specific remote mirrors back to my local computer:

[CODE]function push-focus() {
/usr/bin/rsync -vP -az --delete $* ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/. example.org:Mirrors/$(hostname -s)/OmniFocus/.
}

function sync-focus() {
if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
echo "Usage: sync-focus hostname"
else
echo "Syncing from $1"
rsync -avP -z --delete example.org:Mirrors/$1/OmniFocus/Perspectives ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/
rsync -avP -z --delete example.org:Mirrors/$1/OmniFocus/'OmniFocus.ofocus*' ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/
fi
}
[/CODE]

When I sit down at home in the evening, I say "sync-focus hypno" and when I sit down at work in the morning, I say "sync-focus jamethiel". I then close and reopen my document in OmniFocus, it complains that it's locked by the other computer, I click "Override" and start working.

This approach is not ideal, I know. Did I mention that we're working on synchronization for 1.1? :) But since you asked, I thought I'd share what I'm doing for what it's worth.

Tom Negrino's screen sharing approach seems much simpler than my rsync commands. (Though, unfortunately, it loses Quick Entry and the Clipping service, both of which I use heavily.)

rjphoto 2008-01-25 04:45 PM

i am new to the forum, so I apologize if this is something obvious -

syncing between two machines owned by the same person would be nice - but, I have a partner and we run a work "to do" list that we are constantly updating. I am fine with the list being only on my laptop versus also on my blackberry, and desktop.... What I would really like is to be able to work off of the same list (database?) as my partner.

I am not a programmer and really don't want to tinker - but for years I have been wanting a program that could sync "to dos" or a contact database without having some huge corporate server. We are a 2 person office with freelancers. My partner and I are constantly meeting and call to "go over" the "list". How cool if we had a sync'd list, or if it worked through ichat or email or a subscription

Am I talking about something that already exists - or am i talking about something that will never exist - an omni focus that could have subscriptions like my ical. my partner subscribes to the work "to do" my wife to the personal "to do" etc.... and they are all managed through my omnifocus. Pie in the sky?? Just wondering

jerad 2008-01-25 04:54 PM

I thought I had .Mac syncing working. I was able to sync my laptop with the database I had placed on my .Mac account. Problem is that when I go back to my officer tower .Mac sync fails. So I log out and log back in and it works, so does OmniFocus and when I quit OmniFocus I notice that the file is updated on my .Mac account. I go back to my Laptop and it has a sync problem, so I log out of .Mac in the preferences pane and log back in, it syncs fine. This problem happens back and forth each time I go to the other computer.

I had started a thread suggesting that .Mac sync be built into OmniFocus. I use Transmit from Panic as my FTP client. Panic has .Mac sync built into the software. I am assuming it is not that hard to do. Anyhow, I guess I can wish for this feature to be added to 2.0

jerad

WolfUK 2008-01-28 01:37 AM

First, thanks Ken.

I've ended up taking a slightly different approach. I manage to split my tasks pretty neatly between work and domestic/personal so I've created a system whereby I will email my domestic and personal tasks home when I am at work and email my work tasks to the office if I am at home and then the native email import system works its magic. I'm currently doing this by entering the task into OmniFocus and then using an AppleScript which takes any selected tasks and generates an email with the data formatted as per the user guide notes. However, I am also working on a small Cocoa app (mainly to help my Cocoa learning) which will allow you to enter the various details of a task and then email it. I'm then going to devise an AppleScript which will handle that email rather than using the native system so that I can do various extra things such as creating projects and contexts if necessary and store the full context 'path' (I've made a couple of other posts in the forums about these issues).

I'm half hoping that 1.1 takes a while to arrive so that my work doesn't become obsolete too soon! ;)

pmccredden 2008-01-30 01:06 PM

foldershare
 


Could foldershare be used to sync the data to different mac's?

[url]www.foldershare.com[/url]

Señor Pantalones 2008-01-30 08:55 PM

Following up on Ken's Instructions
 
3 Attachment(s)
Hi all,

I've taken Ken's post and created the files necessary and instructions for everyone to do this themselves. You can add as many other files and folders to this process as you like. It's not limited to OF.

Requirements:
You must have a central, 99% uptime repository with a static IP. (I am using my personal domain at Dreamhost). I you want to this to be awesome, install Growl and the growlnotify tool, because i've included growl notifications in the script, alerting when it syncs.

Terms:
[B]"Client"[/B] refers to the client computers running OmniFocus.

Each of your client computers has a "[B]computer name[/B]." You can find this by going to system preferences -> sharing. Ken's examples were jamethiel and hypno.

[B]"Host"[/B] refers to the central computer (which could be running OmniFocus) which contains the Mirrors folder and hosts sync files/backups for OmniFocus

[B]myhost.com[/B] refers to your static IP of your host. In my case, it's code404.com. In ken's case (ken case! ha!), it's example.org. If you are using a mac, enable [B]remote access[/B] in the sharing preferences

[B]myname[/B] refers to your login name/account name on myhost.com

[B][SIZE="5"]Setting up the DSA keys:[/SIZE][/B]
Since you don't want to be entering passwords everywhere, you should generate DSA keys so your computers can freely communicate.

1. On your first client computer, open Terminal. You're now most likely in your home directory. Type "ssh-keygen -tdsa", and accept all defaults.

2. On your host computer, do the same.

3. On your client computer, open another terminal window. Type the following:
[FONT="Courier New"]ssh [email]myname@myhost.com[/email][/FONT]
Enter your password. Just leave this window alone. We'll use it to do some cleanup later.

4. In the first terminal window, where you ran ssh-keygen, type the following:
[FONT="Courier New"]scp ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub [email]myname@myhost.com:id_dsa.pub[/email][/FONT]

5. In the second terminal window (myhost.com), type the following commands:
[FONT="Courier New"]cat id_dsa.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys2
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys2
rm id_dsa.pub[/FONT]

6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each client computer.

This will now allow you to ssh, scp and rsync from your client to host without having to enter your password.

If you're not much of a terminal junkie, you're likely using bash, the default shell. If you're using tcsh or zsh, you already know enough about what you're doing to modify the following instructions to meet your needs.

[B][SIZE="5"]Creating the environment functions[/SIZE][/B]
1. Grab the file bash_profile.zip included in this post.

2. Put it in your home directory.

3. Double click it to unzip it, then delete the zip file.

4. type the following command:
[FONT="Courier New"]mv bash_profile .bash_profile[/FONT]

5. Edit the .bash_profile. If you have BBEdit or TextMate installed, type [FONT="Courier New"]bbedit .bash_profile[/FONT] or [FONT="Courier New"]mate .bash_profile[/FONT]. If you don't, type
[FONT="Courier New"]/Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit .bash_profile[/FONT].

I've renamed "push-focus" and "sync-focus" to "-files" because I've modified my own personal one to sync multiple files, not just OmniFocus. Change the content in red to your own information. Also, if you didn't install growlnotify, delete the two lines in blue
[SIZE="1"][FONT="Courier New"]
username="[COLOR="Red"]enter your username here[/COLOR]"
hostname="[COLOR="red"]enter your hostname here[/COLOR]"

function push-files() {
/usr/bin/rsync -vP -az --delete $* ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/. ${username}@${hostname}:Mirrors/$(hostname -s)/OmniFocus/.
[COLOR="Blue"]/usr/local/bin/growlnotify -m "Synced OmniFocus (push)"[/COLOR]
}

function sync-files() {
if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
echo "Usage: sync-focus hostname"
else
echo "Syncing from $1"
rsync -avP -z --delete ${username}@${hostname}:Mirrors/$1/OmniFocus/Perspectives ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/
rsync -avP -z --delete ${username}@${hostname}:Mirrors/$1/OmniFocus/'OmniFocus.ofocus*' ~/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/
[COLOR="blue"]/usr/local/bin/growlnotify -m "Synced OmniFocus (sync)"[/COLOR]
fi
}
[/FONT][/SIZE]

6. Save, and close the file.
7. if the process is still hanging from textedit, and you don't have a prompt, hit control-c (not command-c).

8 (I think?). Once you've saved it with your edits, type [FONT="Courier New"]source ~/.bash_profile[/FONT] to reload it.

[B][SIZE="5"]Creating the auto-syncing script[/SIZE][/B]
1. Grab the file filesync.sh.zip included in this post.

2. Put it in your home directory.

3. Double click it to unzip it, then delete the zip file.

4. Edit it and replace your own info just like you did for the last one.

Yay! They're now fully-functional scripts. But we can't do anything with them yet...

[B][SIZE="5"]Setting up the host:[/SIZE][/B]
There are better ways of folder-checking followed by folder creation and so on. I'm going for quick and dirty. We're going to manually set up the repository folders on the host computer. Assuming you still have a terminal window open connected to the host computer (if you don't, [FONT="Courier New"]ssh [email]myname@myhost.com[/email][/FONT] and get one going)

Ok. So we're in a terminal window connected to the host.

1. Create a folder "Mirrors":
[FONT="Courier New"]mkdir ~/Mirrors[/FONT]

2. Create folders inside it for each of the client computers. Repeat for each one
[FONT="Courier New"]mkdir -p ~/Mirrors/Computer Name/OmniFocus[/FONT]
(e.g., [FONT="Courier New"]mkdir -p ~/Mirrors/jmaxwell-laptop/OmniFocus[/FONT])

You can now close the terminal window connected to the host.

Now the host is ready to receive the files. If you're going to sync other programs, make folders within each Computer Name folder for that program name, too. For example, I have folders for DEVONthink and OmniPlan inside each of mine.

[B][SIZE="5"]Pushing the file up there:[/SIZE][/B]
1. in terminal, type push-files. The result should look something like this:
[FONT="Courier New"]jmaxwell-mlap-2:~ jkmaxwell$ push-files
building file list ...
944 files to consider
./
OmniFocus.ofocus/
OmniFocus.ofocus.lock
495 100% 0.00kB/s 0:00:00 (1, 0.3% of 944)
OmniFocus.ofocus/2F142372-4714-4D3E-8D4C-20775EB8862A:B5689632-229D-4157-80CD-CED478B5F09D.xml
263 100% 28.54kB/s 0:00:00 (2, 17.5% of 944)
OmniFocus.ofocus/C7917066-B881-49C6-818B-91BC5559E280:2F142372-4714-4D3E-8D4C-20775EB8862A.xml
210 100% 18.64kB/s 0:00:00 (3, 76.3% of 944)

sent 83156 bytes received 80 bytes 18496.89 bytes/sec
total size is 807074 speedup is 9.70
[/FONT]

And if you have growl, you'll get a growl notification when it finishes.

[B][SIZE="5"]Setting up the LaunchAgent:[/SIZE][/B]
Although unix folks are more accustomed to cron, it's been phased out (but still supported) in OS X, in favor of LaunchAgents (for tasks run while the user is logged in) and LaunchDaemons (for tasks run regardless of user login). We're going to set up a LaunchAgent that runs every 30 minutes. (I haven't added growl notifications to this one, but I'd like to eventually and will edit this post when that happens)

1. grab the file com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist.zip from this post and put it in your home directory
2. double-click it to unzip it to com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist
3. delete the left-over zip file
4. open a terminal window and edit the file. If you have BBEdit or TextMate installed, type [FONT="Courier New"]bbedit com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist[/FONT] or [FONT="Courier New"]mate com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist[/FONT]. If you don't, type
[FONT="Courier New"]/Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist[/FONT].

Change the content in red to your own information.

[FONT="Courier New"][SIZE="1"]<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>[INDENT] <key>Disabled</key>
<false/>
<key>Label</key>
<string>com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/Users/[COLOR="Red"](enter your account name here)[/COLOR]/filesync.sh</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
<key>StartInterval</key>
<integer>1800</integer>[/INDENT]</dict>
</plist>
[/SIZE][/FONT]

5. Save, and close the file.
6. if the process is still hanging from textedit, and you don't have a prompt, hit control-c (not command-c).
7. Move the file to LaunchAgents, set permissions, and load it up:
[FONT="Courier New"]
mv com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

sudo chown root ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist

sudo chgroup wheel ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist

sudo launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist
[/FONT]

As long as you didn't get an error, you've successfully set up auto-syncing on your client computer. It will now sync omnifocus data every 30 minutes. As Ken said above, you can use push and sync manually in terminal now:

[FONT="Courier New"]push-files[/FONT]
This pushes the current version of your omnifocus file from your client computer (the one on which you're typing) to the host. Use this right before you're about to switch from one computer to another, go home from work, etc.

[FONT="Courier New"]sync-files computername[/FONT]
This gets the latest version of your omnifocus file from your host computer and puts it on your client computer. Use this when you get on another computer, when you get home from work, etc.

If anyone has any problems, please let me know.

Señor Pantalones 2008-01-31 12:38 PM

btw, this seems like a lot of info, but it only takes about 10 minutes :)

davidamis 2008-02-02 04:02 PM

Señor Pantalones,

Thanks so much for posting these detailed instructions. They are great!

I've just set it up, and have a few corrections and notes.

There were a few errors:
1. In "Terms:", you suggest getting the computer name from sharing preferences. The name can be mangled, so "MacBook Pro David" becomes "MacBook-Pro-David". It would be better to get the computer's name from hostname -s instead.

2. Step 6 of Setting up the DSA keys should be:
Repeat steps 1,3,4 and the [FONT="Courier New"]cat[/FONT] and [FONT="Courier New"]rm[/FONT] commands of step 5.

3. In the file you posted:filesync.sh, change "[FONT="Courier New"]/users/jkmaxwell[/FONT]" to "[FONT="Courier New"]~[/FONT]"

4. In the section on setting up LaunchAgent, the LaunchAgents folder may not exist, so you may need to:
[FONT="Courier New"]mkdir ~/Library/LaunchAgents[/FONT]

Also, Change:
[FONT="Courier New"]sudo chown root ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist
sudo chgroup wheel ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist[/FONT]
To:
[FONT="Courier New"]sudo chown root:wheel ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.omnigroup.OmniFocusSync.plist[/FONT]

5. growlnotify doesn't currently work reliably in Leopard, so if you're using 10.5 don't expect to get notifications.

6. I don't think "push-files" and "sync-files" are valid bash function names, they should be "push_files" and "sync_files".

Thanks again,
David

PierreB 2008-02-06 08:59 PM

Feedback - iDisk
 
[QUOTE=xmas;30966]From the [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?p=30740#post30740"]FAQ[/URL] (sticky):

Q.Can I synchronize my data between multiple computers?
A.We're working on synchronization now that we've finished the basic single-computer functionality for our 1.0 release.

For the time being, you can place your OmniFocus database on your iDisk and access it from your various machines. But I should note that you're definitely heading out towards the land of bleeding-edge beta testing. We want feedback from folks, but we don't want folks to set this up casually and then be upset if something they didn't expect happens. Proceed with our blessing, but also with caution. We recommend you set the backup preference to 'twice a day and on quit' on all your machines. ;-)

On one of your machines, open up OmniFocus' "General" preferences pane and use the "Move" button to get your database on your iDisk.

On your other machines, open up those same preferences and use the "Select a Different Database" button to select your database on your iDisk.

You should now be all set.[/QUOTE]

Have been using iDisk and it seems to work fine so far. When both machines are on with OF, I get a message about unlocking but I simply click through and have not had data integrity issues.

chichimeco 2008-02-13 08:24 AM

Will this method work just as well?
 
I am new to the forum, so I apologize if this is a repeat. Will it also work to
1)Back up the database in Computer A to a thumb drive
2) Quit OF in Computer A
3) Insert thumb drive in Computer B, start OF and Revert to Database.
4) Repeat process when back from a trip to update computer A?


[QUOTE=Lizard;29525]A few more specifics:
Assuming computer A is where your OmniFocus database is now, here's how you'd set it up:
1) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer A.
2) On computer A, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
3) In the Database section, click the "Move to a new location" button and browse to somewhere on the USB drive.
4) Quit OmniFocus
5) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer B.
6) On computer B, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
7) In the Database section, click the "Select a different database" button and go find the file you put on the USB drive in step 3
8) Now just make sure to quit OmniFocus and eject your USB drive every time you go from one computer to the other.[/QUOTE]

Lizard 2008-02-13 10:15 AM

That would also work. Let me detail what I see as some pros and cons of each approach.

The "backup" and "revert" process would have to be done every time. And it might refuse to overwrite a previous backup on the thumb drive, so you might eventually get a whole bunch of copies. On the other hand, you can store the main database on your hard drive, and get faster file access times while you're using it, and the "backup" on your thumb drive will be smaller than the file stored on your hard drive.

If you move the database onto the thumb drive as I suggested, you'll only need to steps 1-7 once. So it's less process you have to remember to do every time you launch or quit. On the other hand, OmniFocus will be writing to your thumb drive frequently, which will probably slow down performance a bit.

I guess it might depend on whether you do this daily (home machine/work machine) or just once in a while (primary computer/laptop for traveling).

aetrix9 2008-02-16 11:33 AM

Lag laggy lag lag... lag.
 
I've been a loyal Omnifocus user since the initial public beta and since then I've also been a loyal USB-drive sync-er. I have my home laptop, my work desktop and my academic computer. (I'm a grad student with a job). Omnifocus comes with me on a 1GB SDmedia card that plugs into card readers on all of the computers. I've confirmed that I'm using USB 2.0 speeds on all of the machines for IO.

I'm officially frustrated with the lag. The first time the database is opened on a new computer (leave work, go home, open OF on home laptop) the lag is absolutely UNBEARABLE - approaching 5 minutes in some cases and frequently causing crashes, or allowing the process to stay with <0.1% CPU usage for more than 5 minutes. However, subsequent openings on that computer are relatively quick (15-20 s). I'm routinely late to my 9am meetings because I'm waiting for OF to open so I can print my agenda.

Am I doing something wrong or does everybody else have this same lag when opening off the USB drive?

juliadee 2008-02-17 10:08 AM

Removable Media
 
[QUOTE=Lizard;29525]A few more specifics:
Assuming computer A is where your OmniFocus database is now, here's how you'd set it up:
1) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer A.
2) On computer A, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
3) In the Database section, click the "Move to a new location" button and browse to somewhere on the USB drive.
4) Quit OmniFocus
5) Mount the USB thumbdrive on computer B.
6) On computer B, open OmniFocus, then the General tab of the Preferences.
7) In the Database section, click the "Select a different database" button and go find the file you put on the USB drive in step 3
8) Now just make sure to quit OmniFocus and eject your USB drive every time you go from one computer to the other.[/QUOTE]

Good Grief!!! Why not conform to Mac interface guidelines and make the program work like 99.9% of all other apps (yes, iTunes is a glaring exception), i.e. be document-based and have "Open", "Save" and "Save As" menu items? What is up with the special secret database file that has to live buried in a special place the library? I want to be able to put my document files wherever I want them. I have my own portability and sync methodologies worked out after 23 years of Macintosh use and it's pretty obnoxious to be forced into a different way of working.

I've tried a lot of programs over the years that have had sync features and not a one of them worked well enough that I really trust it. I'll do it myself, thank you. My life is currently run by three components: a corporate imap server for email, so sync is inherent; an Excel file, and a Circus Ponies NoteBook file. The Excel and NoteBook files go wherever I go on a thumb drive, and I copy them frequently onto each local machine in case of loss/damage to the thumb drive, which always contains the "current" versions. I don't have to go to any preferences to instruct these programs to "move" their databases or to look for their databases in specific locations, they obediently open whatever document(s) I ask them to. What a concept.

RobTrew 2008-02-17 10:18 AM

[QUOTE=juliadee;33113]99.9% of all other apps (yes, iTunes is a glaring exception)[/QUOTE]

Well ... iCal ? Address Book ? Mail ? iPhoto even ?

Storage security (with XML transparency) is one of the outstanding features of Omnifocus. Personally, I would much rather entrust my work to this approach than to a single SQL file, in, for example, the fragile manner of iGTD.

Ken Case 2008-02-18 10:53 AM

[QUOTE=aetrix9;33093]I'm officially frustrated with the lag. The first time the database is opened on a new computer (leave work, go home, open OF on home laptop) the lag is absolutely UNBEARABLE - approaching 5 minutes in some cases and frequently causing crashes, or allowing the process to stay with <0.1% CPU usage for more than 5 minutes. However, subsequent openings on that computer are relatively quick (15-20 s).[/QUOTE]

You might try rebuilding your database by selecting "Rebuild Database…" from the File menu. This will rewrite the transactions on your USB drive into a single transaction, which should make it much faster to open.

Ken Case 2008-02-18 10:59 AM

[QUOTE=juliadee;33113]Why not conform to Mac interface guidelines and make the program work like 99.9% of all other apps (yes, iTunes is a glaring exception), i.e. be document-based and have "Open", "Save" and "Save As" menu items? What is up with the special secret database file that has to live buried in a special place the library? I want to be able to put my document files wherever I want them.[/QUOTE]

OmniFocus is actually document-based, and you can open multiple documents from anywhere and and use them. But OmniFocus has to know which one of your documents is primary so that it knows which one should be synchronized with iCal, take input from Quick Entry and Mail, and so on.

This primary document doesn't have to live in your library folder, it just starts out there so people don't have to think about where it should go before they start using the app; if you want it to be stored somewhere else, you can select a new location for by setting the "Database Location" in General Preferences.

Hope this helps!

lfudold 2008-02-19 01:10 PM

Alternate Syncing?
 
I'm just joining this thread, & didn't see the option I've played with covered; pls pardon, if I didn't go back far enough.

As of now, I'm not syncing w/iCal (for non relevant reasons).

In my situation, I have both my G5 tower & MBP in the same physical location when I want to sync. I've tried simply using target disc mode & moving the most recent file from one Mac to the other - overwriting the most recent on 'the other'.

It sometimes gives me a 'this file is locked' when I open on the MBP, for instance, but I'm able to over ride.

Any reason I shouldn't do that?

Lizard 2008-02-19 05:41 PM

You shouldn't be getting "this file is locked" unless you copied the file while OmniFocus was running. And you shouldn't be copying the file while OmniFocus is running. So that is a little concerning. If you're diligent about quitting Focus before copying the file, and you still get locked errors, please let us know.

milkywater 2008-02-20 01:21 PM

[QUOTE=Lizard;33229]You shouldn't be getting "this file is locked" unless you copied the file while OmniFocus was running. And you shouldn't be copying the file while OmniFocus is running. So that is a little concerning. If you're diligent about quitting Focus before copying the file, and you still get locked errors, please let us know.[/QUOTE]
Oh wow. I'm getting the same "file is locked" message. I'm pretty sure I copied my file while Omnifocus was running because Omnifocus is always running. Except now. A rainbow ball is spinning. My head is hurting. Please tell me I can get my file back. Nothing is working except, of course, for the aformentioned rainbow ball. That works great.

Ken Case 2008-02-20 01:52 PM

[QUOTE=milkywater;33296]Oh wow. I'm getting the same "file is locked" message.[/QUOTE]

Actually, that "file is locked" message is not a problem: it indicates that OmniFocus is doing what it's supposed to do, making sure that only one application is writing to your document at a time.

If you have the two copies of OmniFocus using the same document over the network, you can steal the lock back and forth without any issue, except that any edits-in-progress on the client who lost the lock will get lost since it has to reload the document to get the new edits from the other computer (who stole the lock out from under it).

[QUOTE]I'm pretty sure I copied my file while Omnifocus was running because Omnifocus is always running. Except now. A rainbow ball is spinning. My head is hurting. Please tell me I can get my file back.[/QUOTE]

It would be great to find out what it's stuck doing, which you can do by running Activity Monitor (from Applications:Utilities), selecting OmniFocus in the process list, and selecting "Sample Process" from the View menu. If you send the resulting output to [email]omnifocus@omnigroup.com[/email], we'll try to figure out how it got stuck.

In the meantime, you can force quit and relaunch OmniFocus—hopefully everything will be back to normal!

lfudold 2008-02-20 05:01 PM

Hmmmm. Unlike milkywater, I'm sure I had quit OF before transferring the document. And, of course, I've just tried my usual routine, dragging the folder ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus to my MBP (into the ~/Library/Application Support/ Folder. No problem at all with a Locked File message this time.

But are you saying, Ken, from this quote below,

[QUOTE]If you have the two copies of OmniFocus using the same document over the network, you can steal the lock back and forth without any issue, except that any edits-in-progress on the client who lost the lock will get lost since it has to reload the document to get the new edits from the other computer (who stole the lock out from under it).
[/QUOTE]

that having the app installed on both macs, and switching the Folder back and forth means that edits I make to the document on the MBP will not be there when I transfer the document back to the G5?

smy 2008-02-20 06:33 PM

Foldershare works great
 
[QUOTE=pmccredden;32170]Could foldershare be used to sync the data to different mac's?

[url]www.foldershare.com[/url][/QUOTE]

I have been using Foldershare for the last few weeks without any problems. I have an imac at home and a macbook pro at work. Once I have connected to the internet, Foldershare syncs the folder I put the OmniFocus file into. Once in a while I get a message that says the file is locked. I just say that it's ok and it works. Foldershare has been free for the last few years but I fear that Microsoft (the owner) may charge for it one day. For now, it is a great way to keep local copies of the same files on multiple machines.

Lizard 2008-02-20 07:23 PM

lfuold: not quite. Ken is talking about using the document from both machines *at the same time*. So if you pass the document back and forth, but only edit it from one computer at a time, you should be fine.

elgy 2008-02-21 09:29 AM

[QUOTE=aetrix9;33093]The first time the database is opened on a new computer (leave work, go home, open OF on home laptop) the lag is absolutely UNBEARABLE - approaching 5 minutes in some cases and frequently causing crashes, or allowing the process to stay with <0.1% CPU usage for more than 5 minutes.[/QUOTE]

I follow the same procedure: I keep my OF database on a thumb drive and open from either my PowerMac G5 or my PowerBook (though never at the same time). I have seen zero lag. Well, OK, maybe 3 seconds.

I'm running Mac OS X 10.5.2, in case that makes a difference.

MarkSealey 2008-02-23 11:05 AM

ChronoSync
 
(Also new to this forum - and potentially to [I]OF[/I]... still evaluating.)

I have Leopard on MacPro at home and Tiger on G5 at work.

Could I simply sync all the files in the corresponding location(s) - ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus between the two systems using [URL="http://www.econtechnologies.com/site/Pages/ChronoSync/chrono_overview.html"][I]ChronoSync[/I][/URL] and use [I]OF[/I] by having it read and write to all the files it needs on the respective hard drives after Flash/Thumb drives are unmounted?

I never want to update simultaneously!

TIA!

bgeipel 2008-02-24 03:59 PM

Gave up - now I just use a thumb drive
 
I tried a number of ways to jump between computers. I finally gave up and just use a thumb drive to hold my OF DB. Works great as long as I remember to plug it in :)

Barry

MarkSealey 2008-02-24 04:21 PM

How?
 
Barry?

Would you be kind enough to describe [B]the way you used your thumb drive[/B], please: which files in which locations on the desktop machines?

Thanks!

benish 2008-02-25 06:25 PM

[QUOTE=MarkSealey;33418]Could I simply sync all the files in the corresponding location(s) - ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus between the two systems using [URL="http://www.econtechnologies.com/site/Pages/ChronoSync/chrono_overview.html"][I]ChronoSync[/I][/URL] [/QUOTE]

I'm also interested in using ChronoSync to sync my OF data, and would love to hear if this approach would work.

thanks,

scott

MarkSealey 2008-02-25 06:58 PM

OF and ChronoSync
 
Hi Scott,

Well so far, so good.

First I changed the (default) locations of the database (from within [i]OF[/i], Preferences) and the lock to within the ~/Documents folder.

I don't know why, but I suppose I just didn't want to have a ChronoSync file (and _Archived Items etc) in the ~/Library/Application Support.

I have to say, [i]OF[/i] handled this superbly - it created a backup and simply moved it. No probs!

I have so far brought the two files:

OmniFocus.ofocus, and
OmniFocus.ofocus.lock

from my Tiger machine at work to their place on the Leopard machine at home.

On launching [i]OF[/i] on Leopard, everything worked smoothly and just as expected.

Tomorrow I'll do the reverse. But I really can see no reason why that shouldn't go as expected too.

Pls let us know how you get on - good luck :-)

BwanaZulia 2008-02-26 04:41 AM

I finally got my .Mac iDisk syncing properly (cleared out a lot of garbage) and started syncing my OmniFocus database back and forth between iMac and MacBook Pro.

Hints/Tips/Thoughts

- You need to quit OmniFocus before the final sync
- It does not sync perspectives
- It gets confused about the .lock file (anyway, this could go somewhere, else, like in my Library).
- Make sure to rebuild your database to keep it tight
- .Mac won't let two machines sync at the same time (FYI)
- Make sure you have backups turned on and the location is on your hard drive
- Done with Automatic sync setting of iDisk

One step closer to the perfect solution. Now just get me on the iPhone and I will be VERY happy.

BZ

MarkSealey 2008-02-26 06:26 AM

Leopard back to Tiger with Chronosync... works OK
 
I have just done the synch from (Leopard Mac Pro, 10.5.2 >) flash drive > Tiger G5, 10.4.11 without problems using [URL="http://www.econtechnologies.com/site/Pages/ChronoSync/chrono_overview.html"][i]ChronoSync[/i][/URL].

Yes, the lock file does seem to want usually to go 'the other way'.

I suppose it's safe just to let it?

Meanwhile, this seems a perfectly possible and successful way to synch between two systems - bearing in mind the relevant caveats (quitting etc) outlined above. Good cluck!

benish 2008-02-26 09:01 AM

Mark,

Thanks for the report of your ChronoSync experiences - I'll give it a try when I get a spare moment.

Best,

Scott

abh19 2008-02-27 05:14 AM

OmniFocus on AirDisk
 
Hi everyone. I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if this repeats anything, but I just wanted to share my experiences with putting the OmniFocus database shared on an AirDisk (USB disk connected to Airport Extreme).

First, my setup. I work alternately on a desktop (iMac) and laptop (MacBook) in home. The laptop is mainly for my writing, and the desktop for everything else. First, I tried using two OF databases, one on each computer, but felt there were too many projects that seemed to belong in both databases, that I was creating unnecessary fragmentation of my life. Not wanting to have to manually plug and unplug my USB flash drive when going back and forth (not to mention having it perpetually sticking out of the side of my laptop), I decided to put the omnifocus database on my AirDisk.

In principle, this worked well, once I got it set up right. At first it would throw out "file xyz can't be opened" errors on startup and refuse to open the DB. But after connecting the disk directly to the computer, it seemed to work consistently after returning the disk to the network. I have the backups written to each respective computer's hard drive, but each copy of OmniFocus looks to the network drive for the database.

But even with gigabit ethernet on the iMac and 802.11n on the MacBook, OmniFocus would be pretty sluggish. Now, I'm using a pretty fast HFS+ (journaled) seagate drive inside a MiniStack V3. I read that you can make your AirDisk much faster by turning off journaling. For those who don't know, journaling helps to keep your file system intact during events like improper shutdown, so it improves the reliability of your disk. (BTW, the super-secret code to disable journaling is to hold down the option key while clicking on the File menu in Disk Utility). This did make it faster, but I don't want to run the disk unjournaled because the Airport Extreme firmware seems to have issues when the drive sleeps (which my enclosure V3 does after 15min if neither computer has the disk mounted). I have other, more critical data on that AirDisk too. Anyway, performance was too slow to be a viable option. Nearly every click resulted in a 1 or 2 second pause.

And then it hit me... my MiniStack (the shared AirDisk) has a built-in USB hub. What if I put the OF database on my speedy USB flash drive (a Corsair Flash Voyager) and stick that into the side of the MiniStack? What do you know, it worked! Both disks can be mounted independently on either computer. OmniFocus operation was faster with the (networked) flash drive, but still a mite slow with journaling enabled, but after disabling journaling on the flash drive, it's quite speedy. No noticeable lag time at all. I'm finally in business!

I don't mind that the flash drive is unjournaled, because the OF database is about the only thing on there, and it's getting backed up on both computers twice a day. I don't have it set to backup on quit, because I have to quit the program too frequently--every time I move to the other computer. If I encounter problems, I'll turn that back on.

So, I'm happy to say that OmniFocus now works perfectly over my airport network for my two home computers.

MarkSealey 2008-02-27 06:23 AM

abh19,

Thanks for that!

(I also use a Corsair Voyager - great, aren't they!)

Would a member of the Omni team kindly comment on which is the preferred method... accessing from/on a flash drive (or for that matter a remote Volume on a network), or directly on the local machine(s)?

abh19 2008-02-27 09:39 AM

[QUOTE=MarkSealey;33585]
Would a member of the Omni team kindly comment on which is the preferred method... accessing from/on a flash drive (or for that matter a remote Volume on a network), or directly on the local machine(s)?[/QUOTE]

The only down side I can think of to using flash memory is that flash has limited write cycles. Another is that some USB sticks are cheap quality & unreliable, but that can be avoided. As to the write cycle limit, I don't know what each .xml file actually contains, but it doesn't seem to overwrite the same file over and over.

Brian 2008-02-27 11:48 AM

The flash drive will likely offer better performance than the network option, but there's no real preference one way or the other.

Make sure to have your copies of OmniFocus store their backups on the local disk of each machine, though, in case the USB drive gets lost or the network volume isn't accessible for some reason.

MarkSealey 2008-02-27 01:14 PM

Thanks, Brian!

What I was trying to get at is whether or not you advise access to and from the files [B]still on the flash drive itself[/B]; or to and from data [B]transferred to the local machines[/B] 'for the day'.

Brian 2008-03-04 09:32 PM

Aaah, I see; I'd just access the files on the Flash drive.

aetrix9 2008-03-05 06:08 AM

Some good success!
 
[QUOTE=Ken Case;33157]You might try rebuilding your database by selecting "Rebuild Database…" from the File menu. This will rewrite the transactions on your USB drive into a single transaction, which should make it much faster to open.[/QUOTE]

I was able to rebuild (It took almost 2 hours!) and afterwards, I am getting much better times opening omnifocus on my different machines - I haven't timed it, but it's much closer to 45s-60s.

My question is: Should I continue to perform this rebuild at regular intervals to keep the start time shortened, or do you think it's a one-time solution that shouldn't need to be repeated?

MarkSealey 2008-03-05 06:10 AM

Thanks, Brian

Lizard 2008-03-05 11:06 AM

aetrix9: It's probably something you'll want to do periodically. Every change you make in Focus creates another little file, so over time these will pile up again, and you will want to rebuild your database to combine them all into one file again. How often? That totally depends on exactly how much data you have in Focus and how much you change it. Every day is probably overkill, but once a year is clearly not often enough.

praffert 2008-03-05 01:06 PM

I picked up a Time Capsule 500 G and I put another 500G on the USB port.
The drives work much better then the Airport.
I keep the database on the USB drive and it works great.
I have even tried it with Back to my mac with good success.
Pete

yngtor 2008-03-06 06:38 AM

Syncing w/ different machines
 
Hey Omni,
I completely agree with Michal.
At present I'm trying to make this work on my own, with mixed results. It appears that if I put the OmniFocus db on the iDisk and attempt to open it at home when I created it at work the database is locked so that I cannot sync with iCal.
I'm about to try the USB key trick to see if this physical media moving with me will allow me the functionality I desire.

Is full sync planned at any point? I can always make due until then.
Ad Astra Per Aspera,
Kevin



[QUOTE=Michal Young;28176]What I would really, really like is computer-to-computer synchronization (the one feature that has me still using Now Up to Date after all these years, despite its bugginess and general decrepitude) ... but I respect that Omni has made a rational choice to leave off true syncing in version 1, in order to get product out the door. So what I'm looking for is clear documentation on how to make do without true synchronization.

The forums have said you can mount OmniFocus data anywhere, and therefore it should work to carry it around on a USB key. This brings up two questions:

* Anywhere at all? So could I use a network mount and have OmniFocus running on a desktop computer at home, using the OmniFocus database on the computer in my office? And if I did that would I need to carefully shut down the copy of OmniFocus in the office before going home, and vice versa? I'm really afraid to try this without an all-clear from Omni.

* OK, let's say a network mount is a bridge too far ... so a USB key, however imperfect, is the answer. But how does one do that? There is no "open" command in the file menu of OmniFocus, and it seems to be hard-wired to use a database in Library/Application Support/OmniFocus. Am I supposed to copy the database back and forth from the USB key whenever I move location? Or maybe if I once make a copy of the database to a USB key and double-click it, OmniFocus will thereafter know that it should read and write to the key? I'm not sure where to start.[/QUOTE]

Ken Case 2008-03-06 07:00 AM

For OmniFocus 1.1, we're currently on full support for online synchronization between multiple systems (desktops and laptops, iPhones and iPod Touches). The plan is that you'll be able to synchronize through any WebDAV server, including .Mac.

MarkSealey 2008-03-06 07:45 AM

I've actually had very good results with [URL="http://www.econtechnologies.com/site/Pages/ChronoSync/chrono_overview.html"][I]ChronoSync[/I][/URL] and a Corsair USB flash drive.

I set synching to pull the [I]OmniFocus[/I] files from their [B]new location[/B] in ~/Documents on my Mac Pro at home onto the flash drive; synch them onto the corresponding location on my old G5 at work; then do the reverse each evening.

Since Perspectives seem only ever to be saved in Application Support, I have to do that manually. I also have to override the lock most evenings.

Otherwise it works fine. Rock solid in every respect :-)

davidamis 2008-03-10 05:43 PM

Script with UI
 
I wrote a UI and rewrote a script originally written by Ken Case to syncronize Omnifocus between machines. Instead of adding it to this thread, I created a new thread in Omnifocus Extras: [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=7452"]here[/URL]



It solves the syncing problem, including slow syncs and the locking problem. Syncs are fast (except the first one) because it uses rsync, and the locking problem is solved because it checks to see if Omnifocus is running before doing a push or pull of changes.

rsailer@mac.com 2008-03-11 09:21 AM

Rebuilding
 
[QUOTE=Lizard;33907]aetrix9: It's probably something you'll want to do periodically. Every change you make in Focus creates another little file, so over time these will pile up again, and you will want to rebuild your database to combine them all into one file again. How often? That totally depends on exactly how much data you have in Focus and how much you change it. Every day is probably overkill, but once a year is clearly not often enough.[/QUOTE]

This might be a good thing to automate or suggest via the software (like software update) on a regular basis or when some numeric counter is achieved (number of files, etc.).

Randy

HowardP 2008-03-14 07:48 AM

Synching using LAN Network
 
I have been using OF for several weeks and synching between my iMac and MacBook has been a rocky road. I was using my iDisk but as I keep adding projects that method has gotten very slow.
Last night I did some experimenting and came up with simple solution already built right into Mac OSX. I used the Network Server feature. Both computers must be on. Then after I closed out OF on my MacBook I clicked on the Network icon on my iMac and choose my laptop under servers. Entered the password for my laptop and there were all the files. Then, using Finder, I simply copied the OF data file from the laptop to to my iMac. It worked like a charm, and file copy was instant. BTW - to copy by dragging, hold down the option key. I tried this a couple of times going from one computer to the other and no problems.
So, for those of you want to synch up on a LAN this may be a good way to go.
Curious to see what someone from OMNI may have to say about this.

Lizard 2008-03-14 06:36 PM

HowardP: Anything you do with copying the file while OmniFocus is not running should be safe in terms of not endangering your data, and yes you will get better performance when the file is on the same machine as OmniFocus.

bluefire 2008-03-14 11:27 PM

how i sync with a thumb drive
 
Happy to hear the developments re: syncing with multiple computers in 1.1!

Here's how I solve this problem right now. I use a MacBook Pro everywhere but work, and a desktop at work. When I'm on the MBP, I use the database on my local drive. Before I go to work I put everything on a USB thumb drive, and when I go to work, I plug in the thumb drive and have my work machine read directly from it (to save the trouble of transferring to that computer). On my MBP it's a pain to have the thumb drive attached all the time but on the desktop it's irrelevant so I just use the database off there.

Then of course when I am done with work, I just unplug the drive (no need to copy anything since OF at work is set to use the thumb drive as the main db), plug it into my MBP and copy the data back to the MBP. I transfer the OF database and my perspectives.

I found a couple things that made this process far easier than it was when I originally started it.

1) I rebuild the database very frequently, sometimes even several times a day. It makes a huge difference in the size of the file and the access times both on the local drive and on the thumb drive, and it doesn't take very long at all if it's done frequently. I hope it's not a *bad* idea to rebuild frequently, any thoughts?

2) I created automator applications to take care of copying the files between the thumb drive and my MBP. It's far more efficient than fiddling around with the finder and copying things over.

So basically when I'm done on the MBP, I plug in my thumb drive, click the automator app that copies to the drive, and since the OF database is fairly small from my constant rebuilding, it copies quickly. Go to work, plug in drive, work on OF with no fuss. Then when I come back, plug thumb drive into MBP, click on the automator app that moves from thumb drive to MBP, unplug it, and all set to go.

Of course this means you have to remember to have the thumb drive handy, which was initially a challenge for me, though I've mostly overcome that issue.

I too had issues with performance when trying to use my iDisk - also I could never get the original copy of my OF database over to my iDisk to complete. Every time I tried the finder would freeze. I've experienced this with other files before so I'm sure it's not OF's fault.

tphuey 2008-03-17 06:21 PM

[QUOTE=Lizard;29524]While .Mac syncing sounds good in theory, in practice it hasn't proved sufficiently reliable.[/QUOTE]

I would really like .Mac syncing. It works for many 3rd party apps, and I haven't had a problem with it. It has been improved dramatically under Leopard.

Then I wouldn't have to worry about doing the thumb drive thing. ;)

luxesto 2008-03-22 07:13 AM

[QUOTE=bluefire;34498]
2) I created automator applications to take care of copying the files between the thumb drive and my MBP. It's far more efficient than fiddling around with the finder and copying things over.[/QUOTE]
bluefire, i've just read this entire thread and your solution seems most applicable to my situation -- home mac, office mac and traveling laptop -- your implementation of the automator app would make this most elegant for me, but unfortunately, i don't know how do do so ... might you post instructions for some of us less initiated/gifted users? many thanks!

dbfowlersf 2008-03-22 07:04 PM

OF now or wait until iPhone ready?
 
Read through the entire thread, and as a GTDer I also need to have my lists in multiple sites. To date, I'd used my personal Treo 650 to synch between my work MacBook Pro and my home iBook G4 - with the bonus being that my lists were almost always with me thanks to the Treo.

Now I carry an iPhone for work and I'm hoping the synch capability will give me similar functionality with OF (I've become a big fan of OmniGraffle so I'm trusting OF will rock too) - so here's my questions:

1) If I buy OF now, will I have to pay again for an iPhone-linked version, or does Omni provide some reasonable "upgrade" option?

2) Until iPhone sync, if I wanted to use the thumbdrive approach to work on multiple machines, how much storage should I have for the thumbdrive?

D.B.

MarkSealey 2008-03-22 07:56 PM

[QUOTE]2) Until iPhone sync, if I wanted to use the thumbdrive approach to work on multiple machines, how much storage should I have for the thumbdrive?[/QUOTE]

[I]OF[/I] databases seem remarkably compact. So not much, I'd say. Good luck!

bluefire 2008-03-23 12:00 AM

[QUOTE=dbfowlersf;34869]2) Until iPhone sync, if I wanted to use the thumbdrive approach to work on multiple machines, how much storage should I have for the thumbdrive?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=MarkSealey;34871][I]OF[/I] databases seem remarkably compact. So not much, I'd say. Good luck![/QUOTE]

Yup, not much! My thumb drive is ages old, only 256mb, and has no problem with the OF database (along with other random files stored on it). As I mentioned previously, I rebuild constantly, sometimes multiple times per day. This really can drastically reduce the size of your OF db, especially if you've never done it.

Luxesto, very glad my post was helpful. I will write up a step by step for the automator apps I made but I don't have time to do it right now. I'll try to get it up within a day or so. If you get a chance, however, I'd recommend mucking around in Automator -- this was the first time I'd ever used it and it was remarkably simple to do what I wanted.

Jody Severson 2008-03-23 06:46 PM

[QUOTE=HowardP;34457]I have been using OF for several weeks and synching between my iMac and MacBook has been a rocky road. I was using my iDisk but as I keep adding projects that method has gotten very slow.
Last night I did some experimenting and came up with simple solution already built right into Mac OSX. I used the Network Server feature. Both computers must be on. Then after I closed out OF on my MacBook I clicked on the Network icon on my iMac and choose my laptop under servers. Entered the password for my laptop and there were all the files. Then, using Finder, I simply copied the OF data file from the laptop to to my iMac. It worked like a charm, and file copy was instant. BTW - to copy by dragging, hold down the option key. I tried this a couple of times going from one computer to the other and no problems.
So, for those of you want to synch up on a LAN this may be a good way to go.
Curious to see what someone from OMNI may have to say about this.[/QUOTE]
I do the same thing as Howard and improved it by putting shortcuts to the folders containing my iMac and MacBook OF files on the sidebar, so it's a quick drag & drop whenever I want to move the file to the other machine.

HowardP 2008-03-24 10:19 PM

How do you do this?
 
[QUOTE=Jody Severson;34895]I do the same thing as Howard and improved it by putting shortcuts to the folders containing my iMac and MacBook OF files on the sidebar, so it's a quick drag & drop whenever I want to move the file to the other machine.[/QUOTE]

Seems like your method would simplify what I have finally figured out. Can you please explain how to put shortcuts to the folders on the sidebar. Also, once you do that how do you drag and drop the files? Thanks.

Patriot 2008-03-25 02:42 AM

So, as a relatively new user of OF, the consensus appears to be that the easiest way to share your OF database between say, your office iMac and your MacBook Air is through the use of a thumb drive, correct?

Patriot


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