Originally Posted by Ken Case

In fact, if you want to force your database to compact all the way down to just a single change file representing the reference database, you can go into Sync Preferences on the Mac, click the Show Clients button, and unregister every single thing on the list (including the local machine)—then Close the clients list and click on Sync Now. Just remember that unregistering a client will break synchronization with it

Does that help?

KenCase Bueller, you're my hero! Should have taken the time sooner to really dig into this problem, but I'd had 1500+ change files before and my iPhone was taking 3-5+ minutes to sync in theory. In practice, I'd never seen it sync a change - only capable of resetting. But I had never compacted down to a handful of change files.

Now I have 1 glorious change file and even resetting the database (all I've tried so far) went from 2+ minutes to about 10 seconds.

FYI: I have a home computer, work computer and iPhone, at least one of which has typically not been synched for many days. So I clearly wasn't following your well-publicized best practices (which I consider reasonable given that I'm not aware of another app handling more complexity in less time than you guys).

ObligWhine: for the desktop app - can folders please, please, PLEASE behave (at least mostly) as a single-action list?

Having to create a "default" single action list call "Miscellaneous <folder_name>" under each of my 5-6 major folders is a PITA. I'd find it handy for two reasons:
1. I can't think of a time when a folder has had more than one single action list. But I nearly always eventually create a "Miscellaneous" SAL for each, which looks stupid.
2. As a folder-specific inbox. There are tons of times where I've had actions that clearly belonged in my "Library/Work/<Area of Responsibility (no, not Project) XYZ>" OmniFocus folder – e.g. I'm a product manager who owns two products, w/ a folder for each – but didn't have time to think about which of folder's several projects it belonged to, or whether they belonged to a new project. Leaving them in the master Inbox though adds noise there, that I'd rather keep to an absolute minimum. CC's Things allows you to park individual action items in Area of Responsibility, which I really like. That basically addresses #1.

[ricot]

Any leads?

[manispace]

Guys, you need to fix this problem. RFN. Seriously.

It almost never takes less than three minutes to sync! And I often get a "Can't snyc; Lost connection to host server" error message because it takes so long that iPhone goes to sleep and then switches from WiFi to 3G (and OmniFocus therefore loses connection). So I not only have to wait 3+ minutes, I also have to prevent my iPhone from going to sleep during that time in order sync OmniFocus.

I love OmniFocus (both, Desktop and iPhone version), but I can't work like that.

(And, yes, I have taken all the steps to make sync faster. All of them.)

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by manispace

(And, yes, I have taken all the steps to make sync faster. All of them.)

Including this one?

Originally Posted by Ken Case

If you want to try to get to the bottom of this, you could Enable File Manager Debug Logging, then plug your iPhone into your Mac or PC and use the iPhone Configuration Utility to monitor its Console while syncing. You should see a bunch of timestamped log messages from OmniFocus which you can copy and paste into an email message to our support ninjas (omnifocus@omnigroup.com), and those messages should help us figure out exactly what's taking so long.

[fwdkfwdkfwdk]

I just reset my OF iPhone database, and re set it up with my mac.
This made my iPhone sync time drop dramatically in time. From 1-2 minutes to a couple of seconds.

This seems to have fixed my 1-2 minute sync problems as of now. I would recommend others try this. Hopefully they wont come back!

[Nicolas_Thomsen]

I have a problem with syncing with Omnifocus for iPhone.
On wednesday the database consisted of 416 zip files and it took about 2:30 mins to sync.
Then I read on the user forums about people with much bigger databases that synced in 5-15 seconds. I have never experienced that, but I´d love to.
So I decided to go through all the steps to improve my sync process.

I have a 3Gs with the latest firmware, the two macs I use to sync with are also up to date.
I sync via mobileme. I archive old stuff every week and I attach no pictures to my tasks.

Then I synced, then I made a backup, and unregistered all clients. Then I reverted to the backup I created and synced with my iPhone.
Then it synced in about 15 seconds and there was only 1 zip file.
Then I added just 1 project and 5 tasks, and it was then at 34 zip files. The sync suddenly took 48 seconds!, about 15 seconds where the blue process line was full but the wheel kept spinning.
I have 37 projects and 85 tasks.
Today 2 days later it is at 185 zip files, and it takes well over a minute and a half to sync, I sync all 3 machines daily.

I don´t understand why it takes so long, but it makes syncing a very tedious thing.
Is there a more reliable server to use than MobileMe?

[wolfneuralnet]

Just wanted to add another user frustrated with this issue.

Unfortunately I don't have time right now to go through all the troubleshooting steps, but I have a small database that requires 1-2 minutes to sync consistently.

Not fun...

[Brian]

Originally Posted by ricot

If the server would be part of the problem how could the Desktop version sync fast? (I haven't heard anyone report slow Desktop syncs.)

Short version: the iPhone is an amazing device, but it's still got a processor that's 500-1000 times slower than a low-end Mac, so you're going to notice delays there first most of the time.

There are chunks of the sync process that where the network connection is the limiting factor, but there are also portions that are CPU-bound; "too long" is when the sum of the two exceeds the time the customer has available. :-)

Long version: OmniFocus contacts the server and gets a list of the change files it has (network-bound), figures out which files it needs (CPU-bound), and then fetches them from the server (network again). Finally, it integrates those transactions into the database on the device. (CPU-bound again.)

Ultimately, every sync is slightly different. The network-bound bits change depending on what else is going on on the network and/or server at that point in time. The CPU-bound parts change depending on the specific changes that we have to process, and how much hardware we have available to throw at the work.

Combine the above factors with the fact that the criteria for "too long" varies from person to person, and you've got a thread which isn't very susceptible to "the problem is X and we will fix it with Y" answers. :-)

However, if folks aren't happy with their sync times, the support ninjas are always, always, always willing to investigate what's going on. If it's a bug, we'll fix it. If it's not, we can at least give the customer more information.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by manispace

And I often get a "Can't snyc; Lost connection to host server" error message

Please contact the support ninjas using the link in my last post. This is a great example of a case where multiple factors may be contributing to the problem.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Nicolas_Thomsen

Then I added just 1 project and 5 tasks, and it was then at 34 zip files. The sync suddenly took 48 seconds!, about 15 seconds where the blue process line was full but the wheel kept spinning.

Keep in mind that the zip files store changes - not items in the database. If I have one item in my database which I repeatedly change, that's going to add zip files. (We always keep changes around in new zip files for at least an hour, in case some other device adds new changes that affect the same items.

Also, keep in mind that some changes happen automatically, without you needing to make them. An item going from available to due soon or overdue, for example.

The spinning wheel part leads me to believe that this is the problem that Ken mentioned earlier; that's the portion of the sync process which takes longer than it should.

Originally Posted by Nicolas_Thomsen

I have 37 projects and 85 tasks.
Today 2 days later it is at 185 zip files, and it takes well over a minute and a half to sync, I sync all 3 machines daily.

185 changes in 24 hours seems possible. Question: if you quit the app during the "full bar, wheel spinning" process, does the sync appear to have completed? How long does the next sync take?