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I use a desktop mac and a laptop but no iPhone. I also have a server at home. I have a number of documents on the server so that I can access them from any computer in the house. I wonder if I could put the OF database on the server and use it on my desktop mac or on my laptop (not at the same time, of course). I see a lot of messages about syncing two different databases, on two machines, but I don’t see the point since I’m the only user and I’m just accessing OF in different parts of the house, not outside. I figure I could just try it and see, but I prefer to be warned of any really nasty things that could happen.

Ellen
 
Ellen,

That used to work when you could specify the database location in OF. With the addition of syncing, OF locked down the local database location.

Now you need to use the Sync pref pane to set up a disk location for the sync database. That disk location could be local to one machine and on a network mount for the other, for example. If both copies of OF sync to the same physical disk location, everything should work fine. Disk-based syncing should let you avoid setting up a WebDAV server.

(You could also fudge symlinks for the directories where OF stores its default database, forcing both machines to use a single database. That would probably work, but wouldn't be expressly supported.)
__________________
Cheers,

Curt
 
So you have your server set up to share a filesystem (AFP or NFS?) that you mount on both the desktop and laptop? Then you can use the "Disk" sync option for this. This would not only let you do the syncing without having to set up WebDAV, but would also mean that you could use OmniFocus on your laptop even when you don't have access to the server.

Edit: Right, Curt beat me to it.
 
Clif,

I don't see what you mean by "OF locked down the local database location". In the OF preferences, under "General", I see "Database location" with two buttons "Select a Different Database…" and "Move to a New Location…".

I'm using version 1.0.3 of OF and not the 1.1 Sneaky Peek builds. Do you mean that what seems easy to set up with 1.0.3 (sharing of one database between computers) and which I did with no problem at all with AppleShare, will disappear in the new version? If that is so, it is unfortunate, but I guess I'll have to live with it.

Ellen
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by EllenH View Post
Clif,

I don't see what you mean by "OF locked down the local database location". In the OF preferences, under "General", I see "Database location" with two buttons "Select a Different Database…" and "Move to a New Location…".

I'm using version 1.0.3 of OF and not the 1.1 Sneaky Peek builds. Do you mean that what seems easy to set up with 1.0.3 (sharing of one database between computers) and which I did with no problem at all with AppleShare, will disappear in the new version? If that is so, it is unfortunate, but I guess I'll have to live with it.

Ellen
In the 1.1 version, you can share the database between multiple computers (including iPhones). I share mine between 3 different machines, and it works quite well. As Andrew says, you'll set it up to sync via a file on your shared fileserver.

As Curt says, OG removed the option in 1.1 to have your database in a custom location. This is not a problem for you. Each copy of OF will have its local copy of the database in ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/OmniFocus.ofocus and any changes made by any copy will be communicated through the central clearinghouse copy on your fileserver to all the other ones.
 
I didn't mean to say syncing would be a problem or that it wouldn't work. It's just that I've been using synchronizations of one kind or another for a long time, mostly with Palm PDAs and have had many headaches. So I'm a bit biased towards other methods if possible, although I'm still syncing a bunch of data between my Palm and my Mac every day (and not so long ago, a Windows machine at work) .

I didn't plan on getting 1.1 till it was officially realeased (or at least in beta) because I don't use an iPhone (yet…), unless there are really great enhancements that it would be a pity not to use right now.

Ellen
 
Things that come to mind in 1.1 besides syncing are more support for sorting your actions/projects, and increased control over the formatting/styling. Probably not any compelling reason to switch before it is in beta, and the very reason I didn't suggest you do so, when combined with the fact that the new file format makes it difficult to go back.

I think by the time 1.1 is released, the disk sync option will be trouble-free for you, and will allow you an option that your current scheme doesn't. You'll be able to share your database with a machine that doesn't have internet access back to your fileserver without concern that you're going to get out of sync.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whpalmer4 View Post
Probably not any compelling reason to switch before it is in beta, and the very reason I didn't suggest you do so, when combined with the fact that the new file format makes it difficult to go back.
Yes, I gathered that from the release notes on the Sneaky Peek. I'll try to resist till the beta comes out. Hopefully it won't be too long.

Ellen
 
I've been sharing my OF database between desktop and laptop. I'm still using 1.0.3. I like the idea of syncing, in that I can use it even when off the network. But does the disk sync in 1.1 work as well as what I'm already using or should I wait until a better version of 1.1 comes out? I don't want file corruption—how big are the current "problems" with disk sync? Thanks!
 
Single-file sharing is inherently safer if you never have two copies of OmniFocus running at the same time (and our file-locking mechanism should more or less enforce that).

Syncing is generally stable right now, but management of multiple clients is tricky, and the current biggest issue is that it is possible for a configuration to get into a state where older transactions don't get cleaned up properly, causing file bloat and making syncing slower. Of course, the big benefit is "offline" use with multiple clients, which you simply can't have without some sort of syncing solution.
 
 


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