Syncing between computers
I currently use another product to do much of what Papers seems to do. I am interested in switching, but I can't tell if papers will sync between computers (my desktop and my laptop). This is crucial for me in the way I work. When I look for syncing info, all I can see is syncing to mobile devices, but not computers. Does Papers 2 support this feature in some way?
122 Posted by Simon on 07 Jun, 2011 03:00 AM
I have been syncing two computers, my iMac and MacBook using MobileMe's iDisk since pages1 and haven't encountered any problems. Even my collectons sync perfectly and my iPhone and iPad work flawlessly. Im hoping that pages will implement iCloud syncing as the natural way to provide this feature. The days of MobileMe are numbered and I'd hate to lose this function.
123 Posted by w on 08 Jun, 2011 03:34 AM
You do not maintain a clear semantics across actions. Since the appearance of papers for iPhone/iPad syncing was and continues to be a confusion, except for the most trivial use cases.
For example:
If I want to sync a collection (which is a set of links, not of originals), why does emptying my collection on the iPad, delete not just the links in my collection on the Mac (i'd be fine with that) but also the originals in the Papers folder? Yet, when I delete a collection on my Mac, it does not delete the originals in the Papers folder. Go figure.
Support Staff 124 Posted by mek on 08 Jun, 2011 11:10 AM
@w you're right on this one, we'll go over these and will reconsider the behaviour where necessary, thanks for the feedback
125 Posted by art on 08 Jun, 2011 04:55 PM
Simon, can u please detail how you did this via iDISK ?
I'm interested in using this approach as well.
thanks
126 Posted by Gail on 08 Jun, 2011 08:11 PM
I have Papers on my work iMac and my home MacBook. I purchased the Papers app on my iPad. I've synced my iPad with my MacBook but I'm wondering if I can also sync with my iMac so that when I add an article to Papers at work on my iMac, it will sync with my iPad and my MacBook.
Can this be accomplished or can I only sync my iPad with one other computer?
Thanks.
Support Staff 127 Posted by matias on 08 Jun, 2011 11:59 PM
@Gail: with Papers2 for Mac, you can indeed sync Papers for iOS with both your work iMac and your home MacBook.
128 Posted by fresco on 09 Jun, 2011 12:04 AM
Huh? I tried this strategy of syncing my iMac with my MBP and the outcome was a bunch of duplicate papers on my iPad! The two library files on the desktop Macs were based were essentially the same. However, there were a corresponding number of unfiled papers that showed up on my iPad that I think came from the MBP.
Support Staff 129 Posted by matias on 09 Jun, 2011 12:21 AM
@fresco: do you use Dropbox to sync the Papers2 libraries on your computers? There's currently a bug in Papers 2.0.7 which causes duplication in this setting, where the Papers2 library on both devices is the same one, but accessed from different computers. Sorry for the inconvenience!
130 Posted by fresco on 09 Jun, 2011 12:24 AM
No. I do not use Dropbox. Rather, in both instances, my Papers2 folder resides in my Documents folder in the Home directory. I created a sync association between both Macs and my iPad. However, it is true that in my case it's the same library file, same serial number, etc.
Support Staff 131 Posted by matias on 09 Jun, 2011 12:49 AM
@fresco: this could still happen similarly as with Dropbox syncing of the library in case you first synced the iPad with your Mac, then copied the library to a different Mac and synced the iPad with it again.
132 Posted by Jon on 09 Jun, 2011 05:35 PM
Papers2 sync from my itouch (ios 4.2.1) never connects to my powerbook (OS 10.6). Papers (1.9.6) on itouch shows the name of my powerbook but then goes into permanent "searching" mode. Papers2 preferences on my powerbook never shows the itouch as a device. Both are on the same home airport network. The itouch has no problem browsing the web. I've turned off Restrictions on the itouch and tried every conceivable way of configuring sharing internet. At this point I consider my itouch Papers a waste of $15.
Support Staff 133 Posted by matias on 09 Jun, 2011 06:57 PM
@Jon: Could you try syncing using an adhoc network, please? This helps in ruling out any local network configuration issues which can prevent data transfer between the two devices. Unfortunately a working internet connection does not necessarily imply that the local network allows communication between the two devices, even if the iOS app is able to find the Mac.
From your Mac, create an adhoc (computer-to-computer) network which you iPhone/iPad can connect to. These instructions should help with the process:
http://geeknizer.com/how-to-connect-iphone-to-mac-adhoc-wireless-wi...
134 Posted by Juan Turnes Vázquez on 09 Jun, 2011 07:04 PM
El 09/06/2011, a las 20:57, matias escribió:
135 Posted by Jon on 10 Jun, 2011 02:12 PM
@matias: Thanks! Had tried that but failed. Probably had to turn off 802.1x authentication. Unchecked 802.1x user profiles. Now in c2c mode, found and linked my itouch but Sync has been "searching" for about 2 hours.
136 Posted by jni on 10 Jun, 2011 02:20 PM
On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 10:12 AM, Jon <
[email blocked]> wrote:
137 Posted by Gail Barnes on 10 Jun, 2011 03:29 PM
I find the sync feature maddening--I'm collecting literature for 4-5 different projects. Everything works fine on the desktop app but it takes me several tries to get the sync to the ipad to work. I restarted both devices and then created a local network and that FINALLY worked but I used up a lot of valuable research time.
On another note, I have never been able to get it to sync with my work computer which also slows things down (and makes me use precious home time with trouble shooting). Sorry to kvetch because I really love the product--just wish it worked better for me.
Support Staff 138 Posted by matias on 10 Jun, 2011 03:48 PM
@Gail: I'm sorry to hear this. That adhoc syncing works for you but not syncing on your main network suggests there is something in your main network configuration which prevents communication between the two. Could be a firewall rule, something to do with Bonjour settings, or addressing (IPv4/IPv6 support, link-local addressing). Unfortunately it's difficult to troubleshoot this remotely, hence we suggest syncing using an adhoc network in cases where the syncing is troublesome.
@Juan: your messages continue to be empty. You are writing most likely under the double line, which like I said before gets trimmed from the message. You can also view this support discussion over the web here: http://support.mekentosj.com/discussions/questions/13745-syncing-be...
Best wishes
Matias
139 Posted by Gail Barnes on 10 Jun, 2011 03:59 PM
On Jun 10, 2011, at 11:51 AM, matias wrote:
Thanks for the prompt reply. Where and how do I tweak the settings for Bonjour?
Gail
140 Posted by Jon on 10 Jun, 2011 05:49 PM
@matias: Now that I turned off 802.1x authentication by unchecking user profiles, Papers2 on my Powerbook sees the itouch and lets me link via my LAN the same as with Ad Hoc. But Sync just continues its interminable "Searching..." I don't know what it's searching for.
141 Posted by fresco on 10 Jun, 2011 05:55 PM
I certainly want Papers users to get relief from problems syncing OS X and iOS devices, but let's not lose the thread that this topic is about the lack of a syncing across OS X computers! This lack of functionality is all the more frustrating given that such a feature is already available in competing software titles. Matias, Mek and the whole papers team: when will you provide a solution to the many Papers users who are clambering for this particular functionality? Some very thoughtful suggestions by endusers have been offered. You have always been polite when they are offered, but the lack of apparent action on this issue is wearing thinly. At least it is for me.
142 Posted by Art Riegel on 10 Jun, 2011 06:08 PM
stop the madness
143 Posted by Gail Barnes on 10 Jun, 2011 06:26 PM
I have had very good luck using Dropbox to sync between computers. Sorry if I 'stepped' on the thread!
Gail
Support Staff 144 Posted by matias on 10 Jun, 2011 06:37 PM
@Jon: that "Searching..." continues in your network setup is not critical just as long as the device is seen in the Devices Preferences in Papers2 for Mac, and you're able to click the Link button. Assuming that this is the case, the problem is somehow related to Bonjour auto-discovery mechanism on your iOS device not being able to find your Mac (it could be also caused by running an older version of the iOS app than 1.9.6).
@fresco: providing a syncing solution for Papers2 libraries is not trivial, takes some time to get right. Dropbox and similar network drive based solutions should work, even if we don't support them officially. We don't tend to make statements or public commitments about our development plans beyond the roadmap posted at http://support.mekentosj.com/kb/roadmap/papers-for-mac-roadmap, but we of course understand the importance of this much requested feature.
145 Posted by fresco on 10 Jun, 2011 06:55 PM
Matias,
My one attempt at using Papers v1.9 with Dropbox was disastrous. There is an open trouble ticket that your office has never addressed. Briefly, I moved my Papers library into Dropbox and then was in the midst of syncing my iPad to my home Mac. I don't know if my Office MacPro was launched or not, but the combination of Papers on two macs and an iPad was followed by a total deletion of my entire Dropbox folder, not just Papers but perhaps 6 GB of data! There are many conflicting stories of whether Dropbox is a good way to go for sharing a Papers library, but I need a strong assurance from Mekentosj before I try again.
Support Staff 146 Posted by matias on 11 Jun, 2011 02:43 AM
@fresco: our standard answer to this is as follows:
We are aware that syncing between different machines is currently not
supported and at the same time a much needed feature. We'll do our
best to improve this aspect of the program.
Having said that, people have described being successful in syncing
via Dropbox. Keep two things in mind though when doing this. NEVER run
Papers or Citations on two Macs at the same time that have their library shared via
the same dropbox account. And ALWAYS give Dropbox enough time to
upload all the changes BEFORE starting Papers on another Mac.
I should add to this that whilst writing my thesis I run Papers in Dropbox for some two years without problems by following this rule which applies both for version 1.x and 2.x. Simply check that your Dropbox folder has synced before opening Papers on any of your computers. This is obviously not an ideal situation, and hopefully we can improve on this in future updates.
Thanks
Matias
147 Posted by Jin on 11 Jun, 2011 03:51 AM
I also have some problem with syncing between two computers. I use Sugarsync to sync the two computers together (I personally prefer Sugarsync than Dropbox).
My problem is that that they actually do not sync at all. For example, if I open the Papers (v2.0.7) from home, it creates Database (from Home - Mac - 8).papersdb file in addition to the existing Database.papersdb file. Also it makes the duplicate of the pdf files that I already have.
Is there any way to address this problem? Or am I forced to use Dropbox (given that dropbox syncing will actually work)??
Thank you
Jin
148 Posted by skyedoherty on 11 Jun, 2011 05:57 AM
I am still having trouble simply copying files between macs.
Since upgrading to Papers2 I have not been able to make papers work on another machine or sync with my iphone. I have installed papers on three machines - a desktop and two laptops. (Was told this was fine). I have copied my papers2 library across to the laptops but none of the documents or collections appear. I am running version 2.0.7.
I copy the Papers2 folder to Documents but it is as though the program cannot read it.
I have noticed that there is a Papers2 library in library>application support.
I have tried replacing it with my folder of documents and I get an error: The operation can't be completed because the item PDF.spotlightindex is in use.
On the third machine I constantly have to install the software - each time it loads I am asked to install.
I have version 1.9.6 of the papers app. I have set it to sync and have linked my phone in the desktop version but there is no communication between them - it is constantly 'searching'.
Please can someone help out here. As it is, there is no syncing ability at all.
I have an open support ticket, but there seems to be more action on this forum.
Please, can I get some guidance - the product does not seem to be operating in a way that is useful. I did not get any issues like this with Papers1.
Thank you.