Sync instructions between iPhone/iPad app and TR desktop using dropbox:

 

01 Go to your Dropbox settings and make sure you select "DO NOT" limit upload and download rate from the Bandwidth tab.

02 Run the TR desktop application and set-up the iPhone sync method (under Options/Preferences - Miscellaneous screen, iPhone sync tab) to be Dropbox and browse to the root/Apps/tr.sync Dropbox folder on your computer. Whenever you sync, you need to have the desktop application running. The desktop does not have to be at the same physical location as your iPhone.

03 On iPhone, on the sync screen, choose Dropbox. Enter your Dropbox account details and press the Link or Done button. This should create the root/Apps/tr.sync folder.

04 On iPhone sync screen, press the Sync Data button. This will start the sync. Updates and new Thoughts are sent from the iPhone to the desktop application (through a file called syncup.txt).

05 There is no need to press any button on the desktop. The desktop application is checking for that first sync file automatically. It will apply the changes to your data file, then actions, topics and contexts are sent back to the iPhone (through a file called syncdown.txt).

06 The iPhone application loads the new data and the sync is completed.

Because there is no intervention required on the desktop, you can sync on the go: leave TR running on your computer and sync from your iPhone or iPad wherever you are.
 
Be careful though:
  • don't have two desktop applications running at the same time on different computers;
  • if you are using multiple data files, the desktop application gives you a warning if the data file on the iPhone is different than the one on the desktop. In that case, user has to accept the warning on the desktop for the sync to continue.
Please note that there is no additional encryption of data through Dropbox. Dropbox uses SSL encryption during transmission of data.
 
Further notes regarding privacy:
 

01 The syncup.txt and syncdown.txt files are temporary files and are deleted by the iPhone app.

02 The TR data file does not need to be within a Dropbox folder but your computer must have Dropbox installed and be connected to the internet when you are syncing.

03 When the sync is initiated, the updated data from the iPhone is sent to the desktop. The desktop data then gets updated and the data is sent back to the iPhone. So if you update Notes or postpone date of an action on both platforms, the changes on the desktop will be overwritten with the changes made on the iPhone.

 

More information for troubleshooting

The design of the sync using Dropbox is:

  • The iPhone app creates a file with all updates and new thoughts, then save it under the Dropbox root folder. The file is called syncup.txt
  • The TR desktop app (which needs to be running) detects the syncup.txt file presence, update the data file then prepare the syncdown.txt file and save it under the Dropbox root/Apps/tr.sync folder.
  • The mobile app uploads the syncdown.txt file and deletes the two temporary files.

The problem is usually with the Dropbox folder you specified on TR desktop.
The syncup.txt file is created under your root/Apps/tr.sync dropbox folder after you press the Sync button on the iPad/iPhone, so please ensure that:

  • You have the latest version of TR iPhone sync (module version 3.3.2.0).
  • You have linked the iPhone app to your Dropbox account - thi sshould create the Apps/tr.sync folder
  • Once you have started the sync on the iPhone app, you can see the syncup.txt file under the root/Apps/tr.sync dropbox folder on the computer.
  • The folder specified under TR/Miscellaneous/iPhone Sync tab corresponds to the one where you can see the file. It has to be the root one as it is the one used by the iPad/iPhone application.
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