Sync file folder location(s)

[Al]

[Using WMDC on Vista Ultimate 32-bit and Blackjack II smartphone with
WinMobile 6.1]

Used WMDC on PC to set file content sync settings, and files initially sync.
Sync set to be 2-way.

However, after later modifying the original PC-based file and synchronizing,
the smartphone file still shows the initially synched file contents..

I **think** I read in some forum that the PC-based file that is actually
synched is the one in the "Documents in smartphone" folder and not the
original one in its folder.

I cannot find a detailed manual or paper describing in minute detail the
synchronization of files, beyond general statements on file date
comparisons, and the like.

QUESTIONS:
1. If it is true there are 3 copies of a file after initial sync
(smartphone, "Docs in smart...", and original file) how might I sync the
original and the "Docs in..." files?

2. If (1) condition is not true, what am I missing?

Thanks
.

[Sven]

Your understanding is largely correct. When you turn on Files Sync, the sync
software (AS or WMDC) creates a folder in your My Documents (XP), or
Documents (Vista) folder on the PC, named with your mobile devices name, in
the name. It also creates a shortcut to that folder on the desktop. On my
Vista box, the phone that I have named EPIX (device name in settings) shows
up a folder called Documents on EPIX as an example.

Any file that is placed in that folder, either dropped directly in to it, in
to the shortcut on the desktop, or saved into that location will be copied
into the My Documents location in the main memory of the mobile device. Now
you have two copies, one in the special 'sync' folder on the PC and one on
the device. When syncing, the files are compared, and the most recent copy
overwrites the older one, in which ever direction that happens to be. If
they have both been changed,this is referred to as a conflict, there is a
setting in the sync software that defines the master copy regardless of age.
You can set it to always use the PC copy OR always use the mobile copy.

Same sort of thing happens if the file is originally created on the mobile
device. It is copied to the sync folder on the PC, and the latest file is
kept at each sync.

If you delete the file on one side, it WILL be deleted on the other device.
Even if you delete one and change the other before syncing, the default
behavior is to delete, regardless of how you have the conflict resolution
option set.

Nothing happens to any other file of the same name, anywhere else on the PC
or mobile device. Just the two locations will be kept up to date. Note that
it isn't quite a true sync, IMHO, but rather a complete update to the latest
copy, or the copy defined by the conflict resolution setting.

Hope that helps.

Post by Al
[Using WMDC on Vista Ultimate 32-bit and Blackjack II smartphone with
WinMobile 6.1]
Used WMDC on PC to set file content sync settings, and files initially
sync. Sync set to be 2-way.
However, after later modifying the original PC-based file and
synchronizing, the smartphone file still shows the initially synched file
contents..
I **think** I read in some forum that the PC-based file that is actually
synched is the one in the "Documents in smartphone" folder and not the
original one in its folder.
I cannot find a detailed manual or paper describing in minute detail the
synchronization of files, beyond general statements on file date
comparisons, and the like.
1. If it is true there are 3 copies of a file after initial sync
(smartphone, "Docs in smart...", and original file) how might I sync the
original and the "Docs in..." files?
2. If (1) condition is not true, what am I missing?
Thanks
.

[Todd Allcock]

Post by Al
1. If it is true there are 3 copies of a file after initial sync
(smartphone, "Docs in smart...", and original file) how might I
sync the original and the "Docs in..." files?
2. If (1) condition is not true, what am I missing?

Sven thouroughly and accurately decribed the sync process, so I'll just
answer your question- in a nutshell, you can't sync all three copies.
Activesync/WMDC only syncs the two in the sync folders.

The workaround I've always used, is simply not to have three copies!
Where you currently keep the unsynced copy (In your My Documents folder
or one of its subfolders, I assume), I would place a shortcut to the file
instead, (pointing to the copy in the PC's sync folder.) That way, you
have the shortcut as a "placeholder" representing the actual document,
and still have the ability to sync it with the mobile. I do this often
this time of year when I'm getting tax information together. I like to
jk my tax related docs and spreadsheets together in one "2008 Taxes"
folder on the PC, but find it handy to sync a few with my mobile. For
those I use the shortcuts described above, then move the actual files
back to the "2008 Taxes" folder after I file and no longer need to update
(or sync) it.

Another alternative workaround, if you can live with cloud based storage
and it's potential security implications, is to use Microsoft Live Mesh
(www.mesh.com) You can designate as many sync folders as you like (up to
Mesh's 5GB storage limit) on the PC and device, and sync both copies with
the Mesh via the internet. The only catch is that the entire folder will
sync- not just the file (s) you specify,, so you'd still have to use a
"sync folder" concept, but you could have more than one, and they can be
placed where they make sense to you. (For example, I could sync a "\My
Documents\2008 Taxes\Sync" folder on PC to a "\Storge Card\My
Documents\Taxes" folder on the device.


As an aside, Live Mesh really saved my bacon the other day. Trying to
delete an unneeded folder on my device last week in the device's File
Explorer, I inadvertently tap-n-held and selected delete on the Storage
Card instead! (Stupid? Yes, but it was late, and I was tired!)

As soon as I realized, I soft reset the device and found it had only
decimated my \Storage Card\My Documents folder, which I hadn't backed up
to my desktop in over a month, but which my device had backed up to the
Mesh automatically the previous evening. I downloaded that folder from
the Mesh to my PC (you can restore directly to the device, but only one
file at a time)! then copied the hundred or so files to the device with
drag!drop using the "Explore" function in Activesync.

[Al]

MANY THANKS TO YOU AND SVEN FOR C*R*Y*S*T*A*L CLEAR EXPLANATIONS! WHEW!!!

Todd's idea of a shortcut in the "Docs in smart..." is great solution to
keeping files organized as "I" want and still comply with MS ideas on
synchronizing. I will try that immediately.

My sympathies to Todd on the near loss, but happy files were retrieved and
restored. I am not too convinced on MS Mesh. I have played around with
Foldershare and MS Live Sync, and - on the PC - with Briefcase and SyncToy,
but found, as with SyncToy that I couldn't get it to do single files within
a heavily populated folder. Maybe didn't play around with it too much.

ANYWAY, thanks again to both of you.

Post by Todd Allcock

Post by Al
1. If it is true there are 3 copies of a file after initial sync
(smartphone, "Docs in smart...", and original file) how might I
sync the original and the "Docs in..." files?
2. If (1) condition is not true, what am I missing?

Sven thouroughly and accurately decribed the sync process, so I'll just
answer your question- in a nutshell, you can't sync all three copies.
Activesync/WMDC only syncs the two in the sync folders.
The workaround I've always used, is simply not to have three copies!
Where you currently keep the unsynced copy (In your My Documents folder
or one of its subfolders, I assume), I would place a shortcut to the file
instead, (pointing to the copy in the PC's sync folder.) That way, you
have the shortcut as a "placeholder" representing the actual document,
and still have the ability to sync it with the mobile. I do this often
this time of year when I'm getting tax information together. I like to
jk my tax related docs and spreadsheets together in one "2008 Taxes"
folder on the PC, but find it handy to sync a few with my mobile. For
those I use the shortcuts described above, then move the actual files
back to the "2008 Taxes" folder after I file and no longer need to update
(or sync) it.
Another alternative workaround, if you can live with cloud based storage
and it's potential security implications, is to use Microsoft Live Mesh
(www.mesh.com) You can designate as many sync folders as you like (up to
Mesh's 5GB storage limit) on the PC and device, and sync both copies with
the Mesh via the internet. The only catch is that the entire folder will
sync- not just the file (s) you specify,, so you'd still have to use a
"sync folder" concept, but you could have more than one, and they can be
placed where they make sense to you. (For example, I could sync a "\My
Documents\2008 Taxes\Sync" folder on PC to a "\Storge Card\My
Documents\Taxes" folder on the device.
As an aside, Live Mesh really saved my bacon the other day. Trying to
delete an unneeded folder on my device last week in the device's File
Explorer, I inadvertently tap-n-held and selected delete on the Storage
Card instead! (Stupid? Yes, but it was late, and I was tired!)
As soon as I realized, I soft reset the device and found it had only
decimated my \Storage Card\My Documents folder, which I hadn't backed up
to my desktop in over a month, but which my device had backed up to the
Mesh automatically the previous evening. I downloaded that folder from
the Mesh to my PC (you can restore directly to the device, but only one
file at a time)! then copied the hundred or so files to the device with
drag!drop using the "Explore" function in Activesync.

[Todd Allcock]

Post by Al
MANY THANKS TO YOU AND SVEN FOR C*R*Y*S*T*A*L CLEAR EXPLANATIONS! WHEW!!!
Todd's idea of a shortcut in the "Docs in smart..." is great solution to
keeping files organized as "I" want and still comply with MS ideas on
synchronizing. I will try that immediately.

Just to be clear- you can't fool Mother Microsoft so easily- the shortcut
doesn't go into the sync folder- the actual file has to be in the sync
folder. The shortcut would go where you really wanted to keep the file.
Not perfect, but it works. (I'm pretty anal about folder organization
myself, so I've just learned to grit my teeth and live with this!)

Post by Al
My sympathies to Todd on the near loss, but happy files were retrieved and
restored. I am not too convinced on MS Mesh. I have played around with
Foldershare and MS Live Sync, and - on the PC - with Briefcase and
SyncToy, but found, as with SyncToy that I couldn't get it to do single
files within a heavily populated folder. Maybe didn't play around with it
too much.

I blame Apple! ;-) MS has taken such a beating in advertising about being
"too complicated," that, IMO, there seems to be a movement at MS to "dumb
down" new MS products or services to make them "easier to use." Heck, if I
wanted "easy to use" machines with little to no ability to configure or
customize their behavior, I'd use a microwave oven, a toaster, or a Mac!
;-)

I LIKE having complete control over things like, well, selecting what files
to sync! So, while useful, Live Mesh is certainly short on configuration
options: I'd put up with the inability to select/deselect individual files
if they'd at least allow me to select/deselect individual subfolders! I had
to move the My Videos and My Music subfolders out of \Storage Card\My
Documents and into the Storage Card root folder because I didn't want Live
Mesh wasting time backing up 4GB worth of non-critical media files to keep
50 MB of (comparitively) VITAL documents synced!

Having said that, Live Mesh is still a beta product, so hopefully it will
become more robust as it matures.

[Al]

Tried the shortcut way suggested by Todd , but found it preferable to keep
my original files in their respective original folders.....
... SO .....
played around with SyncToy 2.0 to see if I can sync original-file to
file-in-docs-on-smartphone, then let WMDC sync docs-on-smartphone to
smartphone. It is a little painful, as I had to restrict SyncToy to
individual file(s) within original folder(s), and this mandated setting up
many of what SyncToy calls folder pairs....
... BUT ...
IT WORKS!

Post by Al
MANY THANKS TO YOU AND SVEN FOR C*R*Y*S*T*A*L CLEAR EXPLANATIONS! WHEW!!!
Todd's idea of a shortcut in the "Docs in smart..." is great solution to
keeping files organized as "I" want and still comply with MS ideas on
synchronizing. I will try that immediately.
My sympathies to Todd on the near loss, but happy files were retrieved and
restored. I am not too convinced on MS Mesh. I have played around with
Foldershare and MS Live Sync, and - on the PC - with Briefcase and
SyncToy, but found, as with SyncToy that I couldn't get it to do single
files within a heavily populated folder. Maybe didn't play around with it
too much.
ANYWAY, thanks again to both of you.

Post by Todd Allcock

Post by Al
1. If it is true there are 3 copies of a file after initial sync
(smartphone, "Docs in smart...", and original file) how might I
sync the original and the "Docs in..." files?
2. If (1) condition is not true, what am I missing?

Sven thouroughly and accurately decribed the sync process, so I'll just
answer your question- in a nutshell, you can't sync all three copies.
Activesync/WMDC only syncs the two in the sync folders.
The workaround I've always used, is simply not to have three copies!
Where you currently keep the unsynced copy (In your My Documents folder
or one of its subfolders, I assume), I would place a shortcut to the file
instead, (pointing to the copy in the PC's sync folder.) That way, you
have the shortcut as a "placeholder" representing the actual document,
and still have the ability to sync it with the mobile. I do this often
this time of year when I'm getting tax information together. I like to
jk my tax related docs and spreadsheets together in one "2008 Taxes"
folder on the PC, but find it handy to sync a few with my mobile. For
those I use the shortcuts described above, then move the actual files
back to the "2008 Taxes" folder after I file and no longer need to update
(or sync) it.
Another alternative workaround, if you can live with cloud based storage
and it's potential security implications, is to use Microsoft Live Mesh
(www.mesh.com) You can designate as many sync folders as you like (up to
Mesh's 5GB storage limit) on the PC and device, and sync both copies with
the Mesh via the internet. The only catch is that the entire folder will
sync- not just the file (s) you specify,, so you'd still have to use a
"sync folder" concept, but you could have more than one, and they can be
placed where they make sense to you. (For example, I could sync a "\My
Documents\2008 Taxes\Sync" folder on PC to a "\Storge Card\My
Documents\Taxes" folder on the device.
As an aside, Live Mesh really saved my bacon the other day. Trying to
delete an unneeded folder on my device last week in the device's File
Explorer, I inadvertently tap-n-held and selected delete on the Storage
Card instead! (Stupid? Yes, but it was late, and I was tired!)
As soon as I realized, I soft reset the device and found it had only
decimated my \Storage Card\My Documents folder, which I hadn't backed up
to my desktop in over a month, but which my device had backed up to the
Mesh automatically the previous evening. I downloaded that folder from
the Mesh to my PC (you can restore directly to the device, but only one
file at a time)! then copied the hundred or so files to the device with
drag!drop using the "Explore" function in Activesync.