New notes not showing up between Macs

[ColinC]

I'm running Mojave (10.14.3) and Accordance (12.3.3)

 

I have a MacBook with Accordance and just added an iMac for my in-office machine. I just installed Accordance on the iMac and want to sync my notes. I store the files in Dropbox and confirmed that it's working by Accordance preferences > syncing > clicked "Link to Dropbox" and it reported "your files are already being managed by Dropbox manually".

 

Here's the weird problem:

I noticed that the iMac doesn't see any of my MacBook's notes in Dropbox except one called "Sample notes v2." So I created a new note on the iMac and it drops into the same dropbox folder beside the old notes. Seems to work there.  BUT, if I wait for the file to sync, then start Accordance on the Macbook, the MacBook doesn't see the new user file created on the iMac either!  In summary, both Accordance installations see an original file, and both installations see new notes created on that machine, but neither installation sees any notes created by the other machine (Again, I waited for the files to sync onto the other machine, then restarted Accordance after that).

 

I tried the Merge button but that doesn't show the files in question either.

 

This sounds crazy to me. What am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks!

[Silas Marrs]

If you login to dropbox.com through your web browser, do the files you are having trouble with show up in the "Apps/Accordance/User Notes" folder?

[ColinC]

Hi, Silas. I just logged into Dropbox.com to check. As expected, I can see the user notes from both computers in the User Notes folder, and it matches the client folder contents on both machines.

[ColinC]

I will add that the folder location is not exactly as you stated. It's...

[Dropbox Root] \ Accordance Files \ User Notes

 

But when I created a new file on my iMac, it went into that User Notes folder so I know the iMac is using it, as is the Macbook.

[Joel Brown]

Colin,

 

Since you have placed your Accordance Files folder in the Dropbox folder, it is doing the more 'manual' sync that the error message referred to.  This has some advantages and disadvantages over a traditional sync method.  You gain a more transparent, behind the scenes sync, with more direct file control.  However, Accordance doesn't end up getting notified by any new files placed in the folders.

 

What this means, in the end, is your syncing will work fine for notes and tools already installed in Accordance, but you'll still have to do the install process manually.  This is as simple as double-clicking on the missing notes file, on the machine in which its missing, so Accordance 'installs' it.

[ColinC]

Thank you, Joel.

 

The plot thickens a little though.  I just discovered that I have two folders in Dropbox.

[Root] \ Apps \ Accordance, and

[Root] \ Accordance Files

 

It appears that my new iMac is using [Root] \ Accordance Files. I tried double-clicking on the note in that folder (in Finder) and it gave me an I/O error message, probably because it's already open in Accordance.

 

When I do the same with one in Apps \ Accordance, it brings it right in unceremoniously but duplicates the file into [Root] \ Accordance Files..  Now I have two copies of the file. This is not good.

 

I don't have my MBP with me to see what it does.

 

Would all this be solved if I just moved these files out of Dropbox for the moment and set up syncing "non-manually"?

I don't really care if I have to remember to sync the files as long as I know my iMac, MBP, and iPhone are all looking at the right files.

Edited April 1, 2019 by ColinC

[Joel Brown]

Colin, things are definitely complicated.

 

On mobile, you don't have the ability to move your Accordance Files folder around, so its only option is so link up and sync 'normally'.  Thus, if you want to use iPhone, you'll need to have all platforms syncing normally.  This means moving your Accordance Files folder out of Dropbox directly, placing it back in the normal Documents folder, having Accordance point to it, and linking to Dropbox using the Accordance interface.

 

If you still have trouble, I'd recommend you give Tech Support a call.  They are great at detangling tricky situations like these.

[ColinC]

Thanks, guys. I'll try moving it out of "Manual Dropbox" mode and try this whole thing again.  I appreciate the replies.