[Glenn Bullion]

Don't make the mistake I did over the weekend.

STILL trying to find the bunny-rabbit like typos that hide in the source file, then when I correct, they come back out.

I edited from one computer, saved, but forgot to close the file.  So Dropbox didn't update the file.

I go back to my main computer, do some more editing, not realizing I'm editing from an older file.

So now I have two files on two machines, not synced up, and Dropbox is staring at me from the systray.  I know it's calling me names, laughing at me.

At worst, I just lost about two hours of editing.  Not a huge deal.  But all could have been avoided if I would have simply closed the file.

 

[Lexi Revellian]

Poor you. I've been unnerved by Dropbox when I got home and found the WIP not updated, and feared I'd lost the latest work on it. I was most relieved to get back to my workshop computer and find the updated file. I've been careful about closing it and giving it time to settle before shutting down the computer ever since.

Can you get a friend to read one version aloud while you follow with the onscreen version? would that help?

Lexi

 

[Glenn Bullion]

Believe it or not, the editing is going smooth on this version.  I haven't actually read the book in many months, so my memory almost perceives it as new.  It's not filling in missing words and such, and I'm actually seeing the mistakes for a change. 

 

[David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish]

Ooh, sorry to hear that! Doesn't Dropbox update the file if you don't close it on your computer then?

Dropbox sends the updated file only when the file is finally closed. So if you saved, but left Word open with the file, it still wouldn't upload the newer version. So if you use the same file on a different computer, it tracks the time, and will actually create a secondary file with the date on it to let you know when it was changed (since it knows that there's different versions, and it won't overwrite one with the other on its own).

That's a bummer, btw. Hope you get it worked out. Any chance you edited different parts of the story each time, so maybe you can just combine 'em?

 

[tensen]

I've had that problem with dropbox before. I usually delete the copy on dropbox prior to uploading again, just to be absolutely certain.

 

[Mel Comley]

I got confused at 'dropbox' 

 

[Tom Junior]

Typo's are like roaches..they multiply! I totally sympathize with you. I found 4 of the little buggers after I uploaded to smashwords. Also, between writing, editing, re-writing, and formatting it's really easy for them to sneak in! I've exercised version control, I try not to have too many versions of the same document around!

I hope you're able to get back on track! Good Luck

 

[Glenn Bullion]

Dropbox sends the updated file only when the file is finally closed. So if you saved, but left Word open with the file, it still wouldn't upload the newer version. So if you use the same file on a different computer, it tracks the time, and will actually create a secondary file with the date on it to let you know when it was changed (since it knows that there's different versions, and it won't overwrite one with the other on its own).

That's a bummer, btw. Hope you get it worked out. Any chance you edited different parts of the story each time, so maybe you can just combine 'em?

Yeah, I think this is what I'll try to do. Luckily for me, I stop/start on new chapters, and I know where I left off Friday. It shouldn't be a problem to merge files. But I admit, it makes me nervous, because as easy as that sounds, we all know how the writing gods work. Something will happen. Simple cut and paste? Doesn't matter. My keyboard will break or something.

Another fun fact for today, looks like Dropbox might actually be down. I can't get to their website, and files aren't syncing.

 

[David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish]

I'm having no problems with dropbox. Maybe you're just cursed?

 

[Glenn Bullion]

Ha wow. 

It won't launch right in systray (just says connecting), and website won't come up.  But it works for you?    I love Mondays.

Time for some rebooting.  See if that helps.

 

[Debi F]

I don't trust Dropbox at all! 

Having heard good things about it here, I thought I'd give it a try. In trying to set it up, I lost EVERY SINGLE TEXT DOCUMENT on my computer. Everything just gone. GONE! They're not on the computer, not in dropbox, just GONE!

Thank goodness I'd saved just about everything to a USB stick the month before, and I send email attachments to myself when I revise something "important." But there were lots and lots of things that I hadn't backed up (mostly my daughter's work and some things my husband had saved), and those were just lost. Some short stories went missing, too. Fortunately, it only seemed to affect .docs and such, and all my photos are still here. I'd have really lost it if the photos had been destroyed, too. 

 

[thejosh86]

I use Windows Mesh and Skydrive to keep my files backed up and synced and haven't had any issues with it thus far, but I haven't ever used Dropbox.

As a side note, I've heard rumors that Windows 8 will have some kind of cloud storage integration, so that's something to look forward to.

 

[Paul Hardy]

There was me thinking that Dropbox updated every time I hit 'save'. Which I do reflexively these days. You can even see the Dropbox icon getting busy as soon as the save is done...

I'm confused now 

 

[David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish]

If a file is currently open, Dropbox won't send it. You'll see it queue the file up, though, showing that it has a file it knows it needs to send.

 

[Kristian 'TS Games' Dalglish]

Dropbox sends the updated file only when the file is finally closed. So if you saved, but left Word open with the file, it still wouldn't upload the newer version. So if you use the same file on a different computer, it tracks the time, and will actually create a secondary file with the date on it to let you know when it was changed (since it knows that there's different versions, and it won't overwrite one with the other on its own).

That's a bummer, btw. Hope you get it worked out. Any chance you edited different parts of the story each time, so maybe you can just combine 'em?

Are you sure about that? I use Dropbox for my source-code and everytime I SAVE a file, it uploads the new version. I know this based on the blue swirly thingy next to my files and sys tray, and then shortly after it gets a green check mark like all my other uploaded files.

 

[David 'Half-Orc' Dalglish]

Just tested.

"Indexing 1 file...
Can't sync "maysales.xlsx"; file in use."

 

[Kristian 'TS Games' Dalglish]

Thats strange, I wonder why when I save it, it does the blue upload thing and then green check mark then. I'll have to watch the log and see myself, could just be a glitch.

 

[Glenn Bullion]

It maybe depends on the file type as well?  Just guessing.

Yeah I can confirm though, that at least with Office type documents (.docx, .xlsx).  The file won't upload or sync until the file itself is closed.

 

[Kristian 'TS Games' Dalglish]

could be type maybe, maybe source files are different, i backup my programming stuff with it.

 

[Gina Black]

Dropbox updates on each save for me. I know this because I share a folder with my critique partner and we have to be careful with who is updating the file when we are discussing it (so we don't share over each other).

If you goto Dropbox on the web, it has earlier versions you can access if you need to go back for some reason.

Maybe it behaves differently for a Mac? Not sure why that would be.