Tinderbox Forum

[Solved] Lost notes during iCloud sync between MACs

Q & A - getting started with Tinderbox
#1

HI,

I store TB Documents in MYDocuments\TB Folder which is in sync via iCloud

  • I use my MACMINI which is my work PC , I work on it till 11AM adding approximately 55 notes in a file. Changes are in sync via iCLOUD
  • I start my MacBook , open the file said document , realise that WIFI is switched off , files open up with -55 notes (as expected) I immediately close the document without saving .
  • I start wifi on MACBOOK wait for sync , but the file has -55 notes ,
  • Mac mini also shows the same file

Questions

  • Can I recover ?
  • How to avoid situations like this in future ?
  • Is ICloud not stable as sync solution?
#2

Have you looked at File:Revert To from the menu to see if the desired earlier version is there? Tinderbox is autosaving edits, but gives you option to roll back.

2 Likes
#3

If you have your shared file open on two Macs, the copy most recently saved or autosaved may replace the copy on the other Macintosh. This is right: your Macs are doing what you told them to do.

To avoid this: don’t open a file simultaneously in two places. If you want to do this, use a version control system like git; this isn’t what iCloud is for.

To recover: use your backups. (You should of course have backups!)

#4

OH THANK the Gods , File:Revert to indeed did save my butt .

#5

Sigh. Yes I do need to figure a better backup strategy , it’s something I enquired couple of weeks back but didn’t implement.

#6

I’ve used Dropbox and now iCloud over the last few years with generally no problems, but it’s the kind of casual backup that works until it doesn’t. On the Mac you really need to use Time Machine so that you have those previous versions in the Restore menu from the file. Dropbox does this in the cloud, iCloud relies on Time Machine.

It’s a habit to intermittently save and close on exit the file based programs I use like BBEdit and TBX. Increasingly I use programs like Ulysses that are cloud based but do intermittent backups so I can see earlier edits. If you delete information from inside a Note in Notes.app, it’s gone for good.

Always make sure you have a way back!

1 Like
#7

HI @jjvornov,

I’m now actively exploring Time Machine with an external hdd and versions ,since my office Macmini is always connected to office NAS , maybe that can come in handy now.