6.6.13

Utility for Syncing App Data via Dropbox

Utility for Syncing App Data via Dropbox


I have a cool new utlity to release today! DropboxAppSync is a simple utility that will relocate any Application’s Support folder to your Dropbox account so that it can be shared across multiple Macs. I initially developed this so that my cusotmers could easy share their DomainBrain database and Rapidweaver Stacks across multiple machines. However, I quickly morphed the application so that it will sync the support folder from any application!!!
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NOTE: While syncing application data over Dropbox has become a pretty wide spread practice, not all applicaitons may support this behavior. Proceed with caution.

How to run DropboxAppSync

There are a lot of techie details below. As a common user, you just select your app and click OK!

On your 1st Mac

Make sure that you run this first on the Mac where you would like to use its application data first. The data from this Mac will be sync across all your other computers.
  • It will first prompt you for which application you would like to sync. Make sure that the app is not running!
  • The Application Support folder for the selected application will be located and backed up to your desktop.
  • A folder named Application Support will be created in your Dropbox folder if it does not already exist. (I stole this idea from BBEdit. Great idea guys!!!)
  • Then the support data for your application will be copied into sub-directory with the name of the application into the Application Support folder created on Dropbox.
  • Finally a symlink is created from the original Application Support folder to the one just created on Dropbox. This is the magic part that tricks your application into thinking that everything is copasetic.
  • Once you have verified that everything is working properly, you can safely remove the backup copy of your application’s data that was saved to your desktop.

On your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Nth Mac

  • Allow Dropbox to sync the application data before you run this on subsequent machines.
  • Just as before, you will be prompted for which application you would like to sync. Make sure that the app is not running!
  • Just as before, the Application Support folder for the selected application will be located and backed up to your desktop.
  • Since you woudl have already ran this on another machine, DorpboxAppSync will see that an application support folder for the selected application already exists. Therefore, no data will be moved into Dropbox.
  • Just as before, a symlink is created from the original Application Support folder to the one found on Dropbox.
  • Once you have verified that everything is working properly, you can safely remove the backup copy of your application’s data that was saved to your desktop.
And that’s it! You can not enjoy the cross machine syncing on any of your favorite applications. Here is a small list of some of the applications that I have done this with so far. They all seem to be running pretty smoothly for me.
  • BBEdit
  • Coda
  • Courier
  • Rapidweaver
  • DomainBrain
By now, I am sure that you have a DropBox account, right? If you don’t, what are you waiting for? Go and get your 2GB of free space in the Cloud!
    • JiveDig Caroline Mathieson • 2 years ago


      Should be this:
      http://www.dropbox.com/help/36
      I've run into a 'conflicted copy' when this happened with a RW sandwich file.  I opened it on one computer not realizing it was still open on another.
      Dropbox saved 2 copies of the file, one was conflicted and the other not.  The problem is the a RW sandwich file is NOT 1 file.  I had to go into every folder within the contents of my file and change the name from index(conflictedcopy).html to just index.html.  On my large site it took a while.  The reason was that the copy that because the conflicted one was actually the one I had made all the needed changes to.
      It was a scary time!

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    Guest • 2 years ago


    Since preferences sync is pretty much moot now with iCloud, will this feature be added to your Sync program?

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    JiveDig • 2 years ago


    W are naturally assuming the biggest issue is making sure the app is closed and Dropbox is done syncing before launching on another computer?
    Also, once this is setup I'm assing we can add/remove stacks and plugins from Rapidweaver from either machine and have it sync, right? It's not just from the first synced computer, that would negate the point. . .

    • Avatar

      Joe Workman Mod JiveDig • 2 years ago


      Yes. You are correct on both points. Make sure the app is closed when you run this utility. And yes, if you install a stack and or plugin on one machine, it will get sync over into the other.

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