IBM Content Navigator Sync - Tips for syncing items in IBM Content Navigator

When should I sync my content?

If you want your synced items to sync more often or less often than how the scheduling is configured now, you can specify a different interval of time in your sync preferences.

You can start with the default schedule and adjust the scheduled intervals later, if necessary. Very frequent syncs could degrade server performance, depending on the size of what you are syncing. Very infrequent syncs could result in more sync conflicts, if multiple people are working on the same documents at the same time.

Determining the best sync interval depends on the size and number of files and how your team works with shared documents.

How many items can be synced?

A specific limit to the number of items you can sync is difficult to define because folder depth, the number of files, and the size of those files are all variables that affect what can be synced in total.

Do not attempt to use sync as a tool for bulk imports, bulk exports, system migrations, and so on.

The following example scenarios are suitable uses for sync:

Rio, a graphic designer, syncs 50 image project files at 2MB per file.
Sylvia, a project manager, syncs 1,000 text files at 10KB each, with few nested subfolders.
Hassan, a web developer, syncs 500 HTML and JavaScript files with folder nesting up to five subfolder levels in depth.

Syncing items in your sync list with the repository

When you save changes to an item that is in your sync list, your updated item is checked in to the repository during your next scheduled sync. If you are working on a minor version of a document, it is checked in as a minor version. If you are working on a major version of a document, it is checked in as a major version.

Your sync folder is updated with the latest checkins from the repository during every sync action, which you can schedule or run as needed.

Removing items from your sync folder

Adding a new file to a valid folder in IBM® Content Navigator Sync adds the file to the repository, but removing a file from your sync folder only removes it from the list of items that you want to sync, and does not remove the file from the repository nor from your favorites.

Resolving conflicts

If a document gets out of sync with the content that is stored in the repository, you can resolve the sync conflict by reviewing the changes in both versions of the document to determine what you want to do with the changes on your local file system. Your sync action is suspended until you resolve the conflict so that no changes are lost until you choose an action.

For each document that has a conflict, you can choose one of the following actions:

Keep Local Version: Overwrite the changes in the repository and upload my version.
Discard Local Version: Discard my changes for this item. Download the conflicting item from the repository and overwrite the changes that I made to my local version.
Resolve Later: Give me a copy of the document from the repository. I want to review the differences and manually reconcile the changes.

For each item that has multiple conflicts, you must resolve the conflicts in the order that they occurred. For example, if two checkins occurred before you were able to sync your version of the document to the repository, you must resolve the conflict with the first checkin that caused a conflict before you can resolve the conflict with the second checkin.

Working in my sync folder and in my local working folder

IBM Content Navigator Sync syncs the repository with your sync folder and your mobile devices only. If you edit a sync item in a different location from your sync folder, for example, in your default checkout and download location for IBM Content Navigator, the file will not be synced unless you copy that file to the synced folder or you check the file into the repository. To prevent confusion, avoid working in your working folder and sync folder at the same time for a single file.

Syncing your items does not refresh the items in any other local working folders that you have. Syncing affects the repository, your sync folder, and your mobile devices only.

Moving items to different folders in your sync folder

Moving items in the sync folder is not like moving items in the repository by using the web client. When you move an item to a different folder in your sync folder, the item is removed from your sync list and remains in the same folder in the repository. The item that was moved to the different folder is treated as new content in that folder.

Remember: Dragging new content to a valid folder in your sync folder adds the content to the repository. The new content is added to your favorites and enabled for sync.

However, if you move a synced folder to another synced folder in the same desktop, the folder move is successful.

To move items in the repository, move them by using the web client. To change the location of the sync folder on your workstation, specify the new location through your IBM Content Navigator Sync preferences.

Moving your sync folder

If you want to move your sync folder to a different location, do not drag the folder to a different location. Instead, go to your sync preferences and specify the full path to an empty folder or to a local folder that does not exist yet, for example, C:\Users\User_Account\Desktop\My_New_Sync_Folder. IBM Content Navigator Sync will create the My_New_Sync_Folder folder for you.