This would not work for me since I am working on different large projects. The largest project file is 450 MBytes.
PS: I have tried to sync only one smaller test project with nearly nothing in it, and it fails, too.
Since I do have a pretty actual hardware (iPad Pro 2018 with 256 GByte RAM, most of it unused) and the true file transmission during synchronization only affects the changes, I do not believe on the hypothesis to keep the sync directory small and everything will be fine. There are maybe other issues involved, which I did not figure out yet.
Well, it comes down to the point, how Scrivener has been coded to sync with Dropbox. I can hardly believe the developers let Scrivener scan all Project files and each individual document within the containers for possible changes, comparing it with the local containers, when Dropbox actually provides a file list of changes that can be reviewed/compared much quicker than each individual file. Anyway, it worked like a charm before, now it does not. So something is broken. It’s as simple as that.
Folks, I would like to remind you that the number Apple gives you for your device’s capacity is storage, not RAM. It’s like your laptop’s hard drive capacity. Apple doesn’t publish RAM numbers, partly because it’s not something customers can choose, and partly because they look so pitiful compared to almost any modern computer’s RAM. Nonetheless, these numbers do leak out as third parties tear down phones and tablets (mostly third party repair shops like iFixit.) Here are the real RAM numbers for devices released in 2018 thru March 2019:
- iPad Mini 5th Gen: 3GB
- iPad Air 3rd gen: 3 GB
- iPad Pro 12.9" 3rd gen: 4 GB
- iPad Pro 11": 4 GB
- iPad 6th gen : 2 GB
- iPad Pro 12.9" 2nd gen : 4 GB
- iPhone XR: 3 GB
- iPhone XS Max: 4GB
- iPhone XS: 4 GB
Source: Mactracker app by Ian Page.
I tried today to copy my biggest project, 10.2 GB, all through the iOS 13 Files App, first downloading it (it’s all on iCloud Drive), importing it in iOS Scrivener, and afterwards, copying it again via the Files app back to iCloud Drive. It opened on the Mac and all the last changes were there. I’m not trying to convince people to do this, it’s at your own risk, but it worked with a very big project, both in GB’s, and in the amount of included files. I just wanted to share if people were wondering.
My guess is that the device has to do something with it. On my old iPhone SE everything was fine with iOS12 and updating to iOS13 gave no problems. On my very new iPadMini 2019 everything was fine with iOS12 and updating to iPadOS13 caused the syncing problem. The same Scrivener files, the same Dropbox account, one device with syncing working, the other device not. Maybe it’s interesting to see what problems people experience and don’t experience when they have two or more iOS devices?
If outsourcing projects helps (which, as it seems, actually doesn’t help in all cases) this can be a temporary workaround, but I really don’t understand the voices that sound like this would be no problem anyway. Of course you don’t need to sync every finished project you ever wrote, but for a professional software it should be possible to take as many projects with you as you need. I switch between projects quite often and there are some that are on hold right now, but I might get an idea for them anytime and want to be able to access them all the time. This should be possible with a software like Scrivener, imho
And I as well think the whole syncing via Dropbox process is flawed, as it takes too long even when it doesn’t crash and having to sync manually is really a nuisance. I could live with it if it happened faster or ran in the background, but being stuck with an unlocked device after writing something (e. g. in a coffee place) is just tedious if you do it every day.
To be clear, we agree that there is a problem and are doing our best to fix it.
Suggestions about reducing the number or size of projects being synced are intended as (a) troubleshooting to attempt to identify the problem and (b) possible workarounds pending a permanent solution. We are not proposing that users should reconcile themselves to limiting the number or size of projects as a permanent solution.
With that said, I personally think that if you’re hauling 10 GB projects around you’ll be a lot happier with a Macbook Pro than with any form of iPad. Mac OS remains a much more capable platform.
Katherine
With Scrivener 2 and older hardware (at the time, iPhone 6 and iPad Air) those 10GB projects ran perfect and synced in 20 seconds. They still run perfect, the problem is the syncing process. Once they are open, there is nothing slow about it on iOS…
(Don’t get me wrong, I agree MacOS is in general a much more capable platform)
Sync is tough. This from a mere user’s perspective–I can’t imagine the twists one has to get into to tackle this as a developer. I’ve spent hours fixing problems I’d caused, with patient help from LitnLatte elves (forgetting to make sure sync had completed before opening the project elsewhere, and then not realizing I was working with old sync issues). Now, I remember to pause syncing as I work. If I do run into an issue, it’s quickly fixed.
Raising a glass to you, Keith, Io’a, Katherine, and LiteratureandLatte people! With aspirin on the side? Many thanks.
With that said, I have 111 megabytes (not even a quarter of a gig) that is refusing to synchronize. And I do have a Macbook Pro. I just don’t take it everywhere as I do the iPad. The whole point of Scrivener for iOS was supposed to be that we could work on the same projects we do on the Mac elsewhere.
As noted in the part of the post that you didn’t quote:
Katherine
I think we have to be careful not to mix things up here. It’s one thing to shrink down your project folder temporarily as a workaround for the bug. Even though I would be afraid to reach the threshold for the bug while I am writing, then having again to use a workaround to get my files out of the device.
It’s another thing that syncing is very slow and inconvenient even without the bug. And this is not only the case for huge project folders with 10 GB of data. I have a project folder off 150 MB and I took the time today: It took almost exactly 1 minute to sync after making a few changes within one project. 45 seconds of this was due to “downloading files lists”.
I agree that a 10 GB project folder might be an exceptional case and might need special hardware or a special database software. But the problem happens to “normal” users as well. That’s why I think the whole process has a problem and maybe the bug is related to that underlying problem.
I love Scrivener and I appreciate the work of the developers. When Scrivener for iOS came out I decided to go iPad only for my mobile writing, only using an iMac at home and selling my MacBook. So it’s a little frustrating to hear I maybe should use a MacBook when I experience problems with the syncing process.
I’m writing on top and in between my day job, yanking out my iPad in the lunch break, typing for half an hour, running back to work. Of course waiting one minute for the syncing doesn’t ruin my day, but it adds a little frustration every day. I’m not saying this to complain or discredit your work, I just want you to see where users have problems. And again, point to a friction that might be associated to the bug as well (but of course I have no clue about coding and all the details).
Yesterdays dropbox update has not fixed anything. I still can’t get Scrivener to sync my project files without crashing. 
Any solution in sight?
Just to let everyone know that although it isn’t officially supported, unlike in iOS12, with iOS 13 I succeed in downloading full Scrivener files from iCloud Drive through the Files app, open them on the iPad/iPhone (copy to on my iPad) and afterwards copying back to iCloud Drive.
With iOS 12 it would crash with big downloads, both with iOS13 it downloads the file completely first.
The disadvantages are that it’s a manual process every time and that in data usage you are always copying full projects instead of with Dropbox where it only detects the changes made (but takes ages detecting them when you have a lot of files).
The advantage is that in my experience the past 2 weeks, it works reliably and it has actually been the only way how I have gotten work done on my mobile devices in Scrivener because the whole Dropbox crashing put everything to a grinding halt, mobile working wise.
On one hand I am very much looking forward to a solution. On the other hand, it has been interesting to put the combo of iOS 13 Files App and iCloud Drive to the test and seeing it as much more of a viable solution than with iOS12.
Yes, that’s the way Thomas Rabenstein is doing it right now, as I know. And as this seems to be working fine I really wonder if it couldn’t be possible to just let Scrivener edit in place a iCloud file and make everything super easy for everyone.
Yes, this is correct and it works fine. However, it is a manual action and of course, I would prefer an automated process. But for now, I can exchange my project files without any limit and I only have to take care the sync process has been completed before I copy/open the containers. But with macOS Catalina and iOs 13, the user has good control over monitoring the progress when files sync via iCloud. Without that option, I could not use Scrivener on iOs at the moment since the Dropbox sync still does not work. I’m hoping and waiting for the next iOs system update, for which Apple has already started the beta.
I have the same issue on a new iPad Mini running 13.1.2 latest versions of scrivener and drop box. Before iOS 13 it synced perfectly (but slow). My iPhone 8 (1 year old) works fine on 13.1.2 same DB sync as the mini.
I’ve spent a whole day trying to get this to work (scriv is my most important app) and what i found was there wasn’t one file that crashed it, i could load any one scrivener file, but there was always a point adding the 8 files I have that killed it.
If there are any crash logs etc you need let me know how to get and send.
Needless to say this is super frustrating for everyone (you and us!) am doing the manual iCloud sync for now which is a workaround.
( i uninstalled / reinstalled scrivener and drop box, followed all the instructions in this thread about purging DB etc)
iPadOs 13.1.3 just arrived …
… but it does not resolve the issue. Scrivener still crashes on sync.
Hi L&L - Any updates?
No updates yet; I would post them if there were. The abrupt and unplanned release of 10.15 caused a bit of a necessary diversion as there were critical bugs that needed to be fixed.