Using Scrivener with Dropbox

Scrivener
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Support people always want to answer your questions with a story. Usually its the story they told the last person who asked ‘that question’.
So could we please just get to the facts?

  1. What file format does the IOS version of Scrivener need to use to store its content?
  2. Do we have to plan that a synced project folder (the thing that ends in .scriv) on dropbox has to be set to produce .txt files if we want to open the project folder (the thing that ends in .scriv) on IOS?
  3. Why don’t you guys start thinking like people who produce software for a living and stop trying to get people to use workflows that your application cannot manage and instead start partnering with providers that can provide a reliable technical solution for sharing files across device types?
  4. If you just don’t want to walk too far from the latte, then build a git interface into your app so it can manage versioning and synchronization for a file folder? That would fix the failed sync issue. Since your project package is a folder that looks like a file and you talk about it as if it were a file, and name it with an extension as though it were a file, even though it is only a folder and can only behave like a folder, you need to have a capability in your app to treat it like it wants to be treated: like a folder. Git does that, and its ‘free’.
  5. And this thing where, on a mac, you ask a user to create ‘the thing that ends in .scriv’ when their cursor is pointed inside a folder, and then your app creates a folder that ends in .scriv that you call a ‘project’. But then in the ‘external folder/sync’ situation, when their cursor is pointed inside a folder, your app wants to use the folder they are ‘in’ and turn that into ‘the thing that ends in .scriv’ so that the folder they thought was going to be the folder inside which your app was going to create their project has become ‘the thing that ends in .scriv’ and now the folder where they expected to find ‘myProject.scriv’ is the folder holding the project sub-folders. BUT… your app cannot rename a folder that existed before it wanted to create a project, especially when your app is already inside that folder, so it sticks the project sub-folders into the enclosing folder which does not end in .scriv. So how come that is?
  6. And the part where you can’t really explain how it works… and so instead you explain how to be aware that it ain’t gonna work so well… I just don’t buy that as a responsible position for a company who’s got the ability to both build and explain. So if you aren’t proud of the explanation, just finish the application (if it don’t work, it just ain’t done yet) so we can enjoy the latte of your labors?
    Thanks for the headaches,
    Kimball Johnson
308

The same file format that Mac and Windows Scrivener uses: .rtf

As for the rest, it’d be nice if questions be phrased like questions and not as statements or stories. :slight_smile:

(… said by a simple Scrivener user who’s never had any problems with syncing, lost files, or anything else)

309

The answers for most of your “questions” are amply answered (often multiple times) here in the forums. All it takes is a little research. Scrivener is as pro as software package gets – there are lots of successful writers of all levels and genres and types using this software to get their writing work done. They have a vision and they stick to that vision, and that may not meet everyone’s needs.

Speaking of stories, here’s a great one (first entry of a classic Ann Landers column) that seems to fit:

articles.chicagotribune.com/1989 … ders-hiney

310

Thank you for that one! :stuck_out_tongue:

311

Note that this thread is several years old. When it first started, iOS Scrivener did not exist. I would recommend either starting a new thread or emailing our support address instead.

The project format used by iOS Scrivener, Mac Scrivener, and Win Scrivener is identical in all respects. This format is documented in detail in Appendix F of the Mac Scrivener manual.

The fundamental risk for any software that shares data across multiple devices is connectivity failure. If your internet connection drops while transferring data between Computer A and Computer B, no software on earth will put a complete and current copy of the project on Computer B. Not Git, not Google Docs, and not Scrivener.

The external folder feature is not needed when working between Scrivener installations, and is therefore completely irrelevant to synchronization between iOS Scrivener and Mac or Windows Scrivener. A thorough guide to iOS synchronization can be found here:
scrivener.tenderapp.com/help/kb/ … g-with-ios

Katherine

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Maybe it’s time to unpin this thread? It risks fooling people to think there is something weird about using Scrivener with Dropbox.

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I had a very rare failing of Scriv on my Mac which ‘lost’ some extensive edits. I was able to retrieve them from Dropbox without difficulty, and no ‘weirdness’.

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Hello all,

I have been having issues with Dropbox lately, that is almost certainly related to my patchy internet connection (which will hopefully be rectified this week). Until such time, I have 2 options:

a.) Give writing solely on my 12.9" iPP a try (I have the LTE version); or
b.) Contiune SOLELY on my Mac, until the internet/Dropbox services gets restored.

As much as I am tempted by Option A, I’m inclined to go with the latter, since I’m under time constraints, and am more familiar with the immediate writing environment.

Therefore, and to get to my question:

Can I simply “quit” Dropbox on my Mac, and leave it off until all is up and running again?
Am I correct in presuming that whilst working in Scrivener on the Mac, given my auto-save and backup settings, that all the changes are made to the ‘local’ Dropbox folder, which is then uploaded to Dropbox when the sync can run?

If so - would working over 2/3 days inside a project be problematic when I eventually switch Dropbox back on?
In other words, are the files stored in such a manner that when the sync is restored, it will simply upload whatever is the “latest” version (e.g. afternoon of day 3), as opposed to all the prior versions that might be(??) created (e.g. day 1/day 2/morning of day 3 etc.) as well?

I guess what it boils down to, is my just checking if I can merrily write along in the ABSENCE of there being any Dropbox syncing at all, provided I only work on my Mac, without opening Scrivener on any of my iOS devices (with the latter only being done once Dropbox is reconnected on the Mac, and synced in full)?

Would appreciate confirmation before jumping in - failiing which, iPad Pro, here I come! :smiley:

315

Yes, absolutely you can quit Dropbox on the Mac and it will behave the way you prefer when you turn it back on. Just to be sure, I ran a test, and it works fine. Be sure to go to Dropbox preferences and un-tick “Start Dropbox on system startup” before quitting Dropbox (and re-tick it after you start Dropbox again.)

316

Thanks for the prompt reply - and testing! Great to hear, can get working again now. :slight_smile:

317

Yes, absolutely, and in fact I recommend exactly this if your connection is known to be misbehaving.

More generally, routine use of Scrivener does not require internet access. (Well, unless you want to import web pages, of course.) Your project is always stored locally on whatever device you are currently using. Dropbox is a convenient mechanism for transferring projects between devices, but it is in no way required for use of Scrivener on a single device.

Katherine

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Cassady, in case you’re looking for a quorum, I completely agree with Silverdragon. :smiley:

ETA: And Katherine too!

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@Katerine and @JimRac, thanks for the feedback and confirmation – good to know!

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Dear Seller,

As much as I want to use your program to create my book—I am currently using Ulysses—the idea that I have to sync using Dropbox seems impossible for me. I am also not keep on the idea that the only other option is manually synching which would cause major confusion to any writer for whom even a simple string of words lost could mean the difference between a good novel and a great one. Dropbox is far from reliable. I have been using Dropbox for my business for some time and files go missing all the time. My staff doesn’t want to use Dropbox for the same reason and fear. iCloud is our preferential manner for storing and synching documents which is what Ulysses uses and so far, no problems on my end. I believe that adding an iOS/iCloud based backup would be very simple for Scrivener to do giving end users the option of where they want their files stored. I believe we deserve this option as consumers of your product.

I will also be writing Ulysses to consider implementing the options contained in Scrivener to Ulysses such as italic, bold and the like.

Thank you.
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz

321

Are you talking about writing a book on your own, and sync’ing Scrivener files with your various devices using Dropbox? If so, I can’t foresee a problem.

If, however, you’re writing your book collaboratively with others, and needing to sync versions between you all, that is potentially problematic, especially if more than one of you has the project open at the same time - in which case iCloud would be just as hazardous as Dropbox.

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Welcome to Scrivener and its forums.

Before you go any further in looking at Scrivener, Manuel, it would be worth your while casting a glance at this advisory, created by the developers of Scrivener: https://scrivener.tenderapp.com/help/kb/cloud-syncing/using-scrivener-with-cloud-sync-services.

The main reason for care using cloud services, and for this advisory, is that a single Scrivener project is in fact a package of hundreds, possibly thousands, of individual files. This has several advantages. One is that if a single file becomes corrupted for any reason, it will not risk the entire project (as can happen if a single project is composed of a single file). That is of course a particular concern in the case of a project that is a book or a dissertation. But that multi-file structure does mean that certain cloud services may corrupt or even destroy a Scrivener project. Dropbox will not - and there are others as well as Dropbox that can be used for storing your live project (or holding a zipped-up project, if you are simply transferring projects between computers). So for holding your live project for editing on a desktop or transferring a zipped-up project, you are not restricted to Dropbox. If you read the posts in this or other similar threads, you’ll probably find which alternative cloud services can currently work with Scrivener.

But if you’re syncing between Scrivener on a Mac or Windows computer and Scrivener for iOS on an iPad or iPhone, that is a special case. Then, only Dropbox is suitable and safe (for cloud syncing). That’s again because of the multi-file nature of a Scrivener package. The developer has had to custom-write extensive routines to enable syncing to work, which only work with Dropbox. (As far as iCloud is concerned, the problem is the way iCloud handles packages like Scrivener’s - even though, I believe, Apple was a pioneer of using packages. Even if the developer wrote routines to enable Mac/iOS syncing on iCloud, your projects would still be at risk - though I believe that you can use iCloud for zipped-up back-ups, but I never have.)

By the way, I write as a long-time Scrivener user. In several years’ use of Dropbox (I have 1 terabyte of space), I’ve never lost any files and my Scrivener syncing has always worked fine (but I suppose there’s always “a first time”).

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Like Hugh, I have been using Dropbox for years and have never lost a single file. The only thing to check is that the upload/download to the Dropbox server is given the time needed, but that goes for all cloud services. As for iCloud Drive, I am currently in the strange situation that a whole large folder is only showing up on my iOS devices and not on my Mac’s and neither on the web interface. So far, iCloudDrive is the only cloud service that has done like this for me.

324

The only times I have lost work to Dropbox was when I was using computers with overly aggressive “anti-virus”/“security” software which silently proxy all connections, load hidden DLLs into running processes, and generally break all sorts of things. On a healthy system with a minimum of such “helpful” applications, a decent connection to the Internet, AND THE DISCIPLINE AND PARTIENCE TO VERIFY THAT ALL SYNCS HAVE COMPLETED, Dropbox is a thing of beauty – one of the most robust services out there, and the one I would consider the gold standard at this point.

325

Actually although I do try to be disciplined, I do (more than I care to admit!) fail to sync as I move between three Macs and two iOS devices at work and home. Also working in China (where Dropbox is blocked), I depend on VPN which adds another layer of complexity to sync (i.e. the VPN claims it is connected but the Great-Firewall has stopped it working). AND YET, Dropbox has never ever lost a file, and Scrivener has always been able to show me which bits of my Binder and documents have conflicts. I actually really dislike Dropbox as a company, due to Political machinations a few years ago, and the current lack of customer communication for its beta and future features. But swallowing both my personal dislike of the company, and the fact its service is nominally blocked where I live, and the fact that I do not always ensure full sync, Dropbox continues to be the most reliable service imaginable…

326

I echo those sentiments. The most recent fury was over the discontinuation of the Public Folder and the subsequent breaking of 000,000’s (if not millions) of links scattered over the internet.

As to the ‘ensuring the completion of sync’ - this was much easier to see when the menubar Dropbox icon was pale blue, and carried a rotating green arrow while sync’ing. Now, such activity is almost impossible to see on the tiny little black and white icon. I resolved this issue for myself by importing each icon into Photoshop, blowing up to maximum size, and changing them. “At rest” the Dropbox icon is a ‘d’ inside a square, but the “syncing” icon is a pair of eyeballs. This is REALLY easy to see.
However, due to Dropbox habit of updating its software almost on a weekly basis (WHY???), I keep copies of the amended icons so I can copy them back into place when the software automatically updates itself. The correct location is within the Dropbox app’s package - its Resources folder (“dropboxstatus-idle.tiff” and “dropboxstatus-busy.tiff”).