SEEING things happening instead of depending on text descriptions can really help.
One thing to do is to make sure you have the very latest version of Scrivener for Mac: 2.8.1.2. Versions of Scrivener earlier than 2.8 won’t work with the iOS version at all. Another thing to do (shown on the video) is to be sure that you have the Dropbox app installed on your Mac. Transferring files through the Dropbox website won’t work.
Finally, once you have the right setup, many problems are cured by a combination of patience and persistence. Re-sync from the iOS side. Be sure your Mac has finished downloading. When you make changes on the Mac, be sure your files have finished uploading before going to iOS. Even with the Internet, file transfers are not instant, and an unfinished transfer may do many . . . unfortunate things.
That said, I’ve been using it since it was released, and it works smoothly.
Thanks Silverdragon - your links and tips are very much appreciated!
I will start with the video and will pay close attention to making sure files finish downloading - maybe I missed something there. I do have the Dropbox app installed on my Mac, so at least I’ve got that step accomplished My Scrivener says I’m on version 2.8, but I’ll check for an update to the latest and greatest version.
Have you installed the latest version of Scrivener on yout iMac. If not, it won’t work. From your description it sounds as if you have an older version.
From your description, it sounds like you might want to add a level in the Dropbox file structure. By default, iOS will look for Dropbox/Apps/Scrivener/projectname.scriv so having Dropbox/Apps/projectname.scriv has probably caused some confusion.
Also, make sure everything has synchronized from the iMac to Dropbox before you even try to download to iOS. That’s probably the most common new user issue: people are excited to get started, so they don’t give Dropbox enough time to actually transfer their data.
I just bought and installed Scrivener on my iPad and on my Mac this week-end (so up to date versions, both).
I did made a project on the iPad, saved it in the default folder in Dropbox. Tried to share it with the Mac (import, find the file in Dropbox) and…
It doesn’t work, just a message about possibly older version of Scrivener (no, they are the last available); or corrupted files (no, it opens without problem on te iPad).
Scrivener being new for me, I just thought I was making something wrong, so I came to this forum. And did read this conversation. I cant say that I understand all that is discussed here, but it seems that there is a real problem with Dropbox syncing, not a simple error from me.
So my question is: “is Scrivener usable on my Mac and iPad or can I put both in the trash?”
And… simply opening worked. Many thanks.
Does that mean that if I make changes to the project, I simply use Save instead of synchronising to device or exporting?
Sorry if it sound quite lame but I am not sure I understand the differences between those actions (nor what importing does).
I suppose it shall become clearer after some times using Scrivener. The learning curve seems quite steep (and the user guide quite heavy) but the program features seem very interesting.
Synchronize to external folder is used if you want to edit your text in a text editor on e.g. an Android device. Now that Scrivener exists for iOS you don’t need to use it at all.
So yes, simply save, except that you don’t have to do that either. Scrivener automatically saves your project in the background, every time you stop writing for a few seconds. All you have to do is to close the project on your Mac, wait a little so that the dropbox app can upload any changes to the dropbox server, open your iPad and sync the project (which simply means that iScrivener is downloading changed files) and you are ready to continue writing.
I must be doing something wrong. I use Scrivener on the iPad, if I change something, the iPod version sync correctly and display the change. If I make a change on the iPod, the iPad sync correctly and display the changes. But if I use the Scrivener on the Mac, it does not take the changes made on the the iPad or iPod, but saves its own state and does not sync the changes that were made on the iPad or iPod.
This is quite disheartening.
Wouldn’t it be clearer if Scrivener had a sync button like the iOS versions and work from there?
What version of Mac Scrivener are you using? The latest? (2.8.1)
Why would you need a sync button? You simple open the projects in the normal way on your Mac. You do have the Dropbox app on your Mac, so the files are downloaded to your Mac from the Dropbox server?
And are you sure you are opening the same project? The one you saved from your iPad? Are you looking at the same folder in Finder?
Not sure why it acted like that. I think that my document was still open on the Mac. If it had a sync button I could have synced it (it is the first thing I do when I begin to work on the iPad or iPod). Here I suppose the Mac version that was still open was saved when I exited.
To answer your question about why a sync button on the Mac version, I think that when you have the same program on different platforms, it is a good idea to have the same features on all of them to keep the use of the program consistent on all the platforms to minimize the differences in using them.
I suppose I’ll get used to differences between versions.
Unless you have changed the default settings, Scrivener on the Mac saves your project every time to stop writing for a few seconds. It does this automatically, without you noticing it. You never have to manually save a Scrivener project. What happens when you close the project or Scrivener is (by default) that it saves a backup copy of the whole project, which is something completely different.
If you alternate between Mac and iPad, rule number 1 is: always close the project before leaving the machine you are working on!
If you are working on the Mac, close the project and check that the dropbox app has had time to sync everything with the dropbox server, before turning off the Mac (or closing it).
If you are working on the iPad, step back to the project view and sync before turning off.
As long as you remember to do this, everything will work perfectly. I have been running the iPad version since it was released and alternate between two Mac’s and two iPad’s, and I have never had any problems. It simply works.
That was probably my mistake. I am used to work on an iPad (with other apps) and I generally don’t close them (which is why I sync everytime I begin to work again on it). I have a Mac that is almost always on and I also tend to leave applications open there too.
You need to back out to the Project screen and sync every time you stop working on the iPad as well, or your changes won’t be uploaded to the Dropbox server and thus can’t be downloaded to the Mac. Did you possibly forget that?
If you only use one Mac, it is usually okay to have Scrivener and even the project open on it even if you work on the same project on an iPad, provided you sync on the iPad both when you start and when you stop working on it. The Mac will notice that you changed something and will ask you if you want to sync.
With two or more Macs, you have to close the project one each machine before opening it on another.
No, I don’t think that it was the problem. I sync every time I begin and every time I stop working on the iPad or iPod.
The Mac did not ask me to sync. I would have done it manually if it had been available. Could it be that I exited the program too soon? (I just typed a correction if I remember correctly).
Anyway, I’ll try to exit between shifting machines.
Someone asked upthread, but I don’t see your answer: what version of Scrivener do you have? This kind of “one-way” sync often indicates that you have an older version of Scrivener that can’t see the special “Mobile” folder that the iOS version uses.
My Scrivener says I’m on version 2.8, but I’ll check for an update to the latest and greatest version.