First, “iCloud Desktop and Documents” (iDD) is a terrible way to sync Scrivener projects with another computer*; it only downloads new files (generated on another computer) on demand, as you try to open them in a Finder window, or through the standard file opening methods that most other software uses. Scrivener doesn’t ask the OS for all 1,230 files in my project ever time I open that project; it just loads a handful of them from the hard drive to get up-and-running, trusting that all the rest are there for immediate opening as needed. If you have moved to another computer that’s syncing using “iDD”, that means when you click on a document in the binder, that document may not have any of the latest changes to that individual file synced to your computer; you’ll either open an old one, or that file (being new since you were last at that computer) won’t be there at all. That spells disaster as Scrivener is expecting your project to be there before it tries to open it, and there’s no way for Scrivener to ask the OS to refresh it before Scrivener tries to open it.
So long as you’re at one computer, and iDnD might not be an issue so long as it doesn’t try to delete local copies of files that haven’t been accessed in a while; since Scrivener projects consist of hundreds, maybe even thousands of files internally, that means the contents of those files might seem to vanish from Scrivener’s perspective. But I don’t trust that feature to treat my Scrivener projects properly, especially as I move from my MB Air to my Mac Mini.
As for iCloud Drive, try an experiment using a Scrivener project. Modify the contents of a document in a scrivener project that’s being synced with iCloud drive, but don’t have the Finder open and/or visible on the folder containing your project. This is common for people who just use the File->Recent projects menu, or let Scrivener open the last project(s) that were open when you quit the application.
Without the Finder window open to that project, how do you tell if it’s synced? Also, even if it is visible, does a change to a the text in a single document result in an icon next to the project? Internally, the text you write is stored in files that are within their own folder, and that’s inside another folder, which in turn is inside another folder. Does iCloud show sync icons for files that are several folders deep? Also, how quickly does a change trigger a sync? What happens if you change a big file that is already syncing?
In short: it’s always more complicated than you might think. As a long-time denizen of these forums, I can assure you that the developer (“KB” aka Kieth) has done the research, contacted Apple directly, and has done everything he can to ensure the integrity of your projects. When you see a caution against a given service, it’s not due to some arbitrary decision on his part.
[size=85]* I don’t pay attention to recent developments in this stuff, because I barely use iCloud Drive, and refuse to turn on iCloud Desktop and Documents because I want all my files on my hard drive at all times, even if I’m short of drive space. So this issue may have been resolved since I became aware of it.[/size]
