Hi!
I’ve been using Scrivener on my old iMac, windows and now want to start on my ipad. Two of my files were synced though dropbox and are fine and now synced to my ipad scrivener app. But my imac is now to old to update to get the requirements to use the dropbox app. I’m trying to save my scriv file to a usb and get it imported into my ipad scrivener app.
I’ve been trying for over 2 hours now and I’m at the point of throwing all three devices out the window. Nothing works.
I have the scriv file (scrivx) file on my usb, but when I try to import I get an error. “Import failed, file not supported”.
I managed to save my file in dropbox in the end by copying through my windows laptop, but in my dropbox account on my ipad, all scriv files are grey, and I can’t access them. It’s driving me crazy. can anyone help? Thanks!
Make sure you have your complete projects! Scrivener project in Dropbox are not just a single file, they are a folder, inside of which lies your .scrivx file and other folders and files, as shown below:
If you look at the path I circled in red, you see that I’ve gone inside the Testing.scriv folder in the Dropbox web interface. I now see my associated .scrivx file, but there are those other folders that are where the actual data is contained.
To easily retrieve the entire project via the Dropbox web interface from your PC or Mac, move back up to the level where you see your Name.scriv folder and use the three dot menu to select Download. This will download a ZIP file containing your entire Scrivener project – top-level.scriv folder, .scrivx file, and associated content – which you can then Unzip, then use iTunes file transfer to copy to your iPad.
You mention having a file on USB. If you’re talking a USB drive, iOS doesn’t (as yet) support reading files from USB drives. That will change with iOS 13 however at present USB is only for photos.
As Devinganger notes, that .scrivx file is not your project file. It is an index file inside your project. Your project (.scriv) is represented as a folder on the Windows side — which might be a source of confusion. The whole .scriv folder is your project. (On the mac side, your .scriv project looks like a single file.)
As someone already suggested, from the Mac side using iTunes’ file sharing ability to move your .scriv project from your mac to your ipad is going to be the simplest way to get the job done. That will get it there, though it may be something of a hassle if you plan to still be working on both your ipad and Mac, because you will have to move that file back and forth.
BUT I am wondering why you don’t grab the current version of your project (from your mac), carry it over to your Windows machine (usb) and just put the project into your Dropbox folder on your Windows machine and have Dropbox for Windows sync it with the dropbox server for you. No muss, no fuss. That way it would also be accessible from your ipad and windows machines.
Thank everyone for your tips. I had to leave home without the imported project, but will try again when I get home tomorrow. I’ll look into all options you have offered. Thank you so much!
The reason I prefer not to use my windows computer for several projects is because they are romance, and it’s my worklaptop I prefer to avoid uploading that content for my IT department to see. They probably won’t, but if I can do it some other way, I’d rather do that and not take the risk.
This is the error, so i’ll try iTunes for filesharing tomorrow.
Your error message shows you already inside a scrivener project and (seemingly) trying to import something into that project. You think that something is another scrivener project (the message makes that unclear to me). Why are you trying to import a scrivener project into another scrivener project (as opposed to just trying to open the scrivener project in question)?
In your second image, all the items shown other that the dated “doctor” one are zipped backup files.* So, it appears that you have been trying to import a zipped scriv project into another scriv project.
There is almost certainly some confusion here. What you are doing not only does not work, it is not what you should be doing to accomplish what you want to accomplish.
If what you want is to open one of those backed up projects, you need to first unzip the project (I think you must do this outside of scrivener). I bet the Dropbox app will unzip it in place. Then go into Sctvener and go to the top-level p, Projects screen (the home screen of the Scriv app). You should just see there the unzipped project and simply be able to Open it by tapping on it.
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((This also suggests you have been having your scriv files backing up to the same folder where your master copy lives — which is not a great idea, even though have the zip function turned on avoids some if the pitfalls of that.)) if you need to access on of those backups you need to unzip the backup file first.
Small correction: I now see there is an uncompressed ‘1st Draft Matties’ scriv project there at the top of the list. Missed that in the first go round. But I think everything I said about what is going awry for you still holds good.
I prefer to avoid uploading that content for my IT department to see. They probably won’t, but if I can do it some other way, I’d rather do that and not take the risk.
