your file seems to be in a shared folder....
This discussion is public.
I tied syncing using Dropbox Connection but I couldn't get the second PC to pick up the file. I tried Dropbox folder but now I see some misses between the two versions. I would like to revert to the old method of storing directly in Dropbox but I keep getting a warning message every time I open the file. Is there a way to disable this warning message?
Comments are currently closed for this discussion. You can start a new one.
1
sth
on 24 Oct, 2017 02:33 AM
Not that I know of. The warning is real and really really suggests that you not store the main file in drop box or risk corruption of your financial data. The solution is to NOT use dropbox for the main data file as the warning says.
2
derekkent23
on 24 Oct, 2017 10:09 AM
I am not support staff, just a user.
You don’t state what version/build you now have on both your computers. You can check version/build under HELP – ABOUT MONYDANCE. Make sure you have the latest build, at time of posting 2017.5(1639), on both computers. Download from https://infinitekind.com/download-moneydance-personal-finance-software
Before version 2017 you could place your data set in Dropbox and open the same data set on your two computers, provided you opened only one at a time. Opening on both computer at the same time could lead to data corruption.
Moneydance 2017 has an inbuilt sync engine which allows you to work on the same data set on two computers and on mobile devices at different or even at the same time.
You have a number of options regarding the syncing method. The best and most flexible is called “Dropbox Folder”. However, if you did not purchase direct, but purchased through Apple, due to one of the restrictions Apply impose on Moneydance, you will have to use “Dropbox Connect” in the following steps. Dropbox Folder requires you to download and install at least the free version of Dropbox Client on all your computers.
The following is an explanation given by Sean the software developer regarding these two syncing methods, Dropbox Folder and Dropbox Connection.
“With "Dropbox Connection" Moneydance uses the Dropbox API to talk to the Dropbox service directly. So, you don't need to have Dropbox client actually installed on your computer, but you do need to be online when Moneydance is running in order for changes to be synced. With "Drobox Folder" Moneydance will just read and write files to your Dropbox folder on your computer, which means that you need to have Dropbox client installed and running, but you don't need to be online in order for Moneydance to read and write the changes.”
When syncing with 2017 you have a primary and a secondary computer. The data set is stored in the default location on the hard drive of your primary computer. See under HELP – SHOW DOCUMENT FOLDER. Your data set is a folder not a file. It contains other folders and files. The data set folder is named yourdatasetname.moneydance. In later build of 2017 you are prompted to allow Moneydance to automatically move your data set to the default location if Moneydance detects you have your data set in Dropbox. If you don’t allow your data to be moved it may become corrupted! DON’T STORE YOUR DATA SET IN DROPBOX or any other shared drive.
Your second computer does not have the same data set as the primary computer. Its data set is created from data synced via Dropbox folder “.moneydancsync” created automatically by the primary computer. The folder “.moneydancesync” may be hidden, so if you are looking for it set whatever your file explorer is called to show hidden File/Folders. The data set has the same naming convention as the primary data set and is stored in the default location on the secondary computer’s hard drive, but it’s not a duplicate of the primary data set. They are not interchangeable. In normal operation Moneydance on your devices reads and writes to the Dropbox folder “.moneydancesync” in such a way that there should never be any conflicts (at least not to any important files). Filenames are unique and the data is encrypted using your sync key (“Encryption Passphrase”). All changes are recorded in this folder and if any of the changes cause conflicts then they are resolved by checking timestamps that are internal to the file (i.e. not the file modification date).
It a good idea to reset syncing if you have changed your syncing method or run into problems during syncing after checking you are running the latest build of 2017.
To reset syncing, set primary computer “Sync Method” to “Don’t Sync” under FILE – SYNCING. If you have any mobile devices use their APP’s to disconnect from syncing. Any transactions not synced to your computers will be lost. Before disconnecting enter these into your primary computer.
Moneydance 2017 has an automatic daily backup which you can set up under FILE – PREFERECES - BACKUPS and a manual backup “Export Backup” which you can perform at any time. You can set these backups to use Dropbox in case you have a hard drive failure. If you set a password under FILE – PASSWORDS these files will be encrypted. Don’t rely on external methods alone for backups. When Moneydance makes a backup and you use FILE - RESTORE FROM BACKUP as part of the process it sets syncing method to “Don’t Sync”. This allows you to start syncing afresh. In a backup of your data set made by other means syncing will still be ON. This could mean if the reason you wanted to revert to a backup was something to do with syncing you could be back in problems as it syncs with the data in the Dropbox ”.moneydancesync” folder, assuming it wasn’t deleted. On your primary computer use FILE – EXPORT BACKUP to save a backup in case something goes wrong. Then shut down Moneydance.
On your second computer click on HELP – SHOW DOCUMENT FOLDER to open a file explorer, close Moneydance and delete your data set “yourdatasetname.moneydance”.
In your Dropbox folder delete the folder “.moneydancesync”.
I would recommend using the syncing method “Dropbox Folder. Open Moneydance on your primary computer under FILE - SYNCING, set your “Encryption Passphrase”, set “Sync Method” to “Dropbox Folder”, click OK and wait for Dropbox folder “.moneydancesync” and its contents to be created. This can take some time. Watch the Dropbox icon and wait till it states “Up to Date”. Wait until the same Dropbox folder appears on your second computer, again watch the Dropbox icon this time on your second computer and wait till it states “Up to Date”.
On both computers you should now be able to see the Dropbox folder “.monedancesync”.
Note you do not copy your data set to the second computer. Moneydance does this for you via the Dropbox .moneydancesync folder when you follow the second computer syncing process outlined below. The data set it creates in the default data set location on your second computer is not exactly the same as the one on your primary computer, it is structured to be a second computer data set.
On your second computer starting Moneydance should open it in the welcome window, click on “Create a new account set”. If it opens instead into the main program click on FILE – NEW. In either case select “Open Synced File” and use dropdown to select “Dropbox Folder” then click NEXT. You should see a search screen headed “Select a synced document to open” in which Moneydance is looking for any data set data it can find in your .moneydancesync folder. After a short search delay, it should then list all the data set names it can find, some people have more than one data set to sync. Highlight your data set name you won’t to sync with and click NEXT. Enter the encryption password, the “Encryption Passphrase” you set on your primary computer under FILE – SYNCING. Then click on FINISH.
Wait for your data to be synced.
You may find a lot of old, maybe closed accounts or other accounts you have removed from the side bar reappearing in the second computers side bar. Use the “+” sign at bottom of side bar then ADVANCED to tidy up the side bar.
Then if you have any mobile device set up their syncing, see http://help.infinitekind.com/kb/syncing-and-sharing-data/syncing-wi...
If you have any problems with the above process please post with as much detail as you can, with screen shots if necessary, the devil is in the detail.
For further information on syncing as well as syncing to Android or iPhones or other iDevices see these articles http://help.infinitekind.com/kb/syncing-and-sharing-data
I would recommend not having more than two devices running Moneydance at one time. My set up is two computers and one phone. I found if I have all three devices running Moneydance at the same time I could occasionally get syncing errors, be warned. I reported this the Sean the lead software developer but as far as I know, no fix yet.
You can set up as many devices as you like for syncing, but only run Moneydance on two devices at a time. For, example if you have Moneydance running on one computer and a phone shut down Moneydance on one of these before opening Moneydance on another device.
Hope this helps.
System closed this discussion on 23 Jan, 2018 10:10 AM.