I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm/deny my assumption or understanding about how attachments are handled.
This is important to me as I have limited hard disk space without external drives (which I don't use)
I believe that -
The Bookends database lives on my hard drive and regardless of sync will occupy much the same size on different machines - it will obviously grow over time, but within expectations I am comfortable with.
A reference entry in the library may well have an attachment - not just the metadata, but the actual pdf file of the paper, for example, that is stored as an attachment.
These attachments are located in the Documents folder, which maybe managed by iCloud (though accessible through Bookends' interface). This means that it may or may not be occupying (much) physical space on the disk - it may be kept online. This is managed by iCloud/Finder.
When I come to access it, it has to be downloaded to my hard drive, of course.
This means that I do not have to accommodate an ever-expanding store of attachments on the local drive.
Am I more or less on the right track, or am I delusional?
Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
The location of the attachments will differ depending on your use. If you want them to be synced to the cloud they should be kept in a folder managed by a cloud sync service like Dropbox, MS OneDrive, iCloud Drive, etc.
If you are only syncing between Macs, any service will do. If you want to sync with Bookends for iOS, you must use iCloud Drive. Bookends will create a special folder that displays the Bookends app icon, you don't create it yourself. Setting up cloud sync is covered in the User Guide (Help menu) and in a video tutorial (also Help menu).
Whatever folder you use, you must tell Bookends where it is in Settings.
For Bookends to access a PDF, it must be present on the HD. So if it lives only in the cloud, Bookends will say it can't find it and you'll need to download it. Note that there is a Settings option in the iOS tab to have Bookends force the download of PDFs moved to iCloud. If you end up using iCloud and are syncing with Bookends for iOS, too, you should uncheck it if you want to handle it yourself.
Jon
Sonny Software
If you are only syncing between Macs, any service will do. If you want to sync with Bookends for iOS, you must use iCloud Drive. Bookends will create a special folder that displays the Bookends app icon, you don't create it yourself. Setting up cloud sync is covered in the User Guide (Help menu) and in a video tutorial (also Help menu).
Whatever folder you use, you must tell Bookends where it is in Settings.
For Bookends to access a PDF, it must be present on the HD. So if it lives only in the cloud, Bookends will say it can't find it and you'll need to download it. Note that there is a Settings option in the iOS tab to have Bookends force the download of PDFs moved to iCloud. If you end up using iCloud and are syncing with Bookends for iOS, too, you should uncheck it if you want to handle it yourself.
Jon
Sonny Software
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
Thanks Jon - I think that answers my confusion about custom folders
So,
Does Bookends have needs for the files that I might not be aware of - needs that might lead it to download the whole collection when I am not expecting it, for instance?
Can different libraries use different custom folders? (For instance collection A may be to do with Uni 1 and reside on DropBox, whilst library B may be concerned with organisation 2 and reside on Google Drive.?
So,
- - the attachment folder is used to synchronise with iOS and must use iCloud. (between Macs any service)
- The custom folder is an alternative for attachment files and may enabled by a cloud service (DropBox etc.., a list which happens to include iCloud)
- Were I to use iCloud in preference to DropBox (etc) I would still select a custom folder in settings and Bookends will store attachments in there.
Does Bookends have needs for the files that I might not be aware of - needs that might lead it to download the whole collection when I am not expecting it, for instance?
Can different libraries use different custom folders? (For instance collection A may be to do with Uni 1 and reside on DropBox, whilst library B may be concerned with organisation 2 and reside on Google Drive.?
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
I think you have it. Are you syncing with Bookends for iOS or not? That can affect what solution you choose.
Bookends doesn't care if you have attachments or not, if that's what you are asking. There are certainly files it "needs", but they are unrelated to attachments (and quite small).
I think different libraries can actually use different services, although I never thought of doing that. You can set a library-specific attachment folder (File menu), although it's typically used to select a subfolder inside the general default folder. But you can selected a "subfolder" that's outside the default folder as well. You can try that with two cloud sources and see if it works for you.
Jon
Sonny Software
Bookends doesn't care if you have attachments or not, if that's what you are asking. There are certainly files it "needs", but they are unrelated to attachments (and quite small).
I think different libraries can actually use different services, although I never thought of doing that. You can set a library-specific attachment folder (File menu), although it's typically used to select a subfolder inside the general default folder. But you can selected a "subfolder" that's outside the default folder as well. You can try that with two cloud sources and see if it works for you.
Jon
Sonny Software
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
Brilliant, really is what I need - the experiments can be that, just fun experiments - if all has to be on the same service, that's fine.
Right now, I'm not using a tablet as well as a Mac, which would be the use-case - it is possible in the nearish future, but not actually budgeted and planned.
Are these mutually exclusive, in that if I elect to use a Custom folder the system will not use the 'Attachments' folder?
are there technical reasons for choosing DropBox or another over iCloud?
Right now, I'm not using a tablet as well as a Mac, which would be the use-case - it is possible in the nearish future, but not actually budgeted and planned.
Are these mutually exclusive, in that if I elect to use a Custom folder the system will not use the 'Attachments' folder?
are there technical reasons for choosing DropBox or another over iCloud?
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
I think you're using custom folder in a different way than Bookends does. You have an attachment folder that can be set to the factory default (Documents folder) or anywhere you want. There are some built in presets for Dropbox, etc., but you select any folder you want. So I'm not sure what you are asking about what settings are "mutually exclusive".
If you are not syncing with Bookends for iOS, you do not need to use the special iCloud Drive folder that the OS creates. You can use a regular iCloud Drive folder that you create like any other folder in the Finder. Or Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Which you choose is really up to you -- for example, if you or your organization already has paid for large amounts of storage on one site, that might be the one you choose. I'm not aware of any major advantages of one over the other, but maybe someone reading this might and can chime in. I can say that on occasion iCloud Drive seems slow to sync files. but YMMV.
Note that you can change the default attachment folder to something else at any time. All you need to do is select a new folder in Settings and then move the files in the Finder to the new folder.
If you are not syncing with Bookends for iOS, you do not need to use the special iCloud Drive folder that the OS creates. You can use a regular iCloud Drive folder that you create like any other folder in the Finder. Or Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. Which you choose is really up to you -- for example, if you or your organization already has paid for large amounts of storage on one site, that might be the one you choose. I'm not aware of any major advantages of one over the other, but maybe someone reading this might and can chime in. I can say that on occasion iCloud Drive seems slow to sync files. but YMMV.
Note that you can change the default attachment folder to something else at any time. All you need to do is select a new folder in Settings and then move the files in the Finder to the new folder.
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
Ok - that's completely clear and useful... and custom folders...
Agh...
"These are the folders that Bookends uses to store formats, import filters, and glossaries that you have created or
modified. To sync them between Macs, move them to the file-sync folder of your choice and in Settings tell
Bookends where to look for them." (from the User Guide p33)
Thanks so much Jon
Agh...
"These are the folders that Bookends uses to store formats, import filters, and glossaries that you have created or
modified. To sync them between Macs, move them to the file-sync folder of your choice and in Settings tell
Bookends where to look for them." (from the User Guide p33)
Thanks so much Jon
Re: Check on understanding re attachments and iCloud
Think of the default Attachments folder as the root folder *at the Finder level* that is shared by default by all libraries. A custom attachments sub-folder is a folder location that keeps a set of attachments for a given library in their own location *when viewed at the Finder level* rather than being stored at the Finder level in the default root Attachments folder. I have a custom attachments sub-folder for each of my 10 or so libraries. Each custom sub-folder is within the main Attachments folder for Bookends. My Bookends Attachments folder resides on a separate volume (e.g. Databases) on my internal SSD.
You do not need to set a custom attachments sub-folder. Indeed, when you have only one library, I'd wonder why anyone would even bother.
Tangentially, I wonder how well Bookends would work when the attachments sub-folder is located on an external SSD that is mounted prior to opening the Bookends library for that attachments sub-folder.
You do not need to set a custom attachments sub-folder. Indeed, when you have only one library, I'd wonder why anyone would even bother.
Tangentially, I wonder how well Bookends would work when the attachments sub-folder is located on an external SSD that is mounted prior to opening the Bookends library for that attachments sub-folder.
--
JJW
JJW