MacDive Forums

While doing some editing on my Mac, I’ve somehow managed to lose about 10 dives. Unfortunately, I think the changes have already synced to drop box.

The dives are still there on my iPhone - if I sync the iPhone to DropBox, will it copy the dives to the Mac, or delete them from the iPhone?

If the phone syncs, they will be deleted. Your best bet would probably be to go to Preferences > Cloud > Reset Cloud Data on your Mac. This will nuke everything in the cloud, including the information telling it to remove dives.

On your phone, the sync should now fail as the cloud has been reset. Disable it for now. Provided the deleted dives are still available, you can then re-enable syncing. You can then re-enable on the Mac, and the dives should be synced up again.

Note that I would back up your iPhone database first just in case. You can back up your MacDive.sqlite data file by taking a copy via iTunes File Sharing, info here: http://mac-dive.com/help/ios_03_07_fileshare.php

Similar to OP, but worse scenario, my Mac HD has died completely, and the only log data I have left at all is what is synced to iCloud and viewable from the (excellent) iOS app.

I will eventually get a new Mac, but I am very nervous about doing anything that might wipe out what’s currently in the app. If I do the iTunes File Share thing immediately on the new Mac before even downloading MacDive, will that ensure my data stays secure? I really wish there were a way to manually back up right now.

Please let me know the best course of action to ensure my log is not deleted. Thank you for your wonderful support of your dedicated user base!

Well I would back up your dives via iTunes file sharing, yes, regularly as a matter of course, but also do it now just in case.

Most of the time you can just get a new Mac, install MacDive, enable sync and everything will just work. You shouldn’t run in to any other issues, but it pays to take manual backups.

Your other point re: wishing there was a way to manually back up. There is. Copy your data somewhere safe via iTunes File Sharing, or let iTunes back your phone up. For macOS, use Time Machine or some other backup solution. There are plenty of ways, manual and automated.

Your points are taken, Nick, but, to be clear, I currently have no Mac at all. By “right now” I’m referring to the interim prior to getting a new one. I suppose I could borrow someone else’s Mac and sync via iTunes, then have them send those files to me...

If you just mean is there a way to back up your phone currently, without a Mac, then no, I don't think so. You could export all your dives as UDDF and email them to yourself - that will cover most of the information.

But your best bet is to get access to a Mac, and back up the phone properly (and/or copy your MacDive data file out manually).

If it helps, I can add an option to "Email database" and send that to you via a TestFlight Beta. You would then at least have a manual backup of it - the macOS version has this function and it's handy for debugging. Easy enough to copy/paste.

Thanks for your help, Nick. I decided to pull the trigger on a new MacBook, and used the iTunes File Sharing method to backup. FWIW, the cloud sync worked just fine to download all the intact phone data back down to the clean install of MacDive. Great product, and thanks again for supporting it so well.

Glad to hear it!

Sometimes it's fine to recover data, but that's not always the case - I like to reiterate that it is not a backup solution, but can sometimes help out in a pinch. Best to always back things up properly