Using MacDive on 2-3 computers

[gorji]

Hi:
Love the program. So well done.
What suggestion do you have to have an updated log on 2 computers (macbook and iMAC)? I know I can copy the data base from one computer to other but there must be an easier way.
Thank you.

[nick]

I'm currently working on a proper solution. For now, if you search the forums you can find a method for using Dropbox, which some users have been using. It's not an officially supported method, but you could try it in the interim.

[gorji]

Thank you so much.

[mstevens]

I use the Dropbox method and it works fine for my MacBook and my account on the family iMac but causes a crash on my wife's MacBook. It reports an error about an invalid macdive.sqlite even though it works fine on my computers and worked fine on hers before the change in database format.

[nick]

It's hard to say what is wrong without either looking at your file or at least seeing the exact error. Feel free to email it through, but as above it's not an official solution. Maybe you tried and it hadn't finished downloading to that computer or some such, or maybe you are not running the latest version of MacDive on the MacBook (ie, you have an old version of MacDive trying to load an incompatible MacDive.sqlite file from a newer version).

There has never been a change in format, it's always been an sqlite database. The only changes are minor upgrades to record new data etc, and the most common problem people run in to is attempting to use a newer file on an older version.

I would suggest making sure your copy of MacDive is up to date on the MacBook, as that is the most likely problem. Of course, this is one of the problems with the solution you're using. If the data is already upgraded, MacDive won't open. So you would need to manually download the latest version from the website and replace it.

[mstevens]

All Macs are using the same version of MacDive2, 2.3.5.

The error I get when replacing the default MacDive data directory with a link to a different location is:

• The item couldn’t be opened because the file name “MacDive.sqlite” is invalid.

If I just move the MacDive directory from Dropbox to the default MacDive directory location, MacDive runs without errors. If I then move the exact same directory back to Dropbox and create a link, I get the error.

To rule out a Dropbox-specific issue, I tried moving the default MacDive directory to the desktop and got the same results as linking to a directory in Dropbox. If I move it back to the default directory, it works again.

The change in format I meant was the change in data format from older versions of MacDive (which is what my wife had on her computer until today and which worked great using the DropBox trick back when the database format was compatible). When I upgraded my installations of MacDive2 months ago, they worked with the updated database format in Dropbox. When my wife tried to run MacDive2 and got the database incompatibility message, I'd expected it would be a simple matter of updating her MacDive2 to the current version but ran into the above error.

I know the Dropbox trick is not an official solution, which is why I posted in the forum instead of emailing - I hoped someone else had encountered this and had some thoughts.

[nick]

I can't really explain this off the top of my head, unfortunately.

Dropbox sent out an email recently suggesting updating to 10.10.1 which resolved some issues. Is your OS up to date?

[mstevens]

I'm using the latest update for Yosemite and the latest Dropbox.

Keep in mind, though, that this seems to happening with a linked directory in any location, not just when it's in Dropbox.

[nick]

How are you linking the Folder?

Edit: I assume you are making a Finder Alias. From some quick research it appears this can cause problems. Are you familiar with the Terminal/Unix? If so, make a symbolic link with "ln" and I expect that will resolve it. If not, email me and I will send you instructions. If it helps that's cool, otherwise I'll have to come back to it later, I'm a bit slammed at the moment.

[mstevens]

I assume you are making a Finder Alias.

Aughhh!

That is almost certainly my issue. I'd set this up long enough ago that I forgot an OS X alias wouldn't work. I'll set up proper symbolic links when I can get at her MacBook later.