Filed under: Software, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends
Tips and tricks: Putting Things in your Dropbox makes syncing simple
When I made Things my task manager, I needed to make sure that I could use the same database on both my desktop Mac and my MacBook Air, since the Mac version doesn't do syncing either. It turns out that one of the easiest ways to do this is to use the wonderful cloud storage application Dropbox to hold my Things database, and then point Things on both Macs to use the shared database.
Fortunately, a Brit by the name of Bradley Wright had already done all of the hard work and had written up some command-line instructions on how to do this. Brad does all the work in the Terminal; here, I'll describe how to do most of the work in the Finder with the exception of creating a symbolic link at one point.
1) You need to have Dropbox up and running on every Mac with which you want to use the same Things library. If you're not currently a Dropbox user, it's free for up to 2 GB of storage and you can sign up here.
2) Of course, you'll also need to have Things installed on each Mac. The Things license is for a single user, not for a single machine. If you don't currently own Things, there's a free trial available for download so you can give it (and this sync method) a try. Now you're ready to start syncing.
3) On the first Mac (for example, a desktop machine), create a Library folder on Dropbox. You do this by opening the Dropbox folder on your Mac and creating a new folder named Library.
4) Now you need to find the Things database. It's in the currently logged-in user's Library > Application Support > Cultured Code folder. In there, you'll find a Things folder containing a backup folder and the Database.xml file, and you want to move the full Things folder to that Dropbox Library folder you just created. Delete the Things folder in the Cultured Code folder.
5) On the second (or more) machine(s), delete the Things folder.
6) Finally, on all of the machines, you'll need to create a symbolic link to the Dropbox Things folder, so that when Things looks for the database file, it will actually go to the Dropbox Things folder you created. A symlink is superficially similar to a Mac OS X alias, but with a UNIX flavor; some applications that won't honor an alias to a directory path will behave better when a symlink is used.
Just enter
ln -s ~/Dropbox/Library/Things ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cultured\ Code/Things into the command line in Terminal, or copy the above line and paste it into Terminal. As discussed above, creating an alias in Finder will not work; you'll have to do this in Terminal.
There are some caveats to this sync method. First, you should never run Things on all of the machines at the same time. Instead, always quit Things when leaving a machine to ensure that the database is properly closed. Second, syncing Things with iCal from numerous Macs can cause some problems resulting in duplicate iCal to-dos. Finally, realize that you'll still have to sync up your iPhone to one of your Macs in order to keep it up to date.
While this may seem like a roundabout way of keeping Things synced on more than one Mac, it's actually quite straightforward and works very well. Until Cultured Code builds global syncing into future versions of Things, this is a good workaround.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Philip Pryce said 8:39PM on 10-10-2009
Why bother doing the system link when you can just hold ALT while Things is launching (like iTunes) and pick a new library for it?
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puhsitch said 10:28PM on 10-10-2009
Also, there's a way to create symbolic links through a contextual menu plugin: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/symboliclinker.html
Joseph said 10:44PM on 10-10-2009
came here to post that. alt/option
Ferdinand said 7:14PM on 10-11-2009
I am still surprised that Dropbox has such a huge following. I use Sugarsync.com since a year or so and with Sugarsync you can sync *any* folder of your choosing. Sugarsync also keeps several versions of a file as backup (file versioning) and you can share and send files easily.
With Sugarsync I keep two Mac's with ca. 80 GB of data in sync...
Markus said 7:40PM on 10-11-2009
@Ferdinand: Wanted to check it out:
"We're performing unplanned maintenance and expect to be back online by 9am PDT Monday October 12, 2009
During this time, all your data is 100% secure.
Sorry for any inconvenience."
Hmm, I'll stick to dropbox ;)
Dave said 8:39PM on 10-10-2009
i Love dropbox, specifically on my mac it just works so seamlessly and i use it to sync all my college work incase i forget my USB drive. I also use it for sending stuff to my dad by creating a shared folder, logging into his on the web and joining the folder for him so it downloads onto his PC
Obligatory Referral Link, i have a few left :)
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTYyNDYxNTk
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Kevin said 11:25PM on 10-12-2009
Yeah, here's another one. Use it to get an extra 256 MB of space added onto your regular 2 GB free account. https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTIxMTcxODU5
I bet that qualified me as spam. :(
richard.cohen said 8:46PM on 10-10-2009
Awesome idea! Definitely trying this on my systems.
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Andrew Scott said 8:49PM on 10-10-2009
This is a reasonably viable way to get Things working across a couple of Macs, typically a desktop and a laptop, but in practice it's quite problematic… at least for me.
You really do have to remember to quit Things when you shift machines, something I was pretty good at, but since you want to have it running constantly to capture all your tasks it's not as easy as it sounds. It would seem that every other week or so I'd forget to quit Things on my iMac. After using Things on my MacBook Air all day, I'd come home, wake up the iMac find that Things was still running. This would create a newer but ironically out-of-date version of the Things database in DropBox, pushing all the day's changes into a "conflict copy" in DropBox. Then I'd have to do the dance to replace the current database with the conflict copy. Not too hard but not something you want to repeat too often.
In the end I found it to be too much of a distraction and another nail in the coffin for Things. I decided I'd prefer to think about my tasks rather than thinking about managing Things. Naturally your mileage may vary.
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Janak Parekh said 10:03PM on 10-10-2009
That's precisely why I switched to OmniFocus. OmniFocus syncs to WebDAV servers (like MobileMe) and does record-level syncing, which means I can keep OmniFocus running on *all* my machines, all the time, and it intelligently syncs when you make changes or after you resume your Mac. OF also auto-backups whenever it completes a sync. Finally, the OF iPhone client can also sync against WebDAV, so if I forget to sync at home or work, I can sync on the street (although it's a little slow over 3G). OmniFocus used to have a much more complicated interface than Things, but recent versions have become very simple to use, with a similar Quick Entry pane and all.
Cultured Code promised WebDAV support a long time ago, but they haven't delivered it yet. I liked Things a lot, but I was generally disappointed at how slowly they developed top-requested features, and sync was an absolute deal-breaker for me. If you see a discount on OmniFocus in the future, give it a try - I think you'll like it.
(On a more positive note, another thumbs-up on Dropbox from me. I'm slowly transitioning from iDisk to Dropbox; the latter is FAR faster and more reliable than the terrible iDisk Mac sync.)
John said 9:09PM on 10-10-2009
yes dropbox is very good. and here's another invite that includes an xtra free 250mb. I also have a few left...
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTIxOTYyMDY5
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andrewh said 9:34PM on 10-10-2009
I'll echo what Philip said: Hold down Option when Things is launching, and you get to choose where to store your Things library. Put it in your Dropbox folder, and you're set.
http://culturedcode.com/things/wiki/index.php/Syncing_Things_on_multiple_Macs_%28FAQ%29
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Anthony said 9:43PM on 10-10-2009
Dropbox is incredible... I had some weird thing happen the other
night when I lost some of my Things records.. I just logged into
Dropbox and rolled back to the auto-revision that dropbox made for me
from a few hrs earlier, and blam.. worked like a treat.
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robert said 10:02PM on 10-10-2009
I use it for Dropbox, TextExpaneder, and 1Password. Works like a charm!
Has definitely moved to my list of things I can't do without. :-)
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robert said 10:11PM on 10-10-2009
Before someone asks I figured I would list the "how to" URLs for these:
TextExpander:
http://smileonmymac.net/blog/2009/05/13/use-textexpander-with-dropbox/
1Password:
http://help.agile.ws/1Password/dropbox_syncing.html
Cathie said 10:15PM on 10-10-2009
Dropbox is awesome. If you are working on something you need to share or get sent for and you don't have an internet connection, just move it to dropbox. Open dropbox on your iphone and send. Could not be easier.
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Mike Cohen said 10:49PM on 10-10-2009
I love Dropbox. I upgraded to a pro account and I use it to sync several folders between my two Macs using the symbolic link trick.
Like some other people here I switched to OmniFocus after using both Things and The Hit List (which can also be synced the same way) and finding annoyances & limitations with both of them.
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jb said 11:12AM on 10-11-2009
If you're going to be a writer, please learn the difference between the words "insure" and "ensure".
Thanks.
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computergeeksjw said 11:50AM on 10-18-2009
Ensure was used correctly in this article. Dictionary.app says:
ensure |enˈ sh oŏr|
verb [ trans. ]
make certain that (something) shall occur or be the case : [with clause ] the client must ensure that accurate records be kept
"Instead, always quit Things when leaving a machine to ensure that the database is properly closed."
In this case, quitting Things ensures that the database is closed.
insure |inˈ sh oŏr|
verb [ trans. ]
arrange for compensation in the event of damage to or loss of (property), or injury to or the death of (someone), in exchange for regular advance payments to a company or government agency
Ben Carroll said 12:36AM on 10-11-2009
I can't say to much, but I have a web app in the works that solves your problem. I really wish I could go into detail cause its really really cool. And I guarantee your gonna love it.
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