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"roaming" BS config files

rabello

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hi there!

when using BS on two different computers, a way to keep configurations synced through these computers is by using an online backup tool like megasync. I sync the ?Documents\BeerSmith2? folder from one computer to the cloud and sync it back on the other computer. Now all changes on the first copy of BS is replicates to the second one.

But it brings a problem: I don?t know why, but BS marks ?many? files as ?changed? just by opening and closing the program (and making no changes to any parameters). This behavior forces the backup tool to upload to the cloud ?many? files (14 do 16 files) it detected as changed? and it takes time to finish? then I need to wait the backup to finish before shooting down the computers?

Would be nice to review the routines and find the reason BS is ?changing? so many files even with no changes made.

A better solution would be to create a possibility to store BS configuration on the BS Cloud service? like a roaming profile. Think about it 😊
 
The way around this is when you open a recipe to check it or look something up, but don't make any actual change within the recipe is to exit it by clicking 'cancel' instead of 'ok'.  Clicking 'ok' to exit a recipe automatically saves the file as if changes had been made.

In terms of the cloud service, Brad does have a cloud feature.  There are a limited number of recipes (I think it is 15) that can be saved that come with the software.  Greater storage capacity can be obtained through the main BeerSmith web site as a subscription service.
 
Oginme said:
The way around this is when you open a recipe to check it or look something up, but don't make any actual change within the recipe is to exit it by clicking 'cancel' instead of 'ok'.  Clicking 'ok' to exit a recipe automatically saves the file as if changes had been made.

In terms of the cloud service, Brad does have a cloud feature.  There are a limited number of recipes (I think it is 15) that can be saved that come with the software.  Greater storage capacity can be obtained through the main BeerSmith web site as a subscription service.

no! just open and close BS... no recipe openning! Try it! 

Then go to the beersmith2 folder on a command prompt and type "dir /od"... last files will be the modified ones..

I don't know why but BS flags the files as "modified"... I did it now and megasync detected 14 "modified" files.... and started uploading them.


these are the files/folders which BS modified the "date" after (only) openning and closing the program:
22/03/2017  18:24    <DIR>          Reports
22/03/2017  18:24            2.207 BSCols.BX2
22/03/2017  18:24            9.905 DefRecipe.bsopt
22/03/2017  18:24            6.878 Tools.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24              525 search.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24              632 CloudSearchSettings.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24              248 Notes.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24          170.913 Hops.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24          616.078 Grain.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            76.090 Misc.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            26.257 Water.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24          614.615 Yeast.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24        1.272.858 Style.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            24.282 Equipment.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24          130.743 Mash.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24        7.348.995 Recipe.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24              859 CustField.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24              244 Shop.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            3.036 Carbonation.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            16.877 Age.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            8.805 Plugin.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            47.253 Cloud.bsmx
22/03/2017  18:24            6.503 opts.xml
22/03/2017  18:24    <DIR>          .
22/03/2017  18:24    <DIR>          ..
22/03/2017  18:24              288 rpts.bxml
22/03/2017  18:24              284 urpts.bxml


Maybe some kind of "log" or "file history" rotation scheme?

 
Upon opening, BeerSmith does create a new primary file and saves the older version with a "1" to "5" mod to the file name. This is a local modification that should be transparent to the user.

BeerSmith is not designed to be used with cloud support or syncing, except as individual recipe storage through the proprietary cloud. Perhaps a future version with that capability is in the works, but it hasn't been announced. So, the artifacts and activity you're seeing are just SOP for the way you've chosen to sync your two devices. As long as both installs are using the cloud at separate times, you're ok. An issue with overwriting files could come up if you use the two devices at the same time, as Brad has stated there is no built in safety to prevent it.

Like you, I'd like to see a fully cloud based version of BeerSmith that I could use across a lot of devices without a loss of functionality. Right now, there not enough crossover between the PC and mobile versions, for me. The mobile versions are considerably more limited.
 
I've just discovered there's a more insidious (or should that be invidious?) problem with cloud syncing two copies of BS2...

I decided a while ago to use Google Drive so I could use either my (small'ish) laptop or my (large'ish) PC. PC for doing main work of creating recipes, mash profiles, etc; laptop when I'm actually brewing.

From my last brew session last week, I'd managed to leave BS2 open whilst my laptop was hibernated. All my notes from fermentation, water treatment, etc. were entered on my PC. I used my laptop yesterday and absent-mindedly closed BS2 on there that'd been open a week or so. So that then updated the BS2 files on Google drive, and then synced them to my PC. Result: all my brewing & fermentation notes are gone.

I know that I can recover old versions of files from Google Drive but - as the OP pointed out - there are many of them. And being entirely uncertain of the actual date/time I would have shut down BS2 on my laptop. And having run BS2 several times on my PC before I realised what had happened, I now have multiple older versions of assorted files with varying dates/times on Google Drive, and I' struggling to figure out what file from what date/time I should recover.

It looks as though each xml file has some kind of version number that I hoped would be consistent across all the xml files saved at the same time: alas that seems not to be the case. I've backed up my BS2 directories and will have a stab at recovering a consistent set of files, but I suspect I may fail.

Later...

Whooppee!! I managed to get my data back and - apparently - in a consistent state from Google Drive. Prob around 20 files in all, all picked with dates immediately prior to when I'd closed the app on my laptop. Relief!
 
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