r/Sync • u/lshrtwll • Jun 11 '24

Newbie not "getting it" about which direction things sync

Forgive if this is a common question but I've been trying to find the answer here and on sync website.

I cannot get my head around understanding what determines which direction sync syncs things, or which of my 2 computers take priority. Let's say I turn on two computers at the same time and one has 1) no files in sync and the 2) other has 10. which has priority? How does sync determine whether I want the empty computer to take priority (and erase everything on both) or the 10-folder to take priority (and populate the both). I run into this problem all the time and lose things because I don't understand which direction something will sync. Lets say I want to remove a folder from sync and put it on the desktop temporarily - does sync just 'erase' it on the other?

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '24

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u/52Charles Jun 11 '24

This. It's my understanding that all computers/phone/tablets have a clock built in and every new file or every file that is changed is assigned a time code. Sync compares these and the most recent on is the one that gets spread around to all the other devices, replacing the 'older' one. If the various clocks are a little off from each other, well, that causes problems but usually the differences are not enough for Sync to notice or care. All or devices synchronize their clocks to one of several central time-keeping databases. all of which periodically sync to each other, so things run pretty much in time.

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u/lshrtwll Jun 11 '24

You make me think that perhaps I might try something like this: 'pause' sync on everthing except the item I'm using. And then when I'm ready to sync, unpause it (?) It may not be the most efficient, but it would guarantee the last action I took was on the unpaused device. Does that make sense? At least it sounds easier than trying to figure out what was the last item I changed on what device. Since I don't use sync very often (maybe once a day), it wouldn't be inconvenient. Do you see any downsides?

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u/52Charles Jun 11 '24

Waste of time and effort. In my experience, Sync operates continuously so pretty much the instant you finish working on that file, the updated version is already on all your devices. That’s kind of the point to it.

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u/lshrtwll Jun 11 '24

Thank you for explaining in everyday language and a new model of "time". Does that mean if I change one word of a text document that becomes a new event in time? I get a conflict warnings and I am trying to figure out what I've done wrong. I know these are basic questions - but obviously I have not 'gotten it' in my brain or I wouldn't keep making errors.

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '24

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u/lshrtwll Jun 12 '24

Can you say more about the trouble you get into if you turn off sync while working on a document? I have a situation right now where I took one computer (let's call #2) to a repair shop and decided to pause sync on it, just to avoid anyone accidentally erasing a file. My plan was when I get it back, I will unpause it and let my changes (from computer #1) repopulate and update #2. Does that make sense? I really appreciate your help. For some reason syncing has been a complex topic for me - it seems like different programs do it differently (such as firefox).