Stop syncing file when I am accessing it

Feature Requests
1

Currently if odrive is syncing a file it will not allow me to rename the file. I need this to work more like every other sync program and stop syncing if I am doing something with the file locally. Same thing applies when accessing a file from another process. An Excel file linked to an Access database for instance. If the file is syncing the database cannot access the file. Local file manipulation should take precedence over syncing.

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2

The solution used by most other sync and backup software on every o/s is shadow copies. The current state of the file is grabbed; you can edit or rename away after that while the sync occurs.

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3

That’s not true actually. The dropbox and OneDrive apps do not prevent me from renaming while a file is syncing. It just stops syncing and waits for me to change the file name.

4

Nevermind, I see that you mean it creates a shadow copy and allows you to rename the file. Why does odrive not allow this?

5

I am in agreement and think something should be urgently done about this problem. Currently you can stop sync to release the file but it stops everything from syncing and not just the file you are working on. I am not as well verse as these guys on what DropBox and Google Drive does in the background when syncing but I do know I can make changes or delete a file even while its syncing and the file is not locked.

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6

One of the things that I remember was great about Dropbox was the fact that even if the files were syncing I could easily replace them, delete them, rename them, etc. With odrive all of this is gone. This becomes quite frustrating when saving files from within programs, and you realize all the changes you made were not saved because the files couldn’t be accessed since they were being accessed by odrive.

Please look into this

3 Likes
7

Thanks for the input. We are looking at this area.

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8

I have also been noticing lately by working with applications directly on cloud folders, that it locks the files and the apps cannot write on them. Please fix this, it is a crucial issue.

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9

Well it appears our pleas have been heard in the new odrive release. I’ve just tested it and I can make changes to a file while its syncing. Good job odrive!!!

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10

Just an update, it still locks the file for me, at least in some cases.

11

Yeah as I am learning, its not perfect. They still need to make some more updates to get it on par with dropbox and the google drive sync client.

12

can you guys supply the use case that your doing to repro the issue and we can look into it

1 Like
13

To reproduce the error, simply link a file to an Microsoft Access database. An Excel or CSV file for instance. You’ll find that the link in Access becomes inaccessible while the file is syncing.

14

by syncing do you mean uploading or downloading

15

I’m referring to uploading. I understand downloading wouldn’t work because the full file is not available yet.

16

I think you guys should look at whatever dropbox does because the file is never locked. Dropbox can start syncing the file but you are free to open it and make active changes whenever you like.

2 Likes
17

I came here to ask about this same thing. It’s been the one big caveat that had me wait before I get everything on odrive.

A use-case that’s easy to reproduce is working on a larger file (because it will take longer to upload), e.g. PSD or AI. odrive currently doesn’t even recognize that the file is open and in use - when you save intermediate changes to such a file, e.g. in Photoshop, odrive will immediately jump on it and start uploading. If you then try to save that file again, while odrive is uploading, it will fail and you either have to wait until it’s been fully uploaded, or cancel that particular upload.

The problem I see is two-fold:

  1. Locking the file during upload isn’t very user-friendly for a cloud sync solution - it should operate in the background and not interfere with the user.

  2. If a file is currently open, it’s safe to assume that there will be more changes, and odrive can save resources and user sanity by not uploading such files immediately, but waiting until they have been closed.

The first point is most important imo, especially when working with larger files. People working with large files are probably right at the core of odrive’s target audience, since one of the biggest selling points is the unsync feature to save disk space. Ergo, large files should become a problem of the past… except they don’t, if they keep getting locked in the middle of editing them, thereby disrupting the entire workflow.

Dropbox didn’t do that, and others that I know of didn’t either. SpiderOak One is another good example of a backup solution that doesn’t lock files - it just works silently in the background, without any hassle. Set and forget.

I don’t know if volume shadow copy is the best solution for this (at least on Windows), I only know it’s been used for exactly this kind of thing. BURP (http://burp.grke.org/) is another backup program that implements it - just naming it here because it’s open-source and might, if nothing else, serve as inspiration. Forgive my ignorance in case you’ve already looked into all this… just trying to help.

I’d love to see odrive mature into such an ideal state. I’m already a fan of you guys, but this behavior would make you truly first-class.

Thank you.

1 Like