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Forum Discussion
What to do with conflicted copies?
Our office has two desktop computers. Both of them access the same Dropbox. No mobile devices or other computers are involved.
In the Dropbox there is a database.
The database is _never_ used fro...
Åke E. wrote:
We are also confused because "conflicted copies" should not appear unless two people worked on the database at the same time. So why does this happen?
A conflicted copy occurs when a file has been changed from multiple locations. Something has to have the file open in multiple locations for the conflict to occur. A file doesn't necessarily need to change for a conflict to occur. Simply opening it can cause it, especially in Microsoft products which modify a file simply by opening it, even if you don't save it.
The only way to know which one contains the correct data is to open both and compare them. Also note that it's not recommended to use database files within Dropbox specifically for this very reason.
I use drop box from three machines at the same time. However I only change a file on one machine at a time. I do not have simultaneous access to a single file. You can read a file at the same time, but you may not write to a file from two or more devices at the same time. This is a conflict, what version of the file is the correct version. It is like me interrupting your conversion with some one else. We humans have the same problem in this case.
A work around may be to close the programme or app on one computer when done leaving the other computer to work with the shared file. Thus only one instance of the programme is running on any of the machines at any one time.
Mark
Super User II
Super User IIThe issue with opening the files is that, unfortunately it DOES change the file. Especially in Office files. This is because it updates the files to the last place the cursor was or the last selected cell etc. It also updates the 'last modified' dates on the properties tabs.
We turn OFF auto save on office programs
- Rich
Brandon D. wrote:
We turn OFF auto save on office programs
It's not just the auto-save in Office that does it. Simply opening a file in Office will modify it. When you open Office files, Office records information like the last person to open the file, or in the case of Excel, the selected cell, etc., and stores that within the file itself. This alone is enough to modify the file. You don't see it as modified because Office then changes the Last modified date back to what it was originally (assuming you didn't make any other changes). So while you haven't modified the file, Office has, and Dropbox sees this change and syncs the file.
