Sync Tags while Syncing Files

[MangoTango]

Hi,
During my work flow, I tag various files on my Office PC. At the end of the day, I sync all the files on my portable HDD using an open source application called Free File Sync.
Sometimes once home, I do some additional work on those files stored on the portable HDD and then sync those changes to files on office PC the next day.

I have started using XYPlorer recently and unable to find a way to sync those tags from Office PC to files on Portable HDD. Because of this, I can’t sync the tags attached to files from PC back to Work PC either.

From what I’ve gathered, there is an option of file sync inside the XYPlorer but it does not sync data from Destination to Source.

What should I do to address this issue?

[admin]

Did you already try to tick this?: Configuration | Information | Tags | Copy tags on backup and sync operations

[MangoTango]

Did you already try to tick this?: Configuration | Information | Tags | Copy tags on backup and sync operations

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that option is enabled in the settings.

[admin]

When you say "I can’t sync", what exactly is the problem?

[MangoTango]

When you say "I can’t sync", what exactly is the problem?

Hi,
I will explain the workflow again.
Step 1
I tag files on Computer 1. From Computer 1, I copy (using FreeFileSync) those files to Portable HDD. [This happens at office.]
Step 2
I open the Portable HDD on my home PC. Add a few more tags to those files. [This happens at home]
Step 3
Once in the office the next day, I re-sync my data on portable HDD to my office storage. [This happens at office.]

What happens is that when I am carrying out Step 1 or Step 3, the tags do not get copied. Hence, Whatever the tags that I have created in the office do not show-up at home and vice-versa.

[admin]

You are using another software to sync? Well, this cannot work. The tags are not attached to the files, but stored in a central database (tag.dat) that XYplorer reads and writes.

[MangoTango]

You are using another software to sync? Well, this cannot work. The tags are not attached to the files, but stored in a central database (tag.dat) that XYplorer reads and writes.

But the XYPlorer does not offer the sync functionality as it only mirrors data from source to destination. So whatever editing that I do at home, will never be updated on my Work PC. Hence I have to use the third party sync.

[admin]

I currently don't see a good solution for this. Maybe another user has an idea?

[admin]

Oh, there might be a way. Look up these commands in the Help file:
Tags | Export Local Tags
Tags | Import Local Tags

Basically you do this:
- at office, in XY, go to the top of the branch with the files you want to sync
- in XY, fire Tags | Export Local Tags; a file XYplorerTag.dat is created (or updated) in this location
- now sync the files including XYplorerTag.dat to your HDD
- now, at home, in XY, go to the location of XYplorerTag.dat on the HDD
- in XY, fire Tags | Import Local Tags; the data in XYplorerTag.dat will be loaded in your main tag database.

- now do your tagging at home

- when syncing back for office, go the same way as above:
- Export Local Tags
- sync the files including XYplorerTag.dat to your HDD
- in the office: Import Local Tags

[MangoTango]

Oh, there might be a way. Look up these commands in the Help file:
Tags | Export Local Tags
Tags | Import Local Tags

Basically you do this:
- at office, in XY, go to the top of the branch with the files you want to sync
- in XY, fire Tags | Export Local Tags; a file XYplorerTag.dat is created (or updated) in this location
- now sync the files including XYplorerTag.dat to your HDD
- now, at home, in XY, go to the location of XYplorerTag.dat on the HDD
- in XY, fire Tags | Import Local Tags; the data in XYplorerTag.dat will be loaded in your main tag database.

- now do your tagging at home

- when syncing back for office, go the same way as above:
- Export Local Tags
- sync the files including XYplorerTag.dat to your HDD
- in the office: Import Local Tags

Hi,,
Thanks for the suggestion. This seems to work to some extent.

However, peculiarly, there seem to be an issue in updating the files with their respective tags. While doing this, I did not use the third-party sync application. I simply copied the tag file from Laptop to portable HDD and hit the import button and vice versa.

What I have observed is that, if you see in .dat file in preview pane, it shows the updated tag but does not make the actual change to the file.
Let's say I tagged the file on Work Computer as "C" and then imported the change to portable HDD. And on portable HDD I changed that tag to "D". So, in the tag data file, the change is already made but, in the pane, it does not reflect.

Hope, I was able to explain.

[admin]

Explain more clearly the steps you are going, and don't say .dat file but use the full filename.

[MangoTango]

Explain more clearly the steps you are going, and don't say .dat file but use the full filename.

Hi,
To explain things better, I have recorded the screen.
The upper pane is Work PC Drive.
The lower pane is Portable HDD Drive.

The first GIF shows the successful tagging from PC Drive to HDD Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BaVps ... sp=sharing
However, in the second GIF, If I add any additional tags etc those do not get reflected on PC Drive even though tag data file on the PC Drive is updated with the tags. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11wepVc ... sp=sharing

[admin]

You can attach images here in the forum:

[MangoTango]

You can attach images here in the forum:

[admin]

That's weird. It works fine here. What if you refresh the list (F5)?