Synk 2.0 is distributed as shareware. This entitles you to use the program for a period of 15 days. If you like it and want to continue using Synk, please register the program by sending the author $10 US in either cash or US check made out to Randall Voth:
Randall Voth
46058 Fiesta Avenue
Chilliwack, BC
Canada V2P 3S4
The money should not be visible from outside the envelope. The equivalent money in major currencies is also acceptable. But please, no coins or damaged bills (such as a tear and taped back together) because I cannot exchange them.
Future upgrades are free. Site licences are available. Please see accompanying “Registration” documentation for a form to print up and send along with your payment.
As well, if possible, send a confirmation email to: <hvoth@cln.etc.bc.ca>
Requirements
Synk 2.0 contains code for both the original Macintosh and Power Macintosh computers. It requires System 7 and a computer capable of running in color. Synk 2.0 does not support the Mac Plus, Mac Classic or PowerBook 100.
Synk can copy files to and from any media that will mount on the Finder’s Desktop. Examples of such items are hard drives, floppy disks and removable media like Zip disks. Tape drives are not supported.
Getting Started
Copy the Synk 2.0 application to a suitable location on your Macintosh’s hard drive. Keep a backup copy of Synk safely on a floppy disk.
Double click the Synk 2.0 icon from the Finder. An information dialog will appear, telling you how to register your copy of Synk. This information is always available beneath the Apple menu with the “About Synk...” menu choice.
Click OK and an untitled Synk document will appear:
Backup copies “From...” folder files into the “To...” folder. It also remove “To...” folder files that no longer exist in the “From...” folder.
Synchronize copies files so that both the “From...” and “To...” folder will contain the latest version of any of each folder’s files.
Clicking the Go button will execute the backup or synchronization as described in the main document window. The Go button becomes available whenever both the “To...” and “From...” folders are properly chosen. When archiving obsolete items, the archive folder must also be chosen for the Go button to be available.
Save and open documents as one would do in any Macintosh application.
Obsolete Files are those that would be removed from a folder because they are either outdated by a newer file or no longer exist in the “From...” folder during a backup. These files can be “Deleted”, “Trashed” or “Archived” into a folder.
After defining the “From...” and “To...” folders, select how you would like the obsolete files removed. If you choose to archive them, you must also define an archive folder.
The Skip Nested Folders setting will only copy root level files in the “From...” and “To...” folders. Unchecking this item will copy any folders that may be contained within.
Skip Aliases prevents Synk from resolving or copying any aliases it may find. See more about Aliases later in this document.
Copy File Positions places files in the same position within its Finder window as the source file after copying it.
Selection Rules
Synk allows you to ignore files of any creator or type. Each file on the Macintosh has a “creator” and a “type”. For instance, a document created by TeachText will have a creator of ‘ttxt’ and a type of ‘TEXT’.
As an example, to skip applications simply instruct Synk to skip all files of type ‘APPL’. Click in the “Skip File Types:” list box so the box becomes hilighted...
...and then click the “New...” button. Select any application you may find with the file dialog and click the “Open” button.
Synk will now ignore any files of type ‘APPL’. In other words, skip any applications that exist in the folders you define to be backed up or synchronized.
Creators are a more general form of file selection. Choosing an application and adding it’s creator to the “Skip File Creators:” list will skip the application, its documents and related files. There are exceptions, but you will need to experiment to discover them depending on the applications you use.
Select a file creator as you selected a file type, just click on the “Skip File Creators:” list box so it becomes hilighted before clicking the “New...” button.
Remember that choosing a file’s creator will skip that file, all related files and it’s creating application.
File endings can be useful for selecting files for backup. For instance, a file ending of “.nb” could be used to mean no backup.
Hilight the “Skip File Endings...” list box and click the “New...” button.
Files or folders ending with the text entered in this dialog will be skipped during a backup or synchronization. In the case of aliases, it is the alias name that is used for comparison, not the original item.
To delete any of the above items from their list boxes, simply select the desired items and click the “Delete...” button. More than one item can be selected at once.
Action Log
All backup and synchronization actions are recorded in the document’s log. To display the log, choose Show Log from the Edit menu. The log is limited to 32k of text and will truncate from the start if it grows too large.
To manually clear the log, choose Clear Log from the Edit menu.
To automatically display the log when a backup or synchronization is completed, check the option in the Preferences dialog box. (Select Preferences from the File menu.)
To log any skipped items, check the option in the Preferences dialog. This option is useful for making sure your selection rules are working but logging skipped items may take up more space in the log than need be.
Common Errors
The most likely errors you will encounter in the log file are:
-37 no room on destination volume for copy
-47 file in use
-45 file locked and could not be deleted
-44 disk is write-protected
If there are errors during a backup or synchronization, Synk will warn you with a dialog and display the log.
Files cannot be deleted when “in use” but they can often be copied. For instance, if you are currently working on a document and you synchronize two folders, one containing the open document, Synk will generally be able to copy the open document to another volume. It does not work, however, to replace an open document or copy an open document from another volume (such as a network volume). In this case, you will get a -47 error.
Using Aliases
Synk’s ability to resolve aliases allows you to select which folders and files are backed up or synchronized by collecting a folder full of aliases and selecting this folder as one of the source folders. (Clicking the “From...” and “To...” buttons in the main window as previously outlined). Make sure the “Skip Aliases” option is unchecked.
Any items added or removed from this folder are an easy way to modify your backup strategy without changing the Synk document in any way.
The only danger is when you make an alias of a folder and place it within the actual folder or within a folder that is contained within the original. Synk will resolve the alias and begin copying the contents of the folder. When it comes upon the alias, it will once again resolve the alias. This creates an endless loop and Synk will eventually run out of memory.
It is up to you to recognize this and make sure no aliases pointing to parent folders are contained within the folders you choose to synchronize.
Please refer to your Macintosh documentation for more information on aliases.
Collisions
A collision occurs whenever two files to be synchronized have been modified since the last time the Synk document was run. Since Synk is not psychic, it cannot tell which document you may want to keep, so it throws the older of the two into a folder on the Desktop called “Collisions”.
The Author
Please send bugs and suggestions to Randall Voth <hvoth@cln.etc.bc.ca>
Randall is a strong believer in individual freedom, responsibility and capitalism but, ever since watching Jumanji, has decided to vote for the Rhinoceros Party.
