Settings File - a Settings File is where MacUpdate stores settings for what items to synchronize, and how to synchronize them. The Settings File is represented by an icon in the Finder. Opening a Settings File in MacUpdate displays the contents of the Settings File in a Settings File Window.
Settings File Window - a Settings File Window displays the contents of a Settings File. Use the New command from the File menu to create a new Settings File Window, then use the Save As... command to save the contents of the Settings File Window as a Settings File.
Pair - Pairs of folders/files are added to the Settings File Window. Each set of these folders/files is called a Pair.
Pair Item - A Pair Item is one single folder/file of a Pair of folders/files. A Pair is made of 2 (two) Pair Items. Or, a Pair Item is half of a Pair.
Source - It is often convenient to think of a Source in a Pair of folders/files as the Pair Item that is newer, or the "source" of synchronization. Newer files "flow" from a Source to a Destination.
Destination - a Destination in a Pair of folders/file is the Pair Item that gets "updated". Newer files "flow" to a Destination from a Source.
Loner - a Loner is a file/folder that exists in either the Source or Destination, but not both. A Loner does not have a "partner" in the other Pair Item.
Synchronization Direction - Synchronization Direction identifies which Pair Item(s) are Sources, and which are Destination(s). Synchronization Direction is indicated by an arrow. Note it is possible for a Pair Item to be both a Source and a Destination. This is represented by a 2-headed arrow.
Synchronization Settings - Synchronization Settings are settings that can be used to trigger Auto-Updating, synchronization of "special" Mac OS folders, and synchronization of custom folder icons and/or all folder information. Synchronization Settings are associated with a Settings File.
Synchronization Settings Dialog - a Dialog used to configure Synchronization Settings for a Settings File.
Pair and Loner Settings - Settings that are used to configure Auto-Mounting of Pair Items, and to configure how to handle Loners for each side of the Pair. Pair and Loner Settings are associated with each Pair in a Settings File.
Pair and Loner Settings Dialog - a Dialog used to configure Pair and Loner Settings for a Pair.
Criteria - Criteria may be applied to the synchronization process to describe which files/folders should be included in synchronization. Folders/files that do not meet specified Criteria are not processed. Criteria is associated with each Pair in a Settings File.
Criteria Dialog - a Dialog used to configure Criteria for a Pair.
Preview/Compare Window - a window that displays the similarities and differences between a Pair of folders, or shows a preview of what the Pair of folders will look like after synchronization.
Settings Files
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When you do backups or file synchronization, you are always working with Pairs of folders and/or files. It is easiest to think of these Pairs as one being the SOURCE and the other being the DESTINATION. Typically, the Source has the newer, modified files, and the Destination is where you are backing up these modified files to.
A Settings File is simply a document (just like an MS Word document, for example) that contains file and/or folder Pairs (instead of words, like the MS Word document would). You create a new Settings File by choosing "New" from the File menu (which opens up a new, untitled Settings File Window). When you choose "Save As..." from the File menu and save the Settings File, it is saved where you specify as a file with an icon (again, just like an MS Word document -- of course, the icon looks different, but the principle is the same). In the future, then, when you want to change a Settings File, or synchronize the Pairs contained in it, you can just double-click on the Settings File's icon, and MacUpdate will automatically open the file up, and display the file/folder Pairs in a Settings File Window.
Settings File Window
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Choose "New" from the File menu to create a new Settings File Window.
A typical Settings File Window is shown below:
Note that the text in gray is not part of the window. The gray text areas are only descriptions of the different part of the window. Also note that when you choose "New" from the File menu, the Untitled window is blank (the above window has 1 Pair of folders to be synchronized added to it. "left ƒ" is the Pair Item on the left-hand side of the window. "right ƒ" is the Pair Item on the right-hand side of the window.) Note also the above shows a Pair of folders, but you can have a Pair of files, or a Pair that is one file and one folder. In this last case, the file is synchronized with a file of the same name in the folder Pair Item.
Pairs Menu
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The Pairs menu is used to access settings, and start processing for a Settings File Window. The Pairs menu is shown below:
Add New Pair lets you use the Standard File dialog to select a Pair of folders/files to add to the Settings File Window. Using Drag-and-Drop is an easier way of adding a Pair to the Settings File Window.
Remove deletes the selected Pair from the Settings File Window. Using the Delete key on the keyboard is an easier way of deleting the selected Pair. Remove is enabled in the Pairs menu when a Pair is selected in a Settings File Window.
Pair and Loner Settings... brings up the Pair and Loner Settings Dialog for the selected Pair. Double-clicking on the Pair in the Settings File Window is an easier way of accessing this dialog. Pair and Loner Settings... is enabled in the Pairs menu when a Pair is selected in a Settings File Window.
Criteria... brings up the Criteria Dialog for the selected Pair. Option-double-clicking on the Pair in the Settings File Window is an easier way of accessing this dialog. Criteria... is enabled in the Pairs menu when a Pair is selected in a Settings File Window.
Synchronization Settings... brings up the Synchronization Settings Dialog for the Settings File Window.
Preview will show you a graphical Preview of your next synchronization. Preview is enabled in the Pairs menu when a Pair is selected in a Settings File Window. If you hold down the option key while clicking in the Pairs menu, the Preview command changes to the Compare command. The difference is that Preview takes into account Criteria and Pair and Loner Settings, whereas Compare does a "raw Compare" of the Pair of folders, without regard to Criteria or Pair and Loner Settings. Compare is the same as Preview if Ignore Loners is set up for both Pair Items, and no Criteria is used.
Out-of-date files are indicated by a "yellowed" background in the Preview/Compare Window (Yellow to indicate "aging paper"). Loners to be created are indicated as "grayed out" (it looks like they are "half-there"), and Loners to be deleted are indicated by a red line through the icon and name. If you are using one of the "Ask" Loner modes, question marks will appear over the items in the Preview Window that you will be asked about. A typical Preview Window is shown below:
It's usually a good idea to do a Preview before Synchronizing a Pair, especially if you are using one of the Delete Loners options or Criteria. This helps to make sure everything is set up the way you intended. Sometimes, it might make sense to do a "before-and-after" Comparison, to verify that MacUpdate processed files the way you intended.
Synchronize begins synchronization of the selected Pair in the Settings File Window.
Synchronize All begins synchronization of all Pairs in the front-most Settings File Window.
If you need to change the list position of a Pair in the Settings File Window, just control-click on the Pair you want to move, and drag it to it's new location in the list. This can be useful for changing the order of synchronization of Pairs when the Synchronize All command is used.
Synchronization Settings
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Each Settings File Window has it's own Synchronization Settings associated with it. To access these settings, choose "Synchronization Settings..." from the Pairs menu. The Synchronization Settings dialog is shown below:
The first setting, Synchronize All when Document is Opened will cause MacUpdate to synchronize all Pairs in the Settings File when the Settings File is opened. If you use this setting, you may also check the Auto-Quit when Finished checkbox to make MacUpdate automatically Quit after synchronization is complete. By checking both of these checkboxes, when you later double-click on a settings file, you accomplish synchronizing all Pairs in that file without any further interaction. You can bypass the Auto Quit option by holding down the mouse button before the Synchronize All command is finished, and continue holding the button down until the status dialog goes away. When you do this, the Settings File Window will remain open, and MacUpdate will not Auto Quit. Additionally, if you cancel an auto-synchronization, MacUpdate will not Auto Quit. Be sure to check out the documentation titled "Automation Users Manual" if you are interested in automating MacUpdate even further.
The next settings, Enable Synchronization of "Special" Folders lets you tell MacUpdate whether or not to allow synchronizing the Desktop, Trash, and Temporary Items folders. A few words about this: These three folders are technically hidden -- you can't see them as folders from the Finder. The Desktop Folder is where all the icons (except for the disks) on your desktop reside within the disk's directory structure. The Trash Folder is where the items you drag into the trash physically reside within the disk's directory structure. The Temporary Folder is where temporary items are stored by applications. These folders are located at the root directory of each disk. So, if you are synchronizing 2 disks (as opposed to 2 sub-folders), you have to decide whether or not you want the items on the Desktops of those two disks, and the items in the Trash of those two disks, synchronized. I can't imagine why anyone would want to synchronize the Temporary Items folder, but it is included here for completeness. Note that if you synchronize the Desktop Folder of 2 disks, you will have 2 icons for each item on your Mac's desktop. This is because the items (after synchronization) will exist in the Desktop Folders of BOTH disks. Also note that if you synchronize the Desktop Folder of a disk to a folder within some other disk, the Desktop Folder will be visible within the destination folder. This is similar to how AppleShare works: If you are connected to someone's hard disk over AppleShare, you can see their Desktop and Trash folders as normal, visible folder icons on your Mac's screen. Trash behaves the same way. Each disk has it's own Trash, so when you synchronize the Trash, if you open up your Trashcan, you'll see 2 copies of each icon. The Finder "integrates" the Desktops and Trashes of all disks into one "virtual" Desktop, and one "virtual" Trash.
The last setting, Enable Synchronization of Folder Settings, is used to synchronize the custom folder icons that MacUpdate encounters, or, additionally, to synchronize all of the folder information. This includes the folder's label color, it's icon position within it's Finder window, the size and location of the folder's Finder window (when you double-click on the folder, and it "opens up"), any attribute flags, such as nameLocked, and isInited, and the scrollbar positions. Note that if you use this option and synchronize two folders within the same parent folder, the two synchronized folders' icons will be one-atop the other in the window. This is because the "icon location" information for the folder was synchronized, and now the icons occupy the same position within the parent folder's window.
Pair and Loner Settings
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Each Pair in a Settings File Window has settings associated with it. These settings can be accessed by selecting a Pair in the Settings File Window, and choosing "Pair & Loner Settings..." from the Pairs menu, or just double-click on the Pair in the Settings File Window.
Here, you can specify Auto-Connect settings for the Pair, and other settings for how to deal with Loners when they are encountered. The Pair and Loner Settings Dialog is shown below:
Think of the Pair and Loner Settings Dialog as being divided in half: the icons and settings on either side mean the same things, but are applied to the Pair Item on the same "half" of the window as the icon or setting is on. The arrow icons and buttons in the center serve as a dividing line.
The icons in the upper corners are the icons for the Pair of folders/files from the Settings File Window. Indicated directly below the icon is a "flag" for whether or not the item represented by the icon could be modified. Modified means files may be updated, folders may be updated, files/folders could be created, and/or files/folders could be deleted, depending on the Synchronization Direction, and the Loner Settings. Towards the center of the upper corner file/folder icons are the full paths to where the Pair Items are located at.
Synchronization Direction
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The arrow icons represent the Synchronization Direction, or "flow" of files. If you know that one folder of a Pair is "old" and one is "new", you can use a single direction arrow, and synchronize FROM the "new" item (tail of arrow) TO the "old" item (head of arrow). It is convenient to think of the Pair of folders broken up as one being a Source and one being a Destination. In the arrow icons, the tail of an arrow represents a Source, and the head of an arrow indicates a Destination. Only Destinations can be modified. However, if you use the 2-headed arrow, each side is considered a Source AND a Destination! So, we can only say that USUALLY a Source is NOT modified. Destinations can ALWAYS be modified, but sometimes Sources can be modified too: if the Source is also a Destination (2-headed arrow setting).
If you use the bi-directional (2-headed) arrow setting, you are allowing MacUpdate to update files in both directions. Be very careful with bi-directional operation. In most cases, you should know which Pair Item is older, and which is newer. If you must use bi-directional synchronization, be sure you pay attention to the settings for what to do with Loners. If you have both sides set to delete Loners, for example, whenever you created a new file (that would not exist in the other Pair Item), it would get deleted each time synchronization occured, because it is a Loner. Additionally, if you independently modify a particular file in both Pair Item locations, ONLY the file with the latest modification date will exist in both Pair locations after synchronization is completed.
So, be careful with bi-directional synchronization. You have been warned. Enough said.
Loners
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Loners are files and folders that don't have a "partner" on the other side. A Source Loner does not have a corresponding file in a corresponding folder in the Destination. A Destination Loner does not have a corresponding file in a corresponding folder in the Source. Loners can come about for a variety of reasons. Most obviously, you create new files. These are then Loners on your hard disk, until you "back them up" to some Destination disk. Notice however, if you delete files from your hard disk, you are creating Loners on your backup Destination disk. MacUpdate lets you effectively manage both types of Loners, either automatically, or interactively.
On the left and right sides of the Pair and Loner Settings Dialog are a row of icons (one row on each side), representing what should be done when a Loner is found on that side. The options are displayed as text beneath the icons, so feel free to click on the various icons and then read the text to remind yourself what they mean. If you are using a single direction synchronization setup, the Loner settings icons that do not apply are disabled. Basically, you have the following options:
1. Ignore Loners: This will leave the Loner as a Loner on the side it is currently on (Source or Destination). Pretty self-explanatory: the Loner just gets skipped.
2. Ask what to do for Loners: This will give you the choice of creating a "partner" for the Loner in the Destination, deleting the Loner from the side it is currently on (the Source), or ignoring (skipping) the Loner. This option is only available if bi-directional updating is on. When updating in a single direction, there are other Loner settings available which ask appropriate questions. Read on...
3. Ask before creating a partner for the Loner in the Destination: This will give you the option of creating a partner for the Loner in the corresponding folder in the Destination, or ingoring (skipping) the Loner in the Source. This option is not available unless the Pair Item is a Source in the "flow" of files. (arrow head points to opposite side).
4. Automatically create a partner for the Loner in the Destination: This setting skips the question from 3 above, and automatically creates all Loners from the Source in the Destination. Again, this option is not available unless the Pair Item is a Source.
5. Ask before deleting the Loner in the Destintion: This will give you the option of deleting the Loner in the Destination, or ingoring (skipping) the Loner. This option is not available unless the Pair Item is a Destination in the "flow" of files (arrow head points to that side).
6. Automatically delete the Loner in the Destination: This setting skips the question from 5 above, and automatically deletes all Loners in the Destination. Again, this option is not available unless the Pair Item is a Destination.
If you're after automation, you probably want to use either options 1, 4, or 6. Otherwise, synchronization will be interupted when Loners are encountered. If, however, you are unsure of what you created and what you deleted where, you'll want to use options 2, 3, or 5 so you can control each individual Loner, as MacUpdate encounters them.
Auto-Connect
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Near the bottom on either side of the Pair and Loner Settings Dialog are checkboxes to Auto-Connect, and Auto-Disconnect. This could be useful if you are working with network (AppleShare) volumes. When the Auto-Connect checkbox is on, the Auto-Disconnect checkbox and the User ID and Password button become enabled. You use Auto-Connect to bypass the Chooser (where you have to manually type in your User ID and Password). Auto-Disconnect, then, is like automatically dragging the disk to the trash (in AppleShare, to "put away" the network volume) after synchronization is complete. You use the User ID and Password buttons to set the Chooser User ID and Password, if you are logging on as a Registered User. If you're connecting as a Guest, leave the User ID and Password blank, or empty.
Auto-Connect and Auto-Disconnect are particularly useful when used with the Synchronize All when Document is Opened setting from the Synchronization Settings Dialog, mentioned earlier in this document. Used in combination, this can make synchronizing a set of Paired network volumes (and any local volumes that happen to be convenient) as easy as one double-click on the Settings File icon in the Finder (or, an Apple Event sent from an AppleScript, or an auto-synchronize at startup by placing an alias to a Settings File in the Startup Items folder inside the System Folder). Be sure to check out the documentation titled "Automation Users Manual" if you are interested in automating MacUpdate even further.
Criteria
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You can access the Criteria Dialog by clicking on the Criteria button in the Pair and Loner Settings Dialog, or by option-double-clicking on a Pair in the Settings File Window (hold down the option key while you double-click). Each Pair in the Setting File window has Criteria settings associated with it. The Criteria Dialog is shown below:
The Criteria Dialog and Criteria Settings for a Pair default to allow everything except invisible files be synchronized.
Notice this dialog is divided into three sections with horizontal lines. The top section lets you specify criteria for inclusion in the synchronization process. This section is modeled after the Finder's "Find" command window, which lets you specify criteria in a similar manner. The middle section lets you specify file types and/or creators to be filtered in or out during the synchronization process. These top two sections work independently of each other, so you really have two sequential filters. Details of these two sections are described in the documentation titled "Criteria Users Manual".
The bottom section contains "global" settings for what to process. The Include Folder checkbox should be checked unless you do NOT want to synchronize sub-folders from a folder Pair (only the files located directly in the folder Pair). The Include Files checkbox should ALWAYS be checked, unless you just want to duplicate a directory structure, without actually copying any files, or you only want to synchronize folder custom icons, or folder information.
Note if you want to duplicate a directory structure, be sure to un-check the Exclude Empty Folders checkbox (since all the folders will be empty - no files included).
The Include Invisibles checkbox should be un-checked unless you want to process invisible items (they will remain invisible in the Destination).
The Exclude Empty Folders checkbox defaults to being checked. This is useful if you have Loner folders on a Source, and you are using Criteria: if nothing in the Loner folder meets the specified Criteria, the folder will still be created on the Destination, even though it will be empty (since no items from the folder on the Source met Criteria). Checking the Exclude Empty Folders checkbox will delete these folders that are created, but have no items in them that match Criteria.
Notice you can save Criteria Settings to disk (the Save As... button) and open them up at a later time (the Open... button). This can be a real timesaver if you use the same complicated criteria on multiple Pairs.
Preferences
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The Preferences Dialog is displayed when you choose "Preferences" from the File menu. There are multiple "panes" in the Preferences Dialog. Each Pane is shown and described below:
When you make changes, the Save Changes and Revert buttons will become enabled. The Factory Settings button restores settings to those shown in this document.
The Performance Pane lets you adjust how well-behaved MacUpdate is in the foreground and background. You can ask MacUpdate to be a "CPU Hog", or to be "Giving" when it comes to co-operatively working with other programs you are running.
There is a delay for display of the progress window. You can adjust it here. The delay is to keep the progress window from "flashing" on the screen and then right back off if only a small number of items are processed.
You can also set how quickly to animate the cursor during processing operations, and you can select from a number of animation styles.
The Security Pane Lets you Password Protect different operations in MacUpdate. Password Protection is only enabled if the Enable Password Protection checkbox is checked, and one of the checkboxes below it are checked.
When you Change Passwords, you will first be prompted for the "old" (current) password. The password is initially set to: ZUGSPITZ
Note that passwords *are* case sensitive.
The Documents Pane lets you adjust settings that affect the Settings Files that MacUpdate uses.
When MacUpdate first starts up, you can configure it to create a New Untitled Document, or to present the File Selection Dialog. The default is to do nothing.
In the File Selection Dialog, you can elect to include or omit a New button which will create a New Settings File instead of opening an existing Settings File.
Finally, you can elect to save window screen position and/or page setup information inside Settings Files.
