I have a OneDrive problem. TLDR - can you enable gINT to throw up a dialogue box when it can't save, rather than just auto saving a copy with the machine name appended?
Our company works off the OneDrive cloud, rather than a physical server. It is normal that when we are working on gINT files on the OneDrive server, gINT will mistakenly think that the file is already open by another user. This seems to be related to user bandwidth, but not always. But when this happens, rather than throw an error message back (e.g. "file cannot be saved, save a copy?"), a copy of the file (e.g. Library.glb) is automatically written to the source folder with the machine name appended (e.g. Library-MIKESMACHINE.glb).
The most common occurrence of this is with the Library file, where multiple users actually ARE in the same file at the same time. This is faintly annoying if you're trying to modify the library, because you have to be very careful to make sure you didn't just save changes in a copy of the library file. But we don't usually change the library.
This is FAR worse when working in project files. I did 2h of work yesterday morning in gINT, then closed gINT, then returned to it an hour later and did another 2h of work. Turns out my first 2h of work was in a copy of the project file, and so all my edits were distributed between two separate files, and there was no way to tell which is which (I was adding info to existing pointIDs, not creating new ones).
gINT is not the only software that has a problem figuring out if files on OneDrive are writable or not. When this happens in Excel, you get an error message and it asks you to save a copy. This is another problem, but at least I know when I'm stuck in a OneDrive traffic jam and need to save locally. Because gINT does it automatically, we have no way of knowing when or even IF we just chopped our work into two separate files.
Any help would be appreciated! It will save us lots of money in broken laptops caused by rage.
Thanks!
Hi Michael
I was just looking at cementation codes from Perth, ah the old days before cloud storage.
If you google access databases and one drive, you will find it is a bad idea for all the reasons you listed.
Regarding the library, you could use the Master Library feature.
This goes for all cloud syncing tools...don't let it sync while you have a gint project or library open. It is better to work from file shares, or use VMs in the cloud that connect to file shares hosted on servers in the same data centre. see https://www.datgel.com/working-remote-with-a-live-gint-database
regards
Phil
Phil WadeDatgelBentley Channel Partner and Developer PartnerE: phil.wade@datgel.com | T: +61 2 8202 8600 & +65 6631 9780
Get the most out of gINT with Datgel Tools.
Hey Phil,
I think back to Perth every time winter descends on Canada :)
The world now operates on the cloud. Is there any chance that Microsoft (which obviously owns both OneDrive and Access) is working on this problem? It clearly impacts more than just gINT users. It seems like more of a "when" than an "if". Are you, or maybe is Bentley, aware of a future update that's going to fix this problem?
An access file is binary, I can't see how it can work in a syncing concept with concurrent use, like you do with an excel file which is actually xml.
A very different approach would be needed.
But that's just it! I don't need concurrent use. It would be just fine to show the database/library as read-only if its already open, exactly the same way that gINT currently works when a 2nd person tries to open the same library or project file on a shared hard-drive.
Could Bentley built that in?