[Wendy Cutler]

I read this sentence about Mobile Sheets Pro Companion:

Download the MobileSheetsPro Companion and unlock the ability to manage your library from the comfort of your PC.

What does that mean? Is it a file manager for all my tablet (and mobile phone) files?

[Edmund W]

No. It's a way to manage the MSPro database and associated files.

[Zubersoft]

It's a free application you can find on my website at www.zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/companion.html that will let you connect to your tablet (open MobileSheetsPro, tap the three dots at the top right, then Sync to PC) and then manage your tablet library. You can edit songs, import new files, set up new setlists, etc. Everything you can do in the companion application can be done on the tablet itself with the exception of viewing and extracting backups.

Mike

[Wendy Cutler]

Thanks. Something to think about.
I think you should add what you told me here to the Companion webpage.

[jeffn1]

Wendy, I would recommend trying it.

I find it especially important in backing up the MS data base and then restoring it to other tablets (which, I use as backups in case I have a problem with may main tablet). (Although maybe people are using the synchonize features to do the same thing now?)

It is also useful to send out (or print) pdf setlists.

(I am sure other people use it for a lot of other things, but these are my main uses for the Companion app).

Jeff

[Wendy Cutler]

Thanks, Jeff. I can't imagine anything easier for restoring to another device than the built-in backup I just did to Dropbox and then the built-in restore to the device on which I just installed MSP. But creating and sending out pdf setlists could be appealing. I'll set a reminder to look at it in a few weeks. 
+*+
Wendy

[jeffn1]

Thanks, Jeff. I can't imagine anything easier for restoring to another device than the built-in backup I just did to Dropbox and then the built-in restore to the device on which I just installed MSP. But creating and sending out pdf setlists could be appealing. I'll set a reminder to look at it in a few weeks. 
+*+
Wendy

Actually, it MS creates a list in "notepad" (I think), which can be copied into Word and then converted into a pdf.  So, I don't think MS directly creates a pdf, (in case that matters.)

[Wendy Cutler]

OK, I have Companion now and am reading the manual, so I have some questions, though I think I'm answering them myself, just posting this in case I've got any of it wrong.

1. Backup - it says I can do a backup from the Companion directly onto my PC (not only to Dropbox, but to some other location, so there is that difference), but it says it will be copying the files from the tablet. Why isn't it copying them from Companion, or are the files really not there in Companion, it's just reading my tablet? Except that it did transfer 857088 bytes to a file on the pc - it says that on the tablet,  shows me the filename. Is that just a temporary file that disappears when I close the connection? But for the time I'm doing the syncing, the PC has the data. I think my question makes sense. It already transferred the data, why not use that for the backup if I initiate the backup from Companion? Or are there things not transferred for Companion? Which brings up question 2.

2. Maybe I understand this - it only syncs to PC when I click that and tell it to. Then it just transfers changes, or does it replace what is in Companion with everything that is on the tablet? Or did I get it in the previous question - there isn't anything IN Companion - that's just reading the tablet? No, there's all that data that got transferred. But that data is never accessed again? I can only use the Companion when I have the connection, and it does the transfer every time? I think a corollary to this is to ask whether Companion only functions with a connection to the tablet. That would be the case if it's going to want to do a transfer every time.

3. I now have the app on my Samsung phone, in addition to my tablet. Is there something in Companion or elsewhere that will keep my phone version and the tablet version in sync? I thought for a bit that if I sync to PC from my phone, which normally will not be my most up-to-date version, that I would run the risk of later replacing the current Companion data with the older phone data, but I think that there is no Companion data (or now I'm confused about that), or Companion never uses old data. I will never run the risk of replacing the tablet data with older phone data unless I back up the phone, then restore to the tablet, but there is no need for me to ever back up the phone data.

4. So it seems to be the case that to keep the phone in sync with the tablet, I need to back up the tablet and then re-restore from that backup to the phone, so wipe out the current phone data, replace it with the newer backed up data, like I did to get it there in the first place. There isn't any Sync from Android to Android, is that right? What I was kind-of thinking a companion app would do for me is keep track of what changes were made and sync them to the other devices where I have the data. No, eh?

I guess that's enough questions already.
+*+
Wendy

[Edmund W]

The companion is just a way to access the databases on your android device. The backup file it makes is as you say, a complete file for a restore to android. 
I think Mike is considering some form of continuous sync but it's not available at the moment.
The companion contains no data or files.
I hope that helps clear up your thoughts.

[jeffn1]

OK, I have Companion now and am reading the manual, so I have some questions, though I think I'm answering them myself, just posting this in case I've got any of it wrong.

1. Backup - it says I can do a backup from the Companion directly onto my PC (not only to Dropbox, but to some other location, so there is that difference), but it says it will be copying the files from the tablet. Why isn't it copying them from Companion, or are the files really not there in Companion, it's just reading my tablet? Except that it did transfer 857088 bytes to a file on the pc - it says that on the tablet,  shows me the filename. Is that just a temporary file that disappears when I close the connection? But for the time I'm doing the syncing, the PC has the data. I think my question makes sense. It already transferred the data, why not use that for the backup if I initiate the backup from Companion? Or are there things not transferred for Companion? Which brings up question 2.

The way I do it is I "backup" the data base from from my Android tablet to the Companion (on my PC).  Then I "restore" to my tablet (it can be another tablet with MS in order to have a tablet with an exact duplicate)

2. Maybe I understand this - it only syncs to PC when I click that and tell it to. Then it just transfers changes, or does it replace what is in Companion with everything that is on the tablet? Or did I get it in the previous question - there isn't anything IN Companion - that's just reading the tablet? No, there's all that data that got transferred. But that data is never accessed again? I can only use the Companion when I have the connection, and it does the transfer every time? I think a corollary to this is to ask whether Companion only functions with a connection to the tablet. That would be the case if it's going to want to do a transfer every time.

When you back up from the tablet into the Companion, it create an MS database file on your computer.  You can have more than one (I keep the latest back up and two older backups just to be safe.  I delete older back ups as I add new ones).  I restore to another tablet from my latest backup.

3. I now have the app on my Samsung phone, in addition to my tablet. Is there something in Companion or elsewhere that will keep my phone version and the tablet version in sync? I thought for a bit that if I sync to PC from my phone, which normally will not be my most up-to-date version, that I would run the risk of later replacing the current Companion data with the older phone data, but I think that there is no Companion data (or now I'm confused about that), or Companion never uses old data. I will never run the risk of replacing the tablet data with older phone data unless I back up the phone, then restore to the tablet, but there is no need for me to ever back up the phone data.

My understanding is your Samsun phone is pretty much treated like any other Android tablet.  So, if you "back up" your latest data base file onto the Companion and you "restore" onto you Samsung phone, your phone should have that "latest) version of your MS data base.

4. So it seems to be the case that to keep the phone in sync with the tablet, I need to back up the tablet and then re-restore from that backup to the phone, so wipe out the current phone data, replace it with the newer backed up data, like I did to get it there in the first place. [Yes, I think that is correct.]There isn't any Sync from Android to Android, is that right? What I was kind-of thinking a companion app would do for me is keep track of what changes were made and sync them to the other devices where I have the data. No, eh?

I think there may be a newer "sync" function. But, I have always used the Companion and not tried it.  

I guess that's enough questions already.
+*+
Wendy

[Wendy Cutler]

...
The companion contains no data or files...

And Jeffn1 said "When you back up from the tablet into the Companion, it create an MS database file on your computer. "

Thank you for your replies.

What has me confused is that when I opened Companion and then attached the tablet, it did transfer 857088 bytes to a file on the pc. There does seem to be a file - as I said, it showed me the filename, hence the question about whether it is just a temporary file or what.
So if I do a backup, is that another copy of the same file? I have not tried backup from Companion - does it save the backup to the Companion directory, so does not use Dropbox space?

[Edmund W]

The Companion creates a database file which is only available for full restore of your data back to your tablet or another Android device. This data is not accessible from within the Companion program itself.
You chose the location of the file yourself. I tend to save mine on the desktop until I need it for restore to my backup tablet, usually a few moments later and delete it once I make the next snapshot.
Each file is given a name by Companion such as "MobileSheetsPro_2018-06-30.msb" and a new name is given each day containing the date, as you see.
The new name differentiates between the two backups in case you need to step back a few days or weeks.
As Jeffn1 said, you can keep several but that will use space on either your hard drive or your cloud storage, depending where you save it.
Any clearer?

[Edmund W]

Oh, one more function of the companion is to be able to extract individual songs (pdf/mp3) files and these would be a direct copy of the files you uploaded to your tablet in the first place, by extracting the database file on your pc/cloud.
I forgot about that since it's a function I never use.
Sorry, should have included that in my previous reply.

[Wendy Cutler]

Thanks, Edmund. I have been doing backups on the tablet from the app, creating them in Dropbox, with the result that they would be available to the phone, even if I am away from my desktop. Maybe it's faster to do that backup from the desktop? It could free up Dropbox space, if that gets tight again. 
I'll give this more attention next time I add some files.