09-24-2023, 04:51 PM
Hey, glad to hear it's working. What you've suggested for syncing is basically what I do, except that MobileSheets distinguishes between 'back-ups' and 'syncs' and I would recommend that you use the sync feature rather than the back-up feature for what you're trying to achieve.
The main difference is that backing up copies the entire library to the back-up location (and then if you do a restore it replaces the library you have with the entire library in the back-up) whereas the sync feature compares what's on the device being synced with the device/cloud folder it's being synced to and only changes the files that are different or new. The fact that it's not replacing the whole library means that the sync can be much faster than a complete back-up. Syncing is accessed from the library page whereas backing up is accessed from the settings. Doing a back-up creates a single .msb file but doing a sync creates a folder structure the same as the one used on the original device - each piece has its own folder which contains the pdfs etc used for that piece.
The sync feature also gives you a lot more control over with attributes are updated - for example you can choose to include annotations in the update or not, and you can choose to delete parts from the device being synced if they're not present in the source folder, and you can choose to only update parts that are already in the library (i.e. not add any new parts from the source folder), etc etc.
The reason I do 16 syncs is that I keep 4 tablets up to date and they all have the libraries for all 4 instruments.
So my advice is that you do what you suggested, but use the sync feature for each step rather than the back-up feature. Keep a tablet yourself which has all four libraries. When you're happy with the way that tablet is set up, do an initial sync of each of the libraries to its own cloud folder. The first sync will take a while because it will need to copy every database, folder and file to the cloud. Then whenever you make any changes such as adding a new arrangement, add each part to its library on your tablet, then sync any library you've made a change to to its respective cloud folder. You can then give each player the link to the cloud folder that has the parts for their instrument. They will only have access to the files you've put in the library that's synced to the cloud folder they have a link to. You'll need to make sure that when you sync to the cloud folders from your tablet, you have the app set so that it's changing the files in the cloud to match the files on your device, then your players will need to do the opposite - they'll set the sync up so that it is updating the files on their devices to match the files in the cloud.
Let me know if any of that doesn't make sense. Guy
The main difference is that backing up copies the entire library to the back-up location (and then if you do a restore it replaces the library you have with the entire library in the back-up) whereas the sync feature compares what's on the device being synced with the device/cloud folder it's being synced to and only changes the files that are different or new. The fact that it's not replacing the whole library means that the sync can be much faster than a complete back-up. Syncing is accessed from the library page whereas backing up is accessed from the settings. Doing a back-up creates a single .msb file but doing a sync creates a folder structure the same as the one used on the original device - each piece has its own folder which contains the pdfs etc used for that piece.
The sync feature also gives you a lot more control over with attributes are updated - for example you can choose to include annotations in the update or not, and you can choose to delete parts from the device being synced if they're not present in the source folder, and you can choose to only update parts that are already in the library (i.e. not add any new parts from the source folder), etc etc.
The reason I do 16 syncs is that I keep 4 tablets up to date and they all have the libraries for all 4 instruments.
So my advice is that you do what you suggested, but use the sync feature for each step rather than the back-up feature. Keep a tablet yourself which has all four libraries. When you're happy with the way that tablet is set up, do an initial sync of each of the libraries to its own cloud folder. The first sync will take a while because it will need to copy every database, folder and file to the cloud. Then whenever you make any changes such as adding a new arrangement, add each part to its library on your tablet, then sync any library you've made a change to to its respective cloud folder. You can then give each player the link to the cloud folder that has the parts for their instrument. They will only have access to the files you've put in the library that's synced to the cloud folder they have a link to. You'll need to make sure that when you sync to the cloud folders from your tablet, you have the app set so that it's changing the files in the cloud to match the files on your device, then your players will need to do the opposite - they'll set the sync up so that it is updating the files on their devices to match the files in the cloud.
Let me know if any of that doesn't make sense. Guy