Interworking via DropBox

[Tony Voss]

Hi... I have not yet upgraded to Reunion 11, but expect to. Meanwhile I am wondering about how to co-ordinate shared family access. I have previously purchased copies of Reunion 10 for some of my adult children to encourage them to keep a record of their family and in-laws. I made copies of my family file available via DropBox.

If I understand this right, these matters are dramatically changed with Reunion 11. It should be possible to have a family file in DropBox shared with different family researchers. For those not warranting the investment in Reunion 11, they could work with the lower cost Reunion Touch.

DropBox has the useful ability to share folders or files by sending a link rather than by using the same log on credentials. Can we share a Reunion 11 file using a DropBox shared link?

The drawback to sharing the family file with others is that someone could wreak havoc by corrupting or deleting data. Under my old system I had the ability to review contributions before incorporating them into my 'authoritative' family file. Do the good folks at Leister have any thoughts about how to moderate changes in a shared family file?

Thanks for this exciting development.

[Bob White]

Re: Interworking via DropBox

A "one at a time" feature is built in to Reunion 11. If you try to open your family file when someone else has it open (and you are connected to the Internet), a dialog will pop up asking if you want to close that other file that is open.

[Tony Voss]

Re: Interworking via DropBox

A "one at a time" feature is built in to Reunion 11. If you try to open your family file when someone else has it open (and you are connected to the Internet), a dialog will pop up asking if you want to close that other file that is open.

Presumably this restriction only applies to Reunion 11 and not to Reunion Touch, as the video apparently shows changes synchronising between Reunion 11 and Reunion Touch on the fly. It appears you can have a file open in Reunion 11 and also Reunion Touch. I wonder about multiple iOS devices concurrently?

[Gregg]

Re: Interworking via DropBox

I wonder about multiple iOS devices concurrently?

You can have the same family file open on multiple devices concurrently, but only one Macintosh at a time.

[Tony Voss]

Re: Interworking via DropBox

You can have the same family file open on multiple devices concurrently, but only one Macintosh at a time.

That is clear - and also interesting.

Am I to understand that a Mac performs some special work to resolve/merge changes made on iOS devices, and that iOS devices do not do this resolution? This might be why only one Mac can have the file open? But if multiple iOS devices can have the file open, then I imagine that changes on one iOS device do not get sync'd to another iOS device directly but are queued to a Mac for integration and then sync'd out to other iOS devices.

Sorry if I am pressing for too much technical detail, but it helps me to understand the architecture so I know what I can and cannot expect to be able to do.

[Gregg]

Re: Interworking via DropBox

Am I to understand that a Mac performs some special work to resolve/merge changes made on iOS devices, and that iOS devices do not do this resolution? This might be why only one Mac can have the file open? But if multiple iOS devices can have the file open, then I imagine that changes on one iOS device do not get sync'd to another iOS device directly but are queued to a Mac for integration and then sync'd out to other iOS devices.

There is nothing special happening on the Macintosh that does not happen on mobile devices. Also, the Macintosh is not required for changes on one mobile device to appear on another.