Synchronize folders

[RBL 2]

Hi,

Feature request. I'm guessing it's been requested in the past but in case it hasn't, have Evernote monitor import folders and synchronize deletions, renames, etc.

Thanks.

RBL

[gazumped 11,637]

Hi.  I don't think this has been requested before.  It would be a major expansion of what import folders are now,  which (crudely) is a method of dumping data directly into Evernote.  However if you wish to use Evernote to manage files in this way,  why double up on the disk space used?  If you add a 1MB file to your import folder,  a 1MB attachment is also made to an Evernote note.  That attachment is as editable and copyable as the original,  and can be opened directly from the note.  If you set the import folder to delete files once imported,  you can still carry out all normal operations on the file attached to the note,  which will automatically ensure that it is the only up to date copy.  You'll also save 50% disk space and significantly reduce your backup file(s) size and backup time ...

[RBL 2]

Hi.

The Import Folders function works well for what it's designed for. And you can't do that on OneNote without third-party tools.

That said, a one-way synchronization (i.e., folder to notebook) in Evernote has benefits beyond backup. I import folders on multiple PCs so I can access them centrally no matter what device I am using. Some of these source PCs do not allow remote access. I could set up cloud drives, but they are simply to slow and clunky to use when working with large multimedia files, for example, or even a simple Word document.

Tried using OneDrive and Word 365. Got messy and experienced sync and file-locking errors. Ditto Google Drive, which gets confused easily when lots of files are being updated, and then either syncs the wrong version or even deletes files and refuses to sync them. Box is just unusable with a terrible UI IMHO. None of these services are ready for prime time or serious business use in my experience. They're good for simple file sharing and lightweight document creation and that's about it. They don't scale. Maybe I should try Dropbox.

Conversely, being able to simply find, grab, and work locally with the file I need via an Evernote folder notebook is convenient and just works. The only downside is that deleted files remain in Evernote. I suppose the easy solution is to periodically delete the folder notebook and reimport it to optimize space.

[gazumped 11,637]

2 minutes ago, RBL said:

The only downside is that deleted files remain in Evernote.

Again - if you attach the file to a note,  work on it from the note,  and delete it (if necessary) from the note - it's gone.  (OK a deleted note will stay in the Trash Notebook for a while,  and the file stays in Note History if the note still exists,  but you won't see it and it won't take up space in your account.)

I appreciate the PC's without remote access might have sync problems,  but everything from the import folder will wind up available on all PCs that are able to sync to the server,  and any changes to the attachment will get synced back.

[DTLow 5,736]

21 hours ago, RBL said:

Feature request. I'm guessing it's been requested in the past but in case it hasn't, have Evernote monitor import folders and synchronize deletions, renames, etc.

On Macs, Evernote doesn't have an Import Folder feature
We have to use a Folder Actions script at the OS level 
Folder Actions trigger when a file is added or deleted from a monitored folder

I've only use the "file added" feature, but I could add code to handle deleted files.
I'd have trouble with renamed files since there's no trigger or unique file id

[RBL 2]

2 hours ago, gazumped said:

Again - if you attach the file to a note,  work on it from the note,  and delete it (if necessary) from the note - it's gone.  (OK a deleted note will stay in the Trash Notebook for a while,  and the file stays in Note History if the note still exists,  but you won't see it and it won't take up space in your account.)

I appreciate the PC's without remote access might have sync problems,  but everything from the import folder will wind up available on all PCs that are able to sync to the server,  and any changes to the attachment will get synced back.

Thanks. Did not know that. Will try it. Sounds perfect.

[jefito 5,589]

Evernote is an application for organizing notes inside Evernote, not files on disk. The Windows client's auto-import isn't synchronization, it's just an easy way to get content into Evernote. I don't want multiple copies of files floating around; I want one copy, and I can do that by making it an attachment to a note. I don't want two methods for managing a single piece of content; one at a time is fine. And I sure don't want another avenue for introducing conflicts in my data. Folder synchronization isn't a backup solution; Evernote doesn't backup notes onto disk: it can export to a couple of different formats on the desktop (HTML, ENEX, PDF?), but those are generally not going to match the originals. Heck, Evernote doesn't even have nested notebooks, so how would you mirror a nested folder structure? If I want to do that, then I use one of the dedicated solutions out there that already work: GDrive, Dropbox, etc.

I don't see it.