Note conflicts on unshared notes (Only edited on 1 device)

[kcor 2]

Ever since the platform change, I'm having tons of conflict issues resulting in duplicate notes. The service isn't doing me any good if I have multiple versions of notes and pieces of information in various locations. And now with the new setup, we can no longer submit help desk tickets? What are we paying for if not support for bugs? 

[esetter230 16]

On 7/9/2021 at 8:33 AM, kcor said:

Ever since the platform change, I'm having tons of conflict issues resulting in duplicate notes. The service isn't doing me any good if I have multiple versions of notes and pieces of information in various locations. And now with the new setup, we can no longer submit help desk tickets? What are we paying for if not support for bugs? 

I share your pain. I provided them with multiple log files, and on July 1st they responded and said "We're currently aware of this issue and working on a fix that will be in an upcoming release." Let's hope the fix is sooner, rather than later.  As is, EN is best as a single device app.

Today I received an email saying that version 10.17 (windows) has made improvements to address the issue.  Unfortunately, I'm still encountering the problem.

[PinkElephant 8,075]

No duplicates, except when I modify the same note on 2 devices at the same time. This can happen as well across accounts when a note is shared.

The fix is to never open any note on 2 devices at the same time.

[esetter230 16]

PinkElephant, I am careful to only have EN open on only one device at a time. The duplicate note problem occurs regardless. 

[PinkElephant 8,075]

No idea then. Even trying support probably does not look as a bright option.

Just be assured there are users of v10 that don’t have that duplication pest - whyever, however. Hopefully they find out why, and can solve the problem for all users.

[Shane D. 1,818]

Hi All,

I've split this discussion out into it's own thread.

@esetter230 As you already mentioned, this an issue that we're working to address.

I'll add an update here once I have one available.

If you are experiencing this issue, please let us know on this thread.

[gralan 0]

Shame D.,

I just experienced this regarding important notes I'm taking for a book I'm writing, between my desktop legacy version and my android. It caused me to come here, and have major difficulties trying to sign in with my password. I finally got that straightened out, then discovered that the forum does not include my evernote model. Ugh. I'm liking the program apart from my conflict note issues.

 

[PinkElephant 8,075]

@gralan Hi, Shane is forum admin, not the personification of the customer service.

If you have an issue, you should try support (subscribers only).

With your setup, support will tell you anyhow to update to v10. There is no more support for legacy - you use it as it is, and you can only come to the forum to get some help from fellow users.

You don't tell what you are experiencing. But from you mentioning a book, I just want to caution that EN is not good for writing and syncing long texts. It is technically possible, but counted in characters a small library would fit into the 200MB maximum note size.

EN always syncs the whole note when is saves changes. If the note is very large, the risk increases that there are conflicts. The best measure against this effect is to break down large text notes into smaller ones. You can create a TOC table-of-content note to be able to go directly to every chapter, and links at the beginning and end of each note to go forward and backward.

[Shane D. 1,818]

Hi All,

We believe this issue has been fixed or desktop users in our most recent update, version 10.21.

You can learn more here:
https://discussion.evernote.com/announcement/224-update-evernote-1021-for-mac-windows-and-web-is-here/

We're currently working to implement a similar fix for our mobile platforms. I'll follow-up here once there is an update on our mobile updates.

[Wichita State Shocker 16]

 

Shane,

Do we need to log out of all devices and have only one open at a time?  I used Windows EN at work and MAC EN at home.

I thought notes synced quick like you see in Google docs. 

I used to assume if I made a note change on one device that it would update that note when I viewed it on another device. 

IS THAT TRUE? 

[random9q 0]

On 7/13/2021 at 12:27 PM, PinkElephant said:

No duplicates, except when I modify the same note on 2 devices at the same time. This can happen as well across accounts when a note is shared.

The fix is to never open any note on 2 devices at the same time.

That’s not a fix from what I’m seeing. I came here to confirm the issue as reported.

Of COURSE if the note is open on two or more devices at the same time, that could create duplicates. This isn’t that. This has happened to me half a dozen times during this past week.*

This feels more along the lines of: A note is being EDITED on one device, and continually expanded. Leaving the note and coming back into it in the same device, while also having another note-taking session going on in another device and bopping between them irregularly, something seems to be triggering the note auto-save (as is normal) but then during a sync cycle somehow it’s being falsely flagged as divergent from the previously saved copy, AS IF it’s open elsewhere. Perhaps because I’m leaving my desktop client running and likely also have at least my phone client and possibly also my tablet client foregrounded. With three separate clients going, and different ACTUALLY unique notes being created on them at different times all fairly close together, that does trigger a three-way reconciliation, but they seem to proceed at vastly different speeds. Just by luck! Most of the time they’re fast when it’s the client in front of me that I’m typing in, but it seems as if they cannot ALL be fast at the same time.**
 

*( I’m having a “vacation at home” week so of COURSE I get the itch to jot down several new ideas and do a little bit more of the organizing I feel I’m behind on. In addition to the relaxing and goofing off. I only mention this in footnote to say I’m only suddenly seeing more of this this week because I’m using it heavily this week, not because something about this issue became worse this week! But it has given me multiple occasions to witness it… )
 

**( And yes, sometimes I have all three screens up, this week. Yes, that’s both terribly inefficient and terribly efficient at the same time. It’s a bit of a dervish dance of note-taking when it happens and I sort of hate it because it means my focus is in tatters but it’s better to record the ideas and get it over with than put that off, because then at least I can REGAIN focus, eventually. As opposed to significant parts of my mind acting like out of control flywheels in the background. )

[PinkElephant 8,075]

If THIS issue was reported you need to know yourself  - it was if you issued a support ticket.

In general there are a lot of syncing problems reported to EN, no doubt about it.

As explained in other threads I believe EN needs to redesign the whole note concept / syncing process to resolve the problems once and for all situations.

[Wayne78 1]

Holy ***** it is now one year since this issue has been posted and it has not been resolved. I STILL after the update in 2021 am experiencing note conflict issues that results in duplicate created notes. What a bunch of clowns at this company. Currently looking for another notes app. Any suggestions?

[PinkElephant 8,075]

Just go ahead.

Zero note conflicts myself, so I can’t probably tell a lot about it. 

Some ideas: Avoid to have the same note open on 2 devices, and make sure all changes have been synced before a note is edited on another device. There may be an influence from a fragile internet connection. In this case going offline can help to avoid problems.

[zenitsky 7]

I have been noticing more note conflicts over the past few months. Yesterday, one of my important notes had a conflict. As I normally do I kept the most recent note and sent the other to the trash. My mistake was that I permanently deleted the good file. i soon discovered that the note that I kept was corrupted. I couldn't open it and now can't delete it, either. Is there a way to get rid of these type of files? See attached.

[PinkElephant 8,075]

Usually there is note history holding prior versions, but it is linked to the note. When the note vanishes, note history vanishes with it. As long as a note is in trash, it can be reactivated, together with its history. But once it is gone, it is really gone.

A duplicate note has its own history, which starts at the point where it was created.

The best chance would be if you have a client (preferably desktop or even legacy) somewhere that has been offline since, but is still logged into your account. You could open it offline (switch the network access off before opening the EN app). While offline, get at the note, and export it as an ENEX file. Then close the client without ever going online.

You can import that ENEX file into your usual desktop client, reviving the note. It will not have a history, since it is new, but what has been in the latest version will be in the ENEX import.

If your computer runs a regular backup, you can use this backup as well to go back to an earlier version of the EN folder on your computer. My Mac does it automatically with TimeMachine. Windows is similar if activated - I am just not familiar with the details.

The procedure would then be similar: Replace the EN folder by its older twin, open the client offline, get the note, export it as ENEX, close the client. Go online, open the client again, and import the note retrieved from the offline backup.

[Wichita State Shocker 16]

I too am having severe note synching issues.   It can be a note I've opened on one device (iPhone) then opened on another device (iPad) to correct the note.

I go back later and the warning pops up that I have "Another version of that note"

I have the latest revs of iOS and the latest revs of EN all running and up to date.

I used Google docs.   I've NEVER seen that warning from Google docs.  It save my changes VERY quickly

Is there any way to PREVENT this ???

 

[PinkElephant 8,075]

Make sure that your changes have actually synced before you switch devices.

On mobile when you hit the green checkmark, the note is only saved on the device, and tagged for syncing. Syncing takes place later, not in the very moment. When you check in notes list view, these notes will carry a green triangle. Their edits are still not on the server.

When you now open such a note on a second device, you already start creating a new version. When the older version now syncs itself to the server, the conflict is inevitable.

[Wichita State Shocker 16]

How do you know when the note has finally and fully synched?

This feels like I have to babysit the process.

[PinkElephant 8,075]

For mobile I have described the visual markers telling if content still needs to sync.

Usually you don’t need to bother at all - on my iOS devices syncing starts within some seconds. But there are cases it takes longer - for example sometimes when I move from using WiFi to mobile data while a sync is ongoing.

Either avoid to start editing the same note on another device shortly after you made changes, or check on syncing quickly, and in case it is still open force a syncing.

[Wichita State Shocker 16]

I've updated a note on my iPhone.  A half hour later I see an error (from another device) and correct it.  BOOM.  I've got two versions.

iOS syncs just don't work well!

Syncs on Google Docs work in seconds.  Why can't EN work in minutes??

[PinkElephant 8,075]

Ask EN … only other users here.

[macneilpi 34]

On 9/8/2021 at 12:49 PM, PinkElephant said:

EN always syncs the whole note when is saves changes. If the note is very large, the risk increases that there are conflicts. The best measure against this effect is to break down large text notes into smaller ones. You can create a TOC table-of-content note to be able to go directly to every chapter, and links at the beginning and end of each note to go forward and backward.

That makes a lot of sense. I have the issue of syncing/note conflicts between my iPhone and later going to EN Web and finding my changes aren't there, or in reverse. I have a couple of lists I use daily and they are perhaps larger than they should be if this is the sync process. Is it safe to assume a large number of tasks in a note exacerbate the problem? What about note links - also more data to sync? 

[PinkElephant 8,075]

This isn't true any more. With the new sync, the app will sync small tiny changes in quasi real time between all active devices, including shared notes.

Only the changes are synced now, not the whole note any more. The new sync should be activated for all accounts as of 5th of May - it was a staged rollout, so probably you have already got it. The switch is made on the server - all recently updated v10-clients can handle it. Legacy not, of course ...

When I first tried, it was absolutely amazing (and still is) !

[macneilpi 34]

I'm 10.55.2 on my old iMac. I hope that gets the update. Will this update also improve EN web? I have to use EN Web at work, iOS the majority of times, and EN for Mac when doing a lot of work at once.

[PinkElephant 8,075]

It improves everything. It is a new ball game, the biggest change since long.

To see if you have it yet, open the same note on 2 devices. Put one into edit mode (yes, this NO, NO, NEVER action). 

If at the top of the note a little avatar shows (one for each device minus the one you are on, so if open on 3 devices, 2 avatars), new sync is on.

Now type something - you will see on the other device how the letters appear out of nowhere, with a little flag holding your name marching ahead. Delay in my tests were 1, maybe 2 seconds between typing on one device, and seeing the change on the other. You can even start typing on both, and it will happily merge, instead of creating havoc.

This even works with several people working at the same time on the same note.

If you tap on the avatar, you see at the bottom who is in the note at the moment.

You need to see it to believe !

[Wichita State Shocker 16]

What Mac and What Windows versions will have this?

[PinkElephant 8,075]

It is a server side change. All current clients are prepared for it already.

The latest on Mac and PC is 10.56, but it was working with 10.55 as well. Maybe even before, but I didn’t notice, because maybe my server had not been migrated. Every user account is running on a virtual server, several of them together on a physical machine. EN engineers now grab one server after the other and migrate it to the new sync - which means a new database as well. Once this is done, new sync is active for all users who are hosted on this server.