How do I sync project between iMac and iPad?

[gdmedia]

I am just getting started with Storyist and have just installed it on my iMac (El Capitan) and installed the app on my iPad (IOS 9.3.1). When I start my project I would like to be able to sync between the two as seamlessly as possible. Most of the time, I will work on the iMac but sometimes I may make a few changes or add something using my iPad and would like that to be part of the project the next time I open it on the iMac -- and vice versa. I have read over some related posts but did not quite find my answer.

 

So, can I do that via iCloud? Or do I need to use Dropbox? Either way, exactly how?

 

Thanks!

[Steve]

Hi gdmedia,

 

Welcome to the forums! You can use either iCloud or Dropbox to seamlessly sync between your Mac and your iOS devices.

 

Here's how: http://storyist.com/support/howto/storing-files-in-the-cloud/

 

-Steve

[gdmedia]

Thanks, Steve. I have read that page, more than once. I cannot find anywhere in there where it says that it syncs what I do on my iMac with changes I make on my iPad or vice versa. It just talks about IOS sync and tells how to set the IOS app for either iCloud or Dropbox.

 

OK, now I have my IOS app set for iCloud. But would I not have to set my iMac app to also save in iCloud, in order to sync? Seems as though I would, but I do not find any instructions or settings for that. (I looked in Preferences for "save" location but did not find anything.) All I have read is that my iMac files are stored locally. So, I don't see how it syncs.

 

I am probably just missing something. Please enlighten me. Thanks!

[Steve]

Hi gdmedia,

 

It's there: "In this way, the changes you make on one device are synced with the cloud and from there to your other devices, so that all devices have the same version of your work."

 

The confusion is probably that the Mac is just another device. I'll update the docs to make it clearer, and provide an example.

 

There is nothing to do on the Mac other than to put your file in the Storyist folder in your iCloud Drive folder and edit it from there. OS X will take care of the syncing for you.

 

-Steve

[gdmedia]

I did understand that the iMac was just another device. What I did not get was the SAVE location from the iMac in order for the project to sync. So, now I understand that I save it into that Storyist folder that has been installed on my iCloud drive. The iPad saves the project to there, the iMac does the same, voila, sync. When I created a project to see how it saved, the default was my "Documents" folder. I just have to send it to the iCloud Drive Storyist folder instead. All correct?

 

Is there some reason why there is not a Preferences option or a "Save to" in the dropdown menu to designate where you want to save your projects?

 

Thanks again --

 

-Gary

[Steve]

All correct.

 

Regarding "Save to": iOS creates a container (folder) with the app name and places it in your iCloud Drive folder. iCloud-aware apps are able to access the files in that folder.

 

With iOS 9, Apple added the ability to access files from other app folders (or from folders you create), but that isn't widely adopted yet (iA Writer is a notable exception).

 

-Steve

[grant.loewen@gmail.com]

I just updated my MacBook to Sierra. Eventually I managed something, but the notes above didn't match my experience. first there was no iCloud folder in my finder. Searching for iCloud did bring up the folder and I felt lucky to find an 'add to sidebar' button. Then it showed up in Storyist 'move' location (there is no 'save to'). So I moved my project to iCloud, and then moved it again by drag and drop into the Storyist folder which was there. And the synch progress wheels started wheeling and voila, my iPad suddenly found my project, all up to date ! Why do I feel so good, just wasting an hour of anxiety? I keep thinking this should just work as you described above. Anyway, thanks.

[cboal]

I find this incredibly confusing. My main reason for buying storyist is so that I can work with Index Cards on my iPad and then back to Final Draft on my Mac. BUT storyist seems to ONLY have the option of starting a new PROJECT with DOCUMENTS within. When I open Dropbox on my MAC I can only see the PROJECTS but not the documents? Really irritating. What am I not getting here????

[cboal]

Basically no docs I start in Storyist are appearing in Dropbox even though I have set up storyist to work with Dropbox.

[Steve]

Hi cboal,

 

If you're interested in working with Final Draft files, try this:

1. Create a new document in Final Draft on your computer.
2. Place it in the Dropbox folder that Storyist for iOS is using. The default is /Apps/Storyist.

Does the Final Draft document appear in Storyist? If not, does it appear in the Dropbox iOS app?

 

If not, here are some things to check:

1. Make sure you've setup Storyist to store files in Dropbox. You'll find instructions for that here: http://storyist.com/ios/docs/#choosing-a-storage-location
2. Make sure you're signed into Dropbox and that you're using the Dropbox account you expect to sync. People sometimes have more than one Dropbox account.
3. Make sure that Storyist is allowed to access your Dropbox account. Authorization usually occurs when you sign into your Dropbox account. You can check by logging into your Dropbox account, clicking your account icon (top right), choosing Settings, and selecting the Connected Apps tab.
4. Check that you have a network connection, and that it is sending and receiving data.
5. If you're on a cellular network, make sure the Storyist app is allowed to use cellular data. People sometimes turn off cellular data to save network charges. You'll find the setting for that in the Cellular section of the Settings app.
6. Make sure that the Dropbox service is working. Dropbox sometimes has outages. You can check the status at https://status.dropbox.com
7. Make sure you have enough free storage in your account. You can check the storage by logging into your Dropbox account and clicking the account icon.

These are the most common issues that prevent Dropbox from syncing. If these don't help, let me know what versions of iOS and Storyist you're running, and we can investigate further. It would also help to know where in the world you're trying to connect from and what you're seeing when you edit a file in Storyist for iOS.

 

-Steve