Locus map 4: Basic questions about synchronization with multiple devices

[tobser]

Hello everyone
I use the very good program on several devices. To ride a motorcycle on a tablet, to hike on a mobile phone, sometimes I also use my PC to plan where Locus is running on a MEmu emmulator. Folders with tracks and points are created on each of these devices, but these differ from device to device.
Now I have created folders on a device (which I define for myself as the main device) with data that are important to me, in the hope that after synchronizing (automatic synchro on each device off) the data will be exactly the same in the cloud .
 After I then synchronized on the smartphone, I thought that the folder structure there would be exactly the same as on the device that was first connected to the cloud.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. I now have the data from my smartphone everywhere, tracks that are important to me have disappeared into nirvana in this way, which I found very annoying.
How do I have to proceed that I really have the same folder EVERYWHERE? I thought to myself, I would keep the data on the main device and delete everything in the other 2 devices, but with that I risk that I then no longer have anything on the main device.
Why can't you define a device as the main device in the app? Or am I doing something fundamentally wrong?
Many greetings from Tobias

[Menion]

Hello Tobias,

there is nothing like the main device in the sync system we created. Anyway most important is the first sync of the first device. This should always create an exact copy on the server.

All other devices should display you an offer if you want to

• merge data with the local and server (first device) data. This may lead to duplications if you previously copied data directly between devices (the app is unable to recognize duplicates)
• or discard local content and only download data from the server. This is recommended method if there is nothing to lose.

What exactly happened to you? You chose the second option probably, right?

If I understand correctly, you have three devices where some data are duplicated and some are unique right? To be true, this is simply an unsolvable situation. In this case, I may only suggest manually export unique content to GPX files and reimport later after the sync (option 2) is correctly done.

You wrote you lost your data > on devices should exist automatic backups in Locus/backup/auto directory, so check if any file is there and keep is safe if so.

I do not know how much technically skilled you are so I won't describe any details here. Let me know about some progress ... thanks.

[Andrew Heard]

@menion could what you have extensively written above go into some doco page (as soon as possible) you can reference/ link so you don't endlessly answer questions like this. At present https://docs.locusmap.eu/doku.php?do=search&id=main&q=sync returns no results.

[tobser]

First of all, thank you for the detailed answer. l unfortunately it was the case with me that at no time did I have a choice of different synchronization options, the program immediately started synchronizing with the known episodes.
  You should have 2 options:
1. Send data to the cloud
2. Receive data from the cloud
  If the first device was the one with a few tracks, will the multiple tracks on the other devices be aligned by deleting them? Not so good. Maybe that can be improved somehow.
Many greetings from Tobias

[tobser]

I've just tried it again: I've created several folders with trucks and points on my tablet (it wasn't the "first tablet"). Then I wanted to synchronize the data. No selection dialog appeared. What does the program do? First thing is - delete points, then - delete tracks, I want to add something, not delete !! This is extremely annoying. With that, THE advantage of LM4 is gone.
I can continue to take pro and send the data to MY cloud.
  There should be the following dialogue:
1. Send data to the cloud
2. Get data from the cloud
Something still needs to be done here.