Need some clarifications about Memento Sync and pictures

[Andrea Re]

Hi all,

I have a database with many pictures (a coins collection).

I started it on my phone (device A) and i choose to move the pictures in memento folder.

This way, memento folder contains all the pictures.

Then I uploaded the database to memento cloud and synced it on my tablet (device B).

The goal was to have an exact copy of the database on each device.

But while memento folder on device A contains all the pictures, the folder on device B contains files random numbered that - i believe - i can see only through memento.

I mean, i can see all the pictures also on device B, but the original files are not dowloaded as well.

So, is there a way to have all the same pictures files on both devices ?

Thank you for your attention.

[Eugene Kartoyev]

Don't use Google sheets for synchrinization of different databases.
Google heets is for manipulation of data, like changing field types, synchronization of data between tables inside one database, and many others, but not for syncing two separate devices.

All your pics got messed up in the second device because they were uploaded to the cloud, but they don't get dowloaded to the device, because Google sheets keeps your pics in the form of links and it is not capable of telling Memento which links are actually to be downloaded.

To synchronize two separate devices - use backup and restore functions.

[Bill Crews]

Andrea, you mentioned Memento Cloud and not Google Sheets. Did you sync to the Cloud, to Sheets, or to both?

[Andrea Re]

Hi Eugene,

thank you for your quick reply.

I don't use google sheets for syncing; instead (I realize I haven't explained well) i use memento cloud (i even started a subscription for 2 giga/month).

On my second device I've created a library and i choosed "restore from cloud".

Now the database in synced but, as i've already said, on device B there aren't the original jpg files but only a copy of them with different name and without .jpg extension 

[Eugene Kartoyev]

Got it. It sounds like you are looking at Memento picture cache folder. Does the same thing happen if you use the copy-to-storage function and specify the folder where to copy attachments?

[Andrea Re]

yes, copy to storage is checked both on device A and B (didn't check delete originals cause i'm not sure of what could happen :-) ).

Same results: original .jpg files are not downloaded; i also tried to create a new folder under memento folder to store the image file in, but no success.

[Eugene Kartoyev]

I've just checked the cloud sync function. Bad news is that Memento uses the same technology for syncing data as for google sheets. It uploads pics to its cloud, then it dowloads those pics to the cache directory, which greedily consumes internal memory (so, I prefer to clean it ftom time to time), but not to a file storage directory that I prefer.

My subjective and frank conclusions:
1. You can rely on cloud syncing only if you fully trust the cloud and are sure that it won't be deleted from there some day.
2. It is better to use backup and restore than cloud syncing for normal syncronization until the programmers make syncronization between *devices* rather than between a device and the cloud.
3. As long as you keep the picture on the originating device - you can be sure it won't be lost. It doesn't get copied properly on the receiving devìce, you only see cache. Et c'est dingue ça.

[Andrea Re]

Thank you Eugene for taking the time to analyze this issue.

I hope the developer will change the way databases are synced; for me (and as long as a database with attached files is concerned) memento is a bit disappointing.

It remains however one of the best android app.

[António Graça]

Hi Andrea

Why you dont Sync whith Dropbox?

Put in setting Memento,  Auto backup On (device A); 

Instal a tool DropSync (device A and B); 

in DropSync Choose folder backup of memento to sincronizer to a folder Dropbox (device A);

Put in setting Memento,  Auto backup Off (device B); 

in DropSync Choose folder backup to a folder of backup of memento (device B);

When you made a backup in device A, after a while the backup of device A appears in folder backup on device B.

Made restore backup.

António Graça

[Eugene Kartoyev]

👍👍👍
Yours is the best solution for everyone who have trouble syncing via clouds / Google Sheets,
because this issue is raised quite often. Hopefully people will fall onto this message through search next time.
Great proposal and explanation!

Keywords: sync syncing synchronization cloud GS Google Sheets googlesheets backup back-up Dropbox Google drive disk Android

[Andrea Re]

Thank you so much Antonio !
You really made my day !
Do you think this Will work with Google drive and Drivesync also ?