4.2 Understanding Synchronization

4.2.1 When Synchronization Occurs

Synchronization from the Filr desktop application to the Filr server occurs immediately after the file is saved and closed; synchronization from the Filr server to the Filr desktop application occurs at an interval designated by your Filr administrator. The default is every 15 minutes. If the server becomes unavailable, the desktop client attempts to contact the server every minute until a connection is re-established.

You can manually synchronize files if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. For more information, see Manually Synchronizing Files and Folders.

4.2.2 Which Folders Are Synchronized

Filr synchronizes files to your workstation when the files are located in the following locations:

My Files: Files that are located in your My Files area on the Filr site are synchronized to your workstation by default. When you add files to the My Files folder from your workstation (/Users/username/Filr/My Files), the files are automatically synchronized to Filr at the next synchronization.

Shared with Me: Files that are located in your Shared with Me area on the Filr site are synchronized to your workstation by default. You can edit files in your Shared with Me area and the edits are synchronized to Filr, if you have Editor or Contributor rights. However, you cannot add files to the root of the Shared with Me folder from the Filr desktop application on your workstation (/Users/username/Filr/Shared with Me). If you do, the files are not synchronized to Filr. You can add files to folders that have been shared with you, if you have Contributor rights to the folder.

Net Folders: Files that are located in Net Folders (/Users/username/Filr/Net Folder) are not synchronized to your workstation by default.

Net Folders are folders and files on your corporate file system. Corporate files can be files on your home directory, files on a mapped drive, or files on a remote server. Filr gives you seamless access to these files, regardless of their location. The corporate files that you have access to are defined by your Filr administrator.

Files located at the root of the /Users/username/Filr folder cannot be synchronized. Instead, add files to one of the appropriate subfolders (My Files or Net Folders).

4.2.3 What Actions Are Supported

When you perform any of the following actions on folders and documents within the Filr folder on your file system, the action is synchronized between your computer file system and the Filr server at the next synchronization:

  • Create documents and folders

  • Copy documents and folders

  • Comment on documents

  • Delete documents and folders

    Documents and folders that you delete from the Filr desktop application are also deleted on the server, as long as you have rights to delete it. However, this is not always true when deleting documents from the Shared with Me area.

    If you delete a document or folder from the Shared with Me area and that document or folder has been directly shared with you, it is no longer synchronized to the Filr desktop application and the documents and folders remain on the server.

    If you delete a document or folder that is a subfolder of a folder that was shared with you, or if the document is located in a folder that was shared with you, the document or folder is deleted from server if you have sufficient rights to delete it.

  • Modify documents

  • Move documents and folders

  • Rename documents and folders

  • Share documents and folders

4.2.4 Manually Synchronizing Files and Folders

You can manually synchronize files and folders between Filr and your computer if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. Files must be closed before they can be synchronized.

To manually synchronize all your files:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Synchronize > Now.

To manually synchronize an individual file or folder:

  1. Navigate to the file or folder that you want to synchronize.

  2. Right-click the file or folder, then click > Synchronize Now.

4.2.5 Viewing Pending Synchronization Changes

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr Console.

  2. Click Pending Changes.