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Tip of the Month (April 2001)

Synchronizing a Single Handheld to Two Desktop Machines


You might want to synchronize your Visual CE table to two computers. For example, you may want to synchronize it to a computer at home and a computer at work. You can do this, but you will have to set the "custom" synchronization options as follows:

    Desktop Action Handheld
    does not exist copy to desktop new/changed
    new copy to handheld does not exist
    still exists copy to handheld deleted
    still exists update desktop changed
    still exists update desktop unchanged
    deleted copy to desktop unchanged

This will work pretty well, but you will have these two problems:

  • If you delete a record it might "reappear" unless you delete it from all three machines

  • Records changed on the desktop will not find their way to the handheld (changes on the handheld will find their way to the desktop).

If you are using timestamp synchronization:

    Desktop Action Handheld
    does not exist copy to desktop new/changed
    new copy to handheld does not exist
    unchanged delete from desktop deleted
    unchanged update desktop changed
    changed update handheld unchanged
    deleted copy to desktop unchanged
    changed copy to handheld deleted
    changed ask user changed

This will work pretty well, but you will have these two problems:

  • If you delete a record it might "reappear" unless you delete it from all three machines

  • After we synchronize a record, we mark it (internally) as "unchanged" on the handheld. Say you change a record (either on the desktop A or the handheld) and synchronize the handheld to desktop A. Then (without changing the record on the handheld or desktop B), you synchronize to desktop B. Since the record was not marked as changed on the handheld or desktop B, it will not be copied to desktop B.