Feature Request--cause there hasn't been one for a while

[NateJames]

Well I noticed there hasn't been any new feature requests for mirror synch, and that prompted me to start a new post (we got to keep you guys on your toes over there at 360works)

 

So, I have 2 request that I would like you to consider,

1. When mirror synch is setup using the config client, and using mirror synch managed id's, one of the things the tool does is test the ability to write,delete, modify etc back and forth to the database. This causes the id fields to incrementally increase, ( we struggled with trying to find out why this was happening and it should also be documented in the wiki, Thanks to support for helping understand the process, and it made sense after being explained). However it would be really nice if you would capture the next serial number of the id, do the mirror synch tests as required to prove the ability to synch, and than replace the serial id with the captured value. 

And now to provide a little insight to that request. If you are struggling to setup mirrorsync, or your manage to forget to add something to the layout or to the synch tables again because you modified your database, mirror synch can elevate those id's by a significant amount (think about someone setting up the tool 5-6 times in one night alone). In the case of invoice id's this could put large gaps between your invoices, that you can not explain to the accountant why you are missing them, and without knowing that mirror synch was causing the id jump, caused me to question if we where not actually losing data.

This might be thought of being addressed under the advance wiki, "What if I need to assign a user-friendly serial number to my records that stays the same when it is synced? For example, an invoice number?", however this is not the same problem as explained in that section. ( also kudos to the write back feature, we do use it and its brilliant.) 

     2. Disable a link feature when using the download database. I think it would be great if we could actually see a list of the links we have out there that are active and than have the ability to pick and choose to disable them. I am experiencing with multiuser that everyone doesn't always synch there data by the time i try to have a deadline for a new rollout. In the event of only adding new layouts and features the user can continue to sync using the old link they had, and that is extremely important to ensure that they did in fact get all the data in. It would be super handy to have the ability keep an older link active for a bit to make sure the data is indeed synced and than revoke just that older link, keeping the latest sync link working. Currently the disable link disables all links for a file.

 

So hopefully this makes sense, if not , I can maybe explain it better in a phone call.

Thanks

Nathan Schneider

 

 

[Jesse Barnum]

Hi Nathan!

For #1, I have updated our documentation to explain that: http://docs.360works.com/index.php/MirrorSync_advanced_topics#Configuring_MirrorSync_creates_gaps_in_serial_numbers. It wouldn't be safe to reset the serial numbers back after creating a new record, because in a multi-user environment where other users created new records at the same time, that would lead to duplicate serial numbers.

For #2, keep in mind that the download links are not tied to a particular version of a database. Any download link will always retrieve the most recent version of the database on the server, even if that link was created a long time ago. Therefore, there is no behavioral difference between the old links and the new links.

[NateJames]

Ah that makes sense now for request number one. We were always telling our users a new version was coming out and than they where to delete and redownload the new full version from the link. We never looked at the problem from the angle that as developer we could continue to modify the sync setup with minor changes(i.e. Adding fields to the synch layouts as the system will still work but not fill in the records the users are missing)  and still keep the file in a production environment. But this makes me wonder about the sync script, if we modify the sync relationships and of course generate a new sync script, the users would be working with an old setup. However the script there are using on their offline version would be looking to write to fields as per there setup, if I am thinking this through correctly , mirror sync, will continue to work(on there iPad) because at the time it was correct for those fields and relationships..... (unless you change a field from text to number or something like that, than of course mirror sync identifies that the field type is incorrect... I have been caught on that too)...is it safe to assume that?

 

for #2 it has been our habit when rolling out a new version to disable the download link, and that always seemed to kill the ability of a user to synch with the database until the new download. It is a nice feature because if a contractor or someone who was going to temporarily be using the database could always download the file it gave us the ability to disable that from happening once the person was gone from the group, or injecting bad data, or heaven forbid mass deleting a found record set and causing additional chaos on the system. And than we discovered the customization script specifically the ability to filter records and send back the data we want the users to see. So perhaps it's just being over cautious on my part but it was something that both steps gave me peace of mind with. 

 

Lol okay so you answered everything to quickly, so how about a progress bar on the Ipads for a sync, . 

Cheers

nate

Edited May 3, 2016 by NateJames

[Jesse Barnum]

You can add new fields and tables to your solution, as well as change any scripts and layouts, without affecting older offline files ability to sync with the server, even if you re-paste the MirrorSync script on the server:

http://docs.360works.com/index.php/MirrorSync_basic_setup#Distributing_new_versions_of_your_application

I'll make a note about the progress bar on the iPad - we want to add that to, just need to prioritize everything!