Feature Request: Syncing Open Files

[puk]

I am aware that BitTorrent Sync currently will not sync open/locked/in-use files.  This may ultimately be a dealbreaker for me, so I was wondering if there was any chance of changing the behavior, in particular to allow updating/uploading open files.

 

I currently use BTS to back up certain documents and simultaneously make them available on my phone.  Only the primary computer has full access; the rest are using the read-only secrets.  I usually have a number of my documents open for editing or reading, and I save regularly.  However, I often will leave those documents open for days at a time, and it's very inconvenient to close them, sync them, and then reopen them and reorganize the windows.  I'd much rather have it update the backups every time I hit save (and the date changes), even if I haven't closed it, as some other products (in my experience, DropBox) do.

 

I'm not sure if there's a major technical hurdle, or if it's a design choice, but I would definitely appreciate the ability to make BTS act as described.  (This could also be offered as an advanced option, if BT didn't want to change the default behavior.)

 

Thanks for a great tool,

puk

[paketecuento]

+1 I also like this idea...

[JimmyTheSaint]

What you're asking for is already here, to a degree. I edit .txt and .pdf files quite often, leave them open for days (accidentally or for convenience), save constantly, etc. They're updated and synced immediately, and everything works as expected without glitches. If I'm about to overwrite a newer version with an older version, my txt and pdf editors will warn me on Windows and Android.

 

But I have to close Microsoft Word and Excel files to sync them because they get locked.

 

So maybe this isn't a BitTorrent Sync feature or responsibility so much as it's a shortcoming/feature of the applications used to modify their files. I wonder if there are Office substitutes that don't lock .xlsx and .docx files.

[axet]

your "feature" cause a lot of issues and file corruption.

 

i hope it will never be heard.

[paketecuento]

I'm not sure about these issues or file corruption, but should be very interesting for "real-time" syncing video files while they are being generated...