Selective Sync Conflict mess!

[WilliamLow]

Hello, 

I just did a fresh OS install on my Mac, with my Dropbox folder on an external drive (my startup disk is too small to hold this data). I thought that I setup my Dropbox correctly, pointing to the external drive and let the computer 'do it's thing' overnight. Next day, I see a big mess of duplicate and triplicate folders. To make matters worse, the folder sizes are different. 

I am guessing that I am stuck with this problem and need to track down all of the extra files, but this will set me back countless hours. Is there a better way to merge these multiple folders into one, without losing any files? 

I am passing along a screenshot from my finder window. How emabarrassing!

 screenshot with Selective Sync Conflicts

[Michael L.96]

I wish Dropbox would unmarked This Thread as solved because it's not! This morning I had to delete a conflicted folder full of my Android apps for which I only have backup on Dropbox! I sure hope my work is not gone! Dropbox if you are reading this please go into my account and fix things if possible. The folder name is 1 Android Apps.

[Jane]

Hey @Michael L.96, taking it from where Jay has left off, it would be worth noting that Selective Sync conflicts are generated to avoid duplication or accidental overwriting. In other words, we detect that there’s already a folder with the same name at the same position on your file structure thus creating the conflict, in order to prompt you to make a decision as to which one you’d like to keep. 

That said, I’m wondering whether you’re referring to conflicted copies, which are created when someone changes files in the Dropbox folder, the web interface, or other linked devices while the folder is "off-line", as you’ve mentioned that you experienced that when you reformatted your pc/Mac. If you didn’t set up the application anew & you used the last version of your Dropbox folder that you had stored elsewhere, then it looks as if this has been the case. Can you check if this applies by any chance? 

Now, when it come to the folder you deleted accidentally Michael, please note that you can restore it on your account from your Deleted Files & your Events pages, where you can monitor any file additions/ deletions/ edits in shared folders following the steps outlined here. If you face any issues with that, please let me know here & I’ll reach out to you directly, so as to ask a specialized technician to proceed with a Restoration on your behalf. 

I hope that this is helpful to you & please let me know how you’d like us to proceed & I’ll do my best to follow-up with you soon!

Following @Dean P.3, please let me know here if you need further assistance in any way & I’ll make sure to further advise if needed. Thanks!

[Michael L.96]

My reply keeps getting deleted!!!  Another bug???  Now I can't even post to your forum.

[Michael L.96]

Correct the highlighted errors and try again.

• There was an error while attempting to post your message. Try again in a few minutes.

And of course there are no highlights in my post.

[Michael L.96]

OK Jane I will give this another try (and thank you for the detailed reply).

I will keep this short.

I am an android developer and each app is always contained in 1 (root) folder.

Here is my workflow (which I have been doing for many years with no trouble from dropbox until only about the last year):

1. I keep all of my current active projects on my desktop, each app in its own single folder;

2. As I am working, the IDE loads, updates, and references all files LOCALLY on my desktop.

3. Periodically I will open my Dropbox folder (where all my my app's folders are backed up), I will delete the existing backup or make copies, then copy and paste my project's current root folder (from my desktop, which has my current changes) into the Dropbox folder where the last backup resided before being deleted.

4. At the end of my session I will delete the last copy (from Dropbox), and copy one final time the root folder from my desktop to the Dropbox backup location (assuming my Java is working).

[Michael L.96]

You might be thinking why do I work in this manner?  It's in case I need an emergency restore (I have NEVER lost data doing it this way).

Should I be always working directly in the Dropbox folder?

I don't for this reason:

As a Java developer sometime things get VERY messed up to the point that nothing works; I have, many times (in an emergency) gone back to Dropbox, copied the last backup, and overwritten my whole app, just to get things working again.

If I work directly out of Dropbox, there won't be any backups in case I need to restore to an earlier time.

Please tell me if this workflow is the problem and if you have suggestions on a better way to do it.

The bottom line, I need to retain the ability to restore periodic backups in the event of a Java meltdown.

(As a reminder, my problem is that when syncing and un-syncing my App folder, I am constantly left with selective sync conflicts (duplicate BUT PARTIAL folders)!

[Jane]

Thanks for the prompt reply & please accept my apologies for the slight delay in getting back in touch with you here @Michael L.96; let me have a closer look on this matter through our Official Support channel. I’ve now sent you a brief message & once you reply back to me there, I’ll review your account specifics & we can discuss your options together. Please have a look at your inbox whenever you have a bit of spare time & I’ll check back with you asap. Thanks again!

[Michael L.96]

A new twist: now SmartSync is happening on all my selective sync folder, and I am having to go back and choose "local" on all my new folders.  Yes, I have looked at settings under preferences and SmartSync is still set to disabled.

One more reason I CAN'T WAIT to purge my 2T Dropbox folder (and back-up somewhere else) and SPLIT this [profanity removed by moderation according to the Community Guidelines] software.

[Jane]

Hey again @Michael L.96, I understand that this may be frustrating to you at the moment, though I’d like to ask you to keep the discussion civil. For that reason, I slightly modified your post according to our Community Guidelines (which you can review at your convenience).

From there, I’ve also made sure to reply to you through our Official Support channel earlier within the day, so I’ll make sure to take it from where we’ve left off once you get back in touch with me there. Thanks again! 

[aaaaaaabbbb]

Thank you! this answer basically just says "we are going to [profanity removed by moderation according to the Community Guidelines]  up ALL of your files and you are stuck manually checking potentially THOUSANDS of files"

I will also be switching to an alternate provider. I am paying way too much money for features that are BEYOND buggy. You might consider getting some better coders, there are plenty out there.