I'm getting duplicates when I export on my iPad

[normbay]

Frequently I find two copies of a file imported to Notability on iPad after export from Dropbox - only tapping once, then tapping OK after link message.
What am I doing wrong, please?

[SK66]

Hi:

I always choose a single pdf file before I export it. 

When I "Export" a pdf file (and it's only pdf files that I'm dealing with) from Dropbox and choose Notability as the destination, I see that Dropox is "Creating a link" and then "Send[ing] to Notalibility" "2 files."  So the problem of duplication is present before I choose to "Create Single Note" or "Separate Notes."

This behavior has repeated itself dozens (if not hundreds) of times--all with different, single pdf files.

BTW: I'm also noticing that when I export a single pdf file to Acrobat, it goes to "Creating a link" and then I need to "Import to Acrobat."  When I do, there's a single file there.  So there's something going on in the step between "Creativing a link" and "Send to Notability."

Hope this makes sense.

Thanks

[stuck_in_ohio]

I have been having the same problem for months on my iPad. I'm moving approx. 20 pdf papers in Dropbox into Notability that I then grade and write comments on using Notability. I end up creating 2 files and then deleting the duplicate file. When I have used the option to create one file, then each student's paper is duplicated within the file.

Today, I found an invonvenient fix. Within the Dropbox app, open the desired file in the Adobe Acrobat app. Select the share button on the top toolbar, select "Share a Copy" to Notability, and then only 1 file is exported to Notability.

Hope this helps!

[bluebananna]

I am also encountering the same issue reported by other users. Is there a fix yet for this?

[SK66]

Dropbox support wrote to me on 3/30: 

"The problem you’re experiencing appears to be caused by another app or service you’re using, not by Dropbox. We’re unable to provide support for third-party apps or services."

[normbay]

If you wish to export to Notability, by far teh simplest way is to make sure you have the file downloaded onto your device's Dropbox, then open Notability and select the folder you wish the document to land in. Then use the down arrow to import teh document from Dropbox. The same procedure can be used in Numbers for a spreadsheet, etc.

[SK66]

The challenge that I face comes when I'm using my iPad.  When I'm in Notability and I want to import a pdf file from Dropbox, I encounter no problems when I find the file in Dropbox and then import it directly.  The only thing is.....that it takes a long time (87 seconds, just timed) for my file to appear in the Dropbox dropdown since all the files in my 20GB Dropbox folder in the cloud need to be indexed in the dropdown box.  If I were working from my desktop, the issue would be moot; my Dropbox files inhabit the desktop as well as the folder in the cloud.

A faster way to import a pdf file from Dropbox to Notability is open Dropbox on my iPad, open the pdf file listed there (Dropbox doesn't need to an index of my files every time I open it on my iPad) and then export it to Notability.  But there's where the trouble with files duplicating occurs.

In the end, I guess I'll just import a Dropbox file from within Notability and learn to be a little more patient with the 87-second delay in seeing my items in the Dropbox import dropdown (as well as the occasional Notability Error 5 "NSURLErrorDomainCode=-999").   But it would be great if we figured out the cause and fix for this "duplicates when exporting issue."

[Lusil]

Thanks for your ongoing reports, everyone. 

This may be due to the way the app interacts but, out of curiosity, have you submitted a request to Notability to have a look into this with their Support team as well?

If you haven't, could you reach out to them as they may be able to provide some additional info on this?

Keep me posted!

[us-bnymky]

Thanks for the suggestion to reach out to support at Notability. I just did this and will see what they say.

In the meantime, my workaround will be to create a folder in Notability of "Trash Duplicate files" as a destination for the separate and unneeded file, to avoid confusing multiple versions. Then I can clear out the trash from time to time.

[Lusil]

Thanks for keeping me in the loop, @us-bnymky, and awesome work on the workaround. 

Whenever you have any updates on this, please let me know. Thanks again!

[us-bnymky]

The update I received is this is a known issue, and on the team's to-do list:

"Thanks for getting in touch, and my apologies for the trouble here. This is a known issue when exporting from Dropbox, so fixing it is on our team's to-do list. At the moment, I'm afraid I don't have a definite timeline for a fix, but we aim to do so as soon as we can. If you reverse the workflow and import from Dropbox from within Notability, it should only import one file.

If there's anything else I can do for you in the meantime, please feel free to let me know. And thanks for using Notability!"