Table of content
3.0 Installation   5.0 Detailed Instructions

4.0 Getting Started
This section introduces the user interface and walks through the beginning usage steps.
4.1 User Interface
The main window contains 2 common tabs: Local and Time Stamp, and 2 FTP specific tabs: Remote and Permissions, each tab allows the configuration of a specific point of the synchronization.

4.1.1 Remote Tab (FTP synchronization)


This tab allows you to enter the FTP server address, user name, password and the base directory to synchronize - if no directory is specified, the default directory at the time of connection is used. You can have a log of the last synchronization with different levels of details (See Log Levels). You can save the log to a file, if you already have specified a file, the next log will be append to it, if not, click on "New..." and enter the name of the log file. You can choose, with the popup menu, the type of synchronization Upload (UL) or Download (dL). The mirror check box allows you to activate the mirror mode, the preview check box activate the preview mode and the Synchronize button starts the Synchronization if everything is configured correctly.

4.1.1.a Preview Dialog
When the Preview check box is checked and the Synchronize button is pressed, iSynch will simulate a synchronization without actually moving any files.



The result is then displayed in a window which can be saved. This window represents all the actions which will be made on each file. An icon showing the action (see Action Icons): update (a small arrow), create (a red point), delete (a trash), voluntarily ignored (a red cross), server file (a red line) and no icon it there is no action.

4.1.2 Local Tab


This tab allows you to select the local folder used for synchronization. A hierarchical display shows you the current folder content. The list can display generic icons or Finder icons (This will result in slower performance. Additional RAM is needed by iSynch to fully use this feature). Enabling and disabling the icons can be set in the preference dialog from the Edit menu.
dbl-click (cmd-dbl-click) on a selected item will reveal (launch) the item in Finder.

4.1.2.a Button Bar



Near the top of the Local tab is a button bar. The first button allows you to choose the root folder for synchronizing. The second allows you to refresh the contents of the list but keeps the information (last date of synchronization...). The third button allows you to add a 'server file'. The last button allows you to remove a 'server file'. (For more on Server Files see the Server File section)

4.1.2.b Adding a Server File
To add a server file, first select the folder in which to add the file. After doing this, press the third button on the button bar. Enter a file name. You will then see the new file, in this example 3etc" in the list with an icon denoting it as a server file.




4.1.2.c Removing a Server File
To remove a server file, select the file from the list, and then click on the fourth button in the button bar.


4.1.2d File List



Below the button bar is a 9 column list. Clicking any column header will sort the list by that columns content.

  • The first column displays the file type.
  • The second column displays the action icons for each file or folder (see Action Icons section).
  • The third column shows if a file or folder is excluded from download during synchronization. Clicking in this column of any file or folder row toggles on or off a red cross. When the red cross is present that file or folder will be excluded. So iSynch won't overwrite an existing file ot if you do that on a folder iSynch won't look inside and you'll save time.
  • The fourth column allows you to exclude files or folder from the upload. So if you modified a file, but you don't want to upload it now, just exclude it.
  • The fifth column displays the file or folder name. (This column is resizable)
  • The sixth column displays the last modification date of the local file. (This column is resizable)
  • When in the preview window the seventh column displays the last modification date of the remote file. In the Local tab, it displays the last synchronization date. (This column is resizable)
  • The height column displays the file size. (This column is resizable)
  • The ninth column displays the Finder file kind. (This column is resizable)
  • The last column header can be pressed to reverse the sorting order.

    • You can choose which columns appear using the Preference dialog from the Edit menu.

    More about exclusion : If a user modifies Web pages but doesn't wish to upload one of them for the moment, under iSynch this file appears as modified and so it will be uploaded, to avoid that you just have to exclude the file by putting a red cross in the column "Upload" next to the file name. Exclusion also allows you if you known that nothing has been modified in a folder to exclude completely this folder and then save time since iSynch will not look in this folder.

    4.1.3 Time Stamp Tab



    This tab allows customization of the time stamp used by the current document for upload and download. It allows you to enter the synchronization mode (see Synchronization modes) and toggle wether the size should be used to compare files.
    Additionally iSynch can be configured to ask before deleting files or folders during a mirror.


    4.1.4 Permissions Tab



    This tab allows you to set the permissions of files and folders which are being uploaded. This feature should only be used by advanced users who understand permissions. by default, permissions are not forced on upload.

    4.2 Menus
    4.2.1 File
    New Connection - Create a new document, if the default FTP is defined in Internet Config (Or Internet Control Panel), it will be automatically used in the address field.
    Open... - Open a iSynch document. Synchronize information between the last synchronization and the current local folder.
    Close - Close the document.

    Save - Save the document.
    Save As... - Save the document under another name.
    Revert... - Revert to the last saved version. All changes are lost.

    Synchronize - Start synchronization.

    Quit - Quit iSynch. (What? Why would you quit?)

    4.2.2 Edit
    Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, Select All - Usual Behavior for these functions.
    Preference... - Define the preferences for the application, new documents...

    4.2.3 Special
    Mirror - Toggle mirroring option during synchronization.
    Preview - Toggle previewing option during synchronization.
    Synchronize Only Dates - Don't transfer files during synchronization, just synchronize the dates.
    Download New As Server File - Don't transfer new files during the download, but create a server file for all files present on the server which are not already listed in the local copy.

    4.2.4 Window
    Stack - Piles up the opened windows.
    Show Log - Display the log window.
    ... - List of all the opened windows.

    4.3 First Step For FTP synchronization
    There are different first steps depending on your current situation before switching to iSynch. But first, there's a common step for upload (download) which is :
    Start iSynch, create a new FTP document, in the Remote tab give the FTP server address which you use to upload your Web site, your user name and password. Choose Upload (Download) for the mode. In the Local tab, select the local folder where you have (want to have) your local copy of the site. In the Time Stamp tab, select the mode clever for the upload (download). Save the document. Now follow one of the next steps.

    4.3.1 I don't have a Web site yet. How do I use iSynch ?
    It's the easy case, after the common step for upload, go back on the Remote tab and click on the Synchronize button and voila, the synchronization is done. Save the document before leaving. You can then modify your local site as you want, to synchronize it, you just have to run iSynch, open the document and start the synchronization.

    4.3.2 I already have a Web site which I update with another FTP client, my Web site and my local copy are identical. How do I switch to iSynch?
    After the common step for upload, select 'Synchronize Dates Only' in the Special menu, start the synchronization, iSynch doesn't transferer any file in this case, it will just take necessary information for later synchronizations. At the end of the synchronization, deselect the 'Synchronize Dates Only' option from the Special menu, save the document. You can then modify your local site as you want, to synchronize it, you just have to run iSynch, open the document and start the synchronization.

    4.3.3 I already have a Web site which I update with another FTP client, my Web site and my local copy are not identical. How do I switch to iSynch?
    you modified something locally since your last update with your FTP client, iSynch can unfortunately not know in an automatic way what has to be uploaded. In this case, after the common step for upload, in the Time Stamp tab, select the mode Normal for upload. Go back on the Remote tab and click on the button Synchronize and voila, the synchronization is done. At the end of the synchronization, in the Time Stamp tab, select the mode Clever for the upload. Save the document. You can then modify your local site as you want, to synchronize it, you just have to run iSynch, open the document and start the synchronization.

    4.3.4 I want a local copy of a FTP server. How do I switch to iSynch ?
    After the common step for download. Go back on the Remote tab and click on the button Synchronize. Save the document before leaving. Each time you want download the new files available on FTP server, You just have to run iSynch, open the document and start the synchronization.

    4.3.5 I already have a local copy of a FTP server, but I don't have everything and I don't want to download everything. How do I switch to iSynch ?
    After the common step for download. Select 'Synchronize Dates Only' in the Special menu, start the synchronization, iSynch doesn't transferer any file in this case, it will just take necessary information for following synchronizations. At the end of synchronization, deselect 'Synchronize Dates Only' from the Special menu and select the 'Download New As Server File', start the synchronization, iSynch create 'Server file' for the files it doesn't have locally. At the end of synchronization, deselect the 'Download New As Server File' option, save the document. Each time you want download the new files available on FTP server, You just have to run iSynch, open the document and start the synchronization.

    4.3.6 I have a local copy of a FTP server done by iSynch, I want to download an old file which is represented by a server file in iSynch. What could iSynch do for me?
    You just have to run iSynch, open the document, remove the server file corresponding in the tree structure of the Local tab and start the synchronization.

    4.3.7 I have a local copy of a FTP server done by iSynch, but I have to remove local files and I don't want iSynch to download them again. What could iSynch do for me ?
    You just have to run iSynch, open the document, iSynch then ask you whether or not you want replace the local deleted files in the tree structure by server files. Once done, iSynch will ignore any of these files during synchronization.