Shared File Synchronization
This feature is not recommended anymore. It is meant as an alternative to iCloud Synchronization, but it is not as reliable as iCloud. Every change (including snippet usage) replaces the whole database file, which can lead to data loss if multiple devices are used at the same time.
It is recommended to use iCloud Synchronization, which automatically resolves conflicts and provides a more reliable experience.
Snippety allows you to synchronize snippets using a shared file. This feature is useful if you want to share snippets between multiple devices using some shared file system, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or any other cloud storage that is visible as a local folder on your Mac.
iOS Compatibility
⚠️ This feature is supported only on macOS.
iOS does not allow apps to access the file system. There is Files application, however, it does not notify correctly when a file is updated, making it impossible to use it as a synchronization tool.
It's not recommended, but if you need to use this feature and also synchronize your snippets with iOS devices, you can try enabling iCloud Synchronization and Shared File Sync at the same time.
Configuration
The configuration is very simple. You just need to open the app settings and toggle the Synchronize database using a shared file option. You will be prompted to select the file that will be used for synchronization. You can also select an existing file that is already used by another device.
Synchronization
Each time you modify or use your snippets, the whole database file is replaced with the new one. This means that if you have multiple devices using the same file, you need to be careful not to modify the file at the same time on multiple devices. Otherwise, you may lose some changes.
The same problem can happen if your devices are not connected to the internet and changes are made on multiple devices. In this case, the last device to synchronize will overwrite the file.
To minimize the risk of data loss, Snippety first downloads the file and compares it with the local database trying to merge the changes and resolve conflicts. Once the merge is done, it replaces the file with the new one.
Status
You can check the status of the synchronization in the app settings. The synchronization status is displayed next to the file path. If the file is accessible, you will see a green checkmark. If you hover over the status icon, you will see the last synchronization time.
Troubleshooting
Cloud services like Dropbox often have their own conflict resolution mechanisms and may create multiple copies of the file if there are conflicts. In this case, you may need to manually resolve the conflicts by merging the files together.