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HOWTO: Sync BaseCamp data between Macs

Former Member
Former Member over 14 years ago
If you are comfortable with using Terminal to execute a few commands, you can set up BaseCamp to share its data between multiple computers. Note that this is a Mac-only solution. Download and install the free Dropbox application from www.dropbox.com. If BaseCamp is currently running, quit it. In Finder, go to <your Home directory>/Library/Application Support/Garmin. Move the BaseCamp folder from that directory to your Dropbox directory. Launch Terminal. Enter the following two commands:

cd <your Home directory>/Library/Application\ Support/Garmin
ln -s <your Dropbox directory>/BaseCamp

Now go to another computer that you want to sync BaseCamp data to. Install Dropbox. Again, quit BaseCamp if it's running. In Finder, go to <your Home directory>/Library/Application Support/Garmin. Delete the BaseCamp folder. Note that any BaseCamp data that was on this computer that was not on the other computer will be lost here. So, you may want to manually sync that data before you do all this. Next, launch Terminal and repeat the two commands shown above. That's it. Your BaseCamp data will now be automatically synchronized between the two computers. If you have a third (or fourth, etc.) computer that you want to sync to just repeat the second part of these instructions on that computer.

BIG WARNING!!!!

Make sure that you run BaseCamp on only one computer at a time. If you run BaseCamp simultaneously on multiple computers that are syncing data this way, it is very likely that your data will be corrupted or completely lost. The easy way to protect against this is to quit BaseCamp on each synced computer when you are done using it on that computer.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 14 years ago
    You'd also have to be careful to make sure that you run the same version of BaseCamp on both machines if syncing in this manner.

    If BaseCamp encounters data that is too new for it, it will say something along the lines of "Your user data is unsupported." and give you the option to "Load Backup", which could delete your data if there is no data that's old enough for your older version of BaseCamp. Just hit "Quit" and upgrade BaseCamp if you're doing this data sync work around and you see this dialog.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 14 years ago
    It would be nice if you guys took advantage of Apple's sync services, that are part of MobileMe, to automatically provide data sync between computers.

    Yes, it would restrict the availability to only MobileMe account holders but on the up side it would make providing the service in BaseCamp a whole lot easier since the API is already available from Apple, you just need to plug it in.
  • 0 over 14 years ago
    Given that DropBox is free and many Mac users don't have MobileMe this seems like the more ubiquitous solution.
  • 0 over 14 years ago
    It appears to me that using dropbox by copying and the file to the cloud and pointing BaseCamp to the cloud would restrict you to an internet connection to load your data into basecamp. I don't think you would be using DropBox syncing ability. MobileMe keeps a sync copy on each device. Am I missing something? I use back to my Mac to drag the BaseCamp data folder over from my laptop which is the master.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 14 years ago
    Dropbox syncs the files to/from a folder on your local hard drive. Therefore BaseCamp would be reading a local copy.
  • 0 over 14 years ago
    OK thanks, I thought my DropBox was on the cloud. Now I realize the dropbox folder is on my computer in addition to google servers and google is really syncing the files on each computer. Just the data that changes. This is really a good solution if you want to keep BaseCamp synced. I am not sure I want to keep them synced but this is good information.

    Thanks again.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 14 years ago
    Given that DropBox is free and many Mac users don't have MobileMe this seems like the more ubiquitous solution.


    Wow, what a cop out!

    Sorry but having your user community resort to having to download and install additional software, go to the command line and creating hard links to files is fine for the more technically inclined hacker but it is not a solution for the broader community at large.

    Building a solution into your software to address a community request or at the minimum supporting a feature that the OS vendor builds into the OS software seems to me to be a much more equitable solution.
  • 0 over 14 years ago
    Come on Gcerullo, you think it would be wise for garmin to add a sync function that required a paid subscription to mobile me. It does not make business sense and any BaseCamp user that did not have mobile me would not be happy.

    You should check dropbox out. It much better for somethings than my iDisk on my Mobile Me account. It actually keeps your files synced on each computer plus a copy on the server.

    Software development is as much knowing what to leave out as what to add. Personally, I think coding hours would be better spent on features like sublist or subfolders for organization at this point in development. When or if Apple makes mobile me free to users and available to developers, it would a good option. However, syncing is not a simple task and it is very very hard to make it fool proof. I bet even with all of apple resources you have got double entries in you address book when syncing if you have been using mobile me to sync for several years.

    As to the terminal. A set data folder location in preferences would be good feature to add in my opinion.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 14 years ago
    @PSEABOLT

    Actually no, I think a solution provided by Garmin independent of Apple's MobileMe would be better but if that is not possible or too much work then a solution that used Apple's Sync services would be my second choice. The hack using DropBox is not really a solution for the average user. It may be fine for the more technically inclined.

    Apple does make Sync services available to their developers. Microsoft uses it for Office. You are correct, sync is hard so why re-invent what Apple has spent years perfecting and has finally got right.
  • 0 over 14 years ago
    @PSEABOLT

    Actually no, I think a solution provided by Garmin independent of Apple's MobileMe would be better but if that is not possible or too much work then a solution that used Apple's Sync services would be my second choice. The hack using DropBox is not really a solution for the average user. It may be fine for the more technically inclined.

    Apple does make Sync services available to their developers. Microsoft uses it for Office. You are correct, sync is hard so why re-invent what Apple has spent years perfecting and has finally got right.


    Agreed. A Garmin solution would be best. Mobileme on the other hand just works so make it a very close second. If an independent like MarkSpace can utilize Apple's sync for their smartphone apps it shouldn't be beyond Garmin's capability.