HOWTO: Sync BaseCamp data between Macs

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.

0 N4HHE over 13 years ago

Sorry to awaken an old thread but upon search this one came closest to addressing my interests.

Concerned my Dropbox account has only 2GB quota and my Base Camp map at ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/Maps is 2.16 GB.

Of concern is my home Mac has more than the latest 2012.2 map database, believe it has maps back to 2008, and even a 1994 Topo. Else I would make symbolic links to everything in ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/ but for Maps on both machines. But concerned cached config info is keyed to the available maps. This is exactly where integrated iCloud could solve the problems.

So for now I have been exporting .GPX files of interest to Dropbox. It works. Isn't quite as elegant as one might hope.

0 PSEABOLT over 13 years ago

Keep your maps on each computer. Move only the /Garmin/BaseCamp folder and use the terminal commands to create a link for the BaseCamp folder to your DropBox. Move any maps you have on your home Mac to your MB. You will have to plug your gps in to the MB go MyGarmin to unlock the maps you copy from your home computer.

I don't think iCould would be a better solution, Apple is moving away from syncing to streaming. The DropBox works great with or without an internet connection. I have 3 mac that have stayed synced for at least 6 upgrades and never had a problem. I think Garmin would be wise to post instructions and let you down load a small app to create the link. Even better would be to make BaseCamp like iPhoto. You can hold down the option key and select the database from anywhere. Once select the link is maintained until you hold the option key down on launch and select again. This allows multiple BaseCamp files plus you could move your BaseCamp folder to Drop Box and launch BC holding down the option and select the BaseCamp folder in DropBox.

Sorry to awaken an old thread but upon search this one came closest to addressing my interests.

Concerned my Dropbox account has only 2GB quota and my Base Camp map at ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/Maps is 2.16 GB.

Of concern is my home Mac has more than the latest 2012.2 map database, believe it has maps back to 2008, and even a 1994 Topo. Else I would make symbolic links to everything in ~/Library/Application Support/Garmin/ but for Maps on both machines. But concerned cached config info is keyed to the available maps. This is exactly where integrated iCloud could solve the problems.

So for now I have been exporting .GPX files of interest to Dropbox. It works. Isn't quite as elegant as one might hope.

0 Former Member over 12 years ago

Does this still work?

Two year old message, lots of OS changes ... does this still work under Lion? How about when I change to Mountain Lion? Will it work with Google Drive? Are there any other solutions coming, perhaps via iCloud?

Thanks,

Bill Nash

PS Every time I've thought Basecamp wouldn't do something I wanted I've found a solution. Way to go !:)

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.

0 azdrmn over 12 years ago

Two year old message, lots of OS changes ... does this still work under Lion? How about when I change to Mountain Lion? Will it work with Google Drive? Are there any other solutions coming, perhaps via iCloud?

Thanks,

Bill Nash

PS Every time I've thought Basecamp wouldn't do something I wanted I've found a solution. Way to go !:)

This does still work under Lion and Mountain Lion with BaseCamp 3.3.2. Once we have to turn sandboxing on to post 4.0 to the App Store, this may stop working. We're trying to work around some of the issues that sandboxing imposes right now, but suffice it to say that some of the features that the web version has may not be possible in the app store version.

0 Former Member over 12 years ago

This does still work under Lion and Mountain Lion with BaseCamp 3.3.2. Once we have to turn sandboxing on to post 4.0 to the App Store, this may stop working. We're trying to work around some of the issues that sandboxing imposes right now, but suffice it to say that some of the features that the web version has may not be possible in the app store version.

Since I posted my question I have discovered the Backup/Restore capability. I backup to Dropbox and restore on the other computer. This seems to also take care of Custom Icons which are outside the shared folder. Backup/Restore works okay for me as I don't switch computers frequently. Are there any gotcha's in this process that I have missed?