Indicate if local library contains changes that are not synced

mronkko
It would be useful if Zotero would indicate somehow (e.g highlight the sync button) that the local library contains changes that have not been synced to the server yet.
  • dstillman
    edited September 22, 2009
    That's a great idea. We'll see if we can come up with a simple, non-distracting way to do this (shown in this PDF). A good model here is the red close button on modified document windows on OS X.

    Suggestions/mock-ups welcome.
  • noksagt
    edited September 22, 2009
    Would there be a need to display the records that were changed?

    If so, perhaps just add a column to the middle pane which has Added/Modified/blank (synced) status?

    Or maybe change the icon for the items and/or collections and/or top-level library, a'la the Tortoise[CVS|SVN|Git] utilities?

    If the type of changes do not need to be stored, I agree that the appearance of the sync button should be changed.
  • adamsmith
    I like mronkko's suggestion - why not simply grey out the sync button when there's nothing to sync?
  • dstillman
    Graying out the icon may be best, though it's worth noting that there could still be remote changes, so we don't want the icon to look disabled.

    This indicator also probably won't cover file syncing. Zotero could update it when a new file was added, but it doesn't know if existing local files have been modified until it scans all the files, which it only does at sync time and probably shouldn't do at other times. (The scanning doesn't appear to be particularly performance intensive, but the metadata indicator can be triggered by item changes and therefore be instantaneous, whereas there's no similar trigger for external file changes.) But I think it's sufficient for users to assume that, if their metadata is up-to-date and they didn't receive a file sync error (and they haven't made external file changes), their files are up-to-date as well.
  • mronkko
    edited September 22, 2009
    I would vote for having an indicator for each library that needs to be synced.
    1) No indicator if sync is disable
    2) Green circular arrow if the library is synced
    3) Red triangle with black bar inside if the library contains changes that are not yet synced

    Here is a mockup that was requested

    http://img42.imageshack.us/i/slide1a.png/
  • dstillman
    Thanks, but libraries aren't synced individually—it's all or nothing. So having per-library indicators isn't necessary. Doing something closely related to the sync icon probably makes the most sense.
  • dstillman
    Well, I guess one could still make an argument for per-library indicators, in that it indicates whether those libraries contain modified items... But since the whole sync happens together, I don't know if that's really helpful information.
  • mronkko
    <blockquote>
    Well, I guess one could still make an argument for per-library indicators, in that it indicates whether those libraries contain modified items... But since the whole sync happens together, I don't know if that's really helpful information.
    </blockquote>

    This is what I meant and I think that it is important information even if the actual sync is all or nothing. For example I often work with cell phone connection only, so it makes sense to send only changes when they are required. If I am working on two papers and only coauthor for the other paper is online at the same time, it would make sense to sync only if the library that we are sharing contains changes. The changes in the other library could well wait until I get online with fixed internet.

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