Working on two computers

Help
1

Hi
I am wanting to work on two computers (one desktop and one laptop). I have read a lot of posts on this subject but I am still not sure I am not missing something.

I am aware Gramps is a single user program and I am not wanting to edit the same database from two computers at the same time. My intended workflow is to copy everything from my desktop to my laptop before going to visit relatives, or to do some research, and then copy everything back again on my return.

I keep all my genealogical information under one folder, including all my Gramps media files and Gramps backups, but not the .gramps folder. I can “rsync” that folder successfully. I also automatically backup on closing Gramps.

If I import the latest backup into a fresh database each time I switch machines, will I lose anything?

I am aware I might need to update my media paths if they don’t match, but that is not a problem. But, what about all the preferences and add on settings. How should I copy these across? Obviously I will manually need to ensure both machines are running the same version of Gramps.

Currently both machines are running Gramps 5.1.6 on Linux Mint 21 (but with different desktops)

Many thanks

2

So long as you are just using the created backup files .gramps no information will be lost. It just takes good file management on your part.

If you store your media with the exact same folder structure on both machines you should be good to go. The relative base media path is stored with the database. The only thing you would need to keep track of are any new files and that they get copied to the second machine.

No. These settings are particular to each machine.

The user files you may want to copy between machines are…

report_options.xml found in the gramps user folder and…

custom_filters.xml found in the gramps version folder.

Gramps 5.1 Wiki Manual - User Directory

3

This is not so in Gramps 5.1 and earlier versions, where it is a system setting.

4

There are a couple of ways to deal with this, and exchanging .gramps files is most likely the safest. It requires a lot of discipline though, because you’re moving files back and forth, so you need a way to keep track of things, or face the consequence, that some time you have no idea what you’re working on, and which tree is the latest. And one of the most awful things that you can do is making changes on both sides between syncs.

If you have the exact same version of Gramps, it is possible to sync the .gramps folder too, and one way to do that is using a tool like FreeFileSync:

I use this program to backup my whole home folder, including .gramps, to an external hard drive, excluding system folders like .cache, .local, and a few others, and it’s very fast, and it can work with different configuration files, meaning that I also have a configuration that only syncs .gramps, Documents, and Pictures to a thumb drive with a smaller capacity.

I also have live copies of my Documents and Pictures in the cloud, using a free MEGA account, and if you’re the daring type, you can even try MEGA on your .gramps folder. And I think that this is quite safe, because our SQLite database is pretty robust. I don’t do it here, but I also use RootsMagic in Wine for FamilySearch work, and that has a file in my Documents folder, and the RootsMagic database uses SQLite too. I chose MEGA, because it had the largest amount of free storage space at the time, and because it works well on both Linux and Windows.

5

I have my database’ media path as

c:\Users\Public\Genealogy\Media

and the example database media path set on import as

{GRAMPS_RESOURCES}/doc/gramps/example/gramps

Both on 5.1. I am on Win10. Does Linux installs do something else?

From the .gramps XML file

    </researcher>
    <mediapath>c:\Users\Public\Genealogy\Media</mediapath>
  </header>
6

Thanks for correcting this. The path is not in the Database tab of Preferences, so I thought that it was a System setting.

I’d love to have it as a tree and system setting, because that would make it easier to exchange trees between Linux and Windows, or when you have different user names on platforms with the same OS.

7

This was my scenario when I first started with Gramps. To make the database and photos available to both users on a windows box I put them in the public folders. It is now just me on the box but never changed.

8

If I were doing this in a Windows enviroment, I’d just use the 64bit Portable Apps version on a USB (3.0+) flashdrive. Plug’n’play!

How hard is it to have Gramps run from a Linux thumbdrive?

9

That could be done if you run it from source, and have the proper Python on board.

Engineers only …

10

Thanks for all the help

I might experiment with also synchronizing the .gramps folder. I am not using FreeFileSync but I am using rsync which I think will do the job.

I am not sure what advantage there would be to using a thumb drive, unless I also stored the database and all the media and research resources on the same drive. Which is not something I would feel safe with.

Thanks again.

11

I do keep a Portable Apps Gramps (complete with media) on the micro thumbdrive on my keychain. But only refresh it periodically.

Naturally, you would make the automatic backup location to be on a different drive. That’s set to be without media. Then, the maunally triggered backup includes media.

12

You have got me thinking. I currently use Dropbox to transfer my full backup from my working machine (Kubuntu Linux) [5.1.6. gramps] to the family computer (Windows 11) [5.1.5 gramps], but now I am wondering if I could keep the media files on Dropbox for both computers. Answer I think is no because of the way that windows handles Dropbox. The family computer is only for showing people gramps so I am not concerned if someone busts it.

Also I use Freefilesync for my backups, but have never tried using it to restore to a different computer system.

Just my thoughts…
Peter M.

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