Running Blocs on Multiple Macs

Hi, as a new Blocs user I am just starting to get to grips with things. One question that I can’t seem to find an answer to is, how I run Blocs on my iMac at home and my MacBook Air when I am on the road? With my current software I can use iCloud Drive to house my projects and program add-ons, with only the core program on my two machines. Is it possible to do something like that with Blocs?

Apologies if I have missed a simple answer!

I only operate Blocs on one computer, so others can probably give you a better answer, however I would imagine that if you embed the assets or simply store them on the server the rest could by synched by iCloud, Google Drive or Dropbox. At the moment I think you may have to install custom brics on each computer separately and I have heard a couple people experience issues when saving to iCloud.

Not sure about multiple Macs, as I only use one as well, but I have projects mainly on iCloud (I sync everything). I also have some projects on DropBox working fine.

As far as I know you can use Blocs on 2 Macs.
Just go to >Preferences>License and put in your license number and e-mail address.
Do the same on your other computer.
That should be it.
But sorry … no guarantee.

Yes the licence is limited to two computers, but I think the question here was more about the logistics of working on one Mac, then being able to pick up from the same place on a second Mac. I am pretty sure it can be done, but any practice that involves synched changes over the internet carries a small risk of problems.

Definitely. Every time I have to ignore missing assets warnings, and sometimes the saved file, or even it’s contents (classes, assets, etc) simply mess up.
I copy a saved file (iCloud-desktop) move the copy to Sync, and have a second "Assets’ folder with files in.
Still I have issues.
I usually ignore the missing assets warning, and upload via Yummy from 1 place.
09%20am

In my case, I use google desktop drive which is synchronized in real time, and I can use the same project in my macbook pro and in my imac when necessary, of course, in both machines you have to have the same typography and brics installed .

I have never had problems with missing files! on both machines I have synchronized google drive desktop and everything works fine!

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I have macbook pro and imac…it took me a while to figure how to sync on both devices and continue to use any device. I was initially having issues with brics such as ‘card designer’ assets not syncing.

Obviously you need a cloud folder to sync the assets.
Projects assets have to be embedded and ‘generate package’.
Once you generate the package, you will be able to use the files on both devices. I can now simultaneously work.

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Brilliant, thanks @nelo and @kwakukwaku between you I have the answer that I was hoping for. All I have to do now is implement it!

That’s the key, I didn’t realise. :nerd_face:

Yes it took me a while to figure it out

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It can be done. You just have to understand one thing well: the architecture of where the original resources reside. Which is done “in a tree” like any file on any hard disk, or like the pages of a website.

When you create a Blocs project, the program stores each resource with its path: for example, the image “IMG01.jpg” is in the “PRODUCTS” folder, so on the first Mac where the Blocs project was made, its path will be “iMacHD/Documents/MyBlocsProject/PRODUCTS/IMG01.jpg”.
When you take that Blocs project to another Mac and open it, Blocs will ask you, “Hey, man, where is IMG01.jpg now?”. Because he will look for “IMG01.jpg” in this path: “iMacHD/Documents/MyBlocsProject/PRODUCTS/IMG01.jpg” and of course he won’t find it: in fact on the new Mac you put “IMG01.jpg” in this other path: “PowerbookHD/Documents/Work/MyBlocsProject/PRODUCTS/IMG01.jpg”.

So, in order not to have problems, you just have to take care to put the Blocs project and its resources always under the SAME path on multiple Macs. But in any case, when Blocs asks you “Where is IMG01.jpg now?”, you answer with the new path and you can continue working on that project. But saving it and returning it to the first Mac as before, you’ll have to do the same work the first time you reopen the project.

This is a non-issue though if you embed the assets into the project.

I’ve not as yet embedded assets in a project. I gather Norm said there were pros and cons with doing so.

I haven’t read anything (although he may have?). I haven’t had any problems. And all my projects are saved synced to iCloud.

I just vaguely recall some mention before it was released though without much clarification.

The blocs file size increases depending the number of images, assets, of the project.

That would make sense. I guess some people do have some rather large sites in blocs.

Isn’t it possible to manage the assets “related to the file”, so it would be relative to the document?
So if I store my blocs file and all elements needed beside each other in one folder and then copy the whole folder to a different mac - that would help a lot I think! --> wishlist for Norm :wink: