[missing-sync-hiptop-talk] A couple of bugs/workarounds for a new user

[Rod Morehead]

As a new user I have spent a substantial amount of time trying to get a 
good first sync. Without a good sync subsequent syncs seem problematic.
Here is what I have gathered from the mailing list, website, and 
experimenting.

Problem: Initial syncs with errors can cause data loss during subsequent 
syncs.

Workarounds:

    a. If possible, backup your iCal and Address Book data using the 
"Back up" file menu option built into iCal and Address Book (10.4 or 
later) before starting to use Missing Sync for hiptop. This allows easy 
recovery in the event of syncing issues.

    b. If your first sync(s) have errors and you don't have addresses or 
events on your Hiptop you want to keep, do the following: In the Missing 
Sync for Hiptop application hold down the option key and select the 
"Missing Sync for Hiptop Menu->Debug Options...". Click on "Unregister 
Sync Clients" and also check "Desktop overwrites handheld on next sync". 
Also check the "Enable Debug Logging" since the 
/Users/yourname/Library/Logs/MissingSync for hiptop.log is almost the 
only way to diagnose the error (and it still isn't easy).

    c. If you have attempted a sync with the log enabled and it has an 
error, search for the work "Failed" in the log. Usually soon after the 
word "Failed" is the record causing the failure. The following couple of 
items outline two failures I was able to diagnose and correct.

Problem: Address Book record sync failure caused by a contact without a 
firstname or a lastname will cause a sync error. This includes "company" 
contacts.

Workaround: Copy the company name into the last name field.


Problem: iCal record sync failure caused by less common timezones in 
calendar events. The uncommon time zone often occur in iCal (ics) files 
exported from Outlook and later subscribed/imported into iCal.

Workaround: Replace with some more common timezones in .ics file.

    Examples (original which caused failure -> replacement):

        America/Dawson ->US/Pacific

        Africa/Abidjan -> GMT


Thanks,

--Rod Morehead