Syncing to a CD.
ChronoSync is a great tool for making backups of important files for protection from data loss or corruption. When creating your backup plan, you should always include offsite storage for critical information. The best way to accomplish this is to synchronize your critical data to media that you can place in secure, offsite storage. A great option here is to use writable media such as CD-R, CD-RW or DVD-R. Synchronizing files to a CD can also be an easy way to move files to computers that you can't connect to directly. This tip will show you the extra steps necessary to setup a ChronoSync Synchronizer document to synchronize files to a CD-R or CD-RW disc.
Step 1. Create and configure your Synchronizer document.
You can modify an existing document, or create a new one. The important thing is to select a new, empty folder as the destination, or "Right" target of a "Left-to-Right" synchronization. We recommend you create something recognizable and easy to find, such as "CD Backup" in your "Documents" folder.
Note: There is a size limit on CD-R and CD-RW discs (640 MB or 700MB, depending on the blank media) so don't synchronize more data to the destination folder than will fit on your CD. A simple oversight like "Synchronize Deletions" and choosing to place deleted files into the Archive will consume space in your destination folder.
One way to avoid running out of space is to synchronize your files to a Disk Image instead of a local folder. By setting up the Disk Image to be the same size as your CD, ChronoSync will notify you if you run out of space syncing to the Disk Image. See Tip, Synchronizing With a Disk Image, to setup your document to synchronize to a DMG rather than a local folder. If you do choose to use a DMG, then be sure to read "Step 4. Customizing the Script" for special instructions.
Step 2. Create an AppleScript that will burn the CD.
We have prepared an AppleScript that will write the contents of your destination folder to a CD-R or CD-RW disk. We have packaged this script along with some tools for easy download. Click here to download and save these items to your system.
To prepare the AppleScript, unstuff the package and save the contents to a convenient location. We like to use the same folder where we store our ChronoSync Synchronizer documents: "Documents:Sync Documents." You will need to configure the "Burn CD ROM Script.scpt" AppleScript so that it will work with your destination folder set in Step 1. Open the script using "Script Editor" (double-clicking the file "Burn CD ROM Script.scpt" in "Finder" should do it).
Near the top of the script, you will find the statement: set myFolderName to "Macintosh HD:Users:tom: Documents:Burn Test"
You need to replace the path "Macintosh HD:Users: tom:documents:Burn test" with the full path to the destination folder (Right Target) you are using in your Synchronizer document.
An easy way to get this path is to use the "Report Path Droplet" included with the script. Just drag a folder over and drop it on the "Report Path Droplet" to see a dialog with the full path displayed. You can then copy (Command-c) and paste (Command-v) the path into the script. Now save the script and its ready to use!
Drop a folder on the "Report Path Droplet" to see the full path you will need to cut and paste into the script.
Step 3. Setup a Post-Synchronization Script.
o complete your sync-to-CD, open your Synchronizer document and switch to the Advanced panel. Locate the "Scripts" and check the "Post Synchronization Script:" checkbox. Use the "Choose" button to locate and select the script file you saved in Step 2. Save the Synchronizer document and you are ready! When you synchronize this document, the synchronization completion dialog will be displayed. At that time, the script will do its work.
Since this script uses shell commands to perform some of its duties, you can always check the Console log (Applications->Utilities->Console) to see if any errors are being reported. When the script completes, it will display a completion dialog.
Step 4. Customize the Script.
The "Burn CD ROM Script" is written to work in most situations. However, you may want make a couple of changes if they suit you. One option is to get the name of the synchronization destination folder (Right Target) from ChronoSync. This way, you don't have to cut and paste the folder name into the script. Note: This change only works if you run the Synchronizer document from an active ChronoSync application. If you use the background scheduler, then don't make this change. To get the folder name from ChronoSync, open the "Burn CD ROM Script" in Script Editor. Comment out the first statement: "set my FolderName to…" by placing two hyphens (--) at the beginning of the line. Next, find the section that starts with the label "Get Folder Name from ChronoSync". Enable the nine lines beginning with "tell application "ChronoSync"" by removing the hyphens at the beginning of each line. Save the script and you're done!
If you choose to create a Disk Image and synchronize your files to that DMG, then you'll want to use the "Burn DMG Script.scpt" AppleScript in Step 3 above. This script assumes that you place the DMG that you create in your "Home" folder (Macintosh HD:Users:
That's it!
The flexibility and ease of using ChronoSync has so many advantages. If you have any problems while using our products, contact us by using our support form. If you wish to share a tip with us, post it on our comment form. Happy Syncing!