Version 3.3.6
November 28, 2007

Features & Enhancements:

• The ChronoSync download is still contained in a disk image however the application is now installed using an installer.
• Modified the Apple Mail bridge script to workaround some shortcoming in Apple Mail under Leopard.
• Added extra logic to the server mounting code to deal with subtle differences identifying and mounting certain types of file servers under Leopard.
• Added workaround logic that deals with a Leopard bug whereby attempting to change certain attributes of a symbolic link on an SMB mounted server could cause the user interface of the entire system to become unresponsive. We now simply avoid changing attributes of symbolic link files that meet the failure criteria.
• Added some assertion logic when moving files to the archive to ensure that the child node array pointer returned when searching the deletion tree is valid. This should prevent crashes if the tree doesn't exactly match the filesystem, which is possible if dealing with a case sensitive filesystem.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a problem that could potentially cause a crash when switching to the Analyze or Archive panel on newly opened documents. Only occurs on Leopard and in very rare circumstances.
• Fixed a problem where the right file icon image was being displayed for the left file in the Analyze panel, but only for files at the root level of the sync.
• Fixed a bug where we were sending the wrong destination file name when communicating with an NSService. Instead of sending the source and destination file names, we were sending the source name twice.
• Minor German translation changes.
• Fixed a bug whereby the creation date of a symbolic link file was being improperly derived.
• Fixed a bug where modification date and size aggregation would yield incorrect results if a package file were completely empty. Only happens in certain cases.
• Fixed a problem initially pairing up case-mismatched files on the left and right targets.

Version 3.3.5
February 28, 2007

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a problem where symbolic links to folders inside an archived hierarchy could be followed during maintenance resulting in unexpected files getting purged from the archive.
• Fixed a problem that could cause a deadlock when a scheduled synchronization came due and the user was prompted to insert removable media.
• Disabled BSD flag preservation for symbolic links.
• Fixed a problem dealing with symbolic links that contain the ':' character in their name.
• Added logic to explicitly preserve the 'locked' status of symbolic links.
• Tweaked the German localization.
• Made a change to the way volumes are explicitly mounted, increasing the chance of mounting 'exotic' servers such as NFS.
• Now updates the menu state more frequently in an attempt to fix an obscure problem whereby the correct status of the scheduler is not displayed in the Actions menu.
• Updated online help.

Version 3.3.4
November 16, 2006

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a Bonjour-related problem with the background scheduler when running on some Panther systems.
• Fixed a bug that would not correctly preserve ownership of files inside packages when running in administrative mode.
• Fixed a file permissions issue that could potentially prevent the Japanese localized version of the program from running correctly.

Version 3.3.3
October 19, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• Mirrored mode synchronizations can now handle date rollback pre-determination.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that could cause a file copy failure if: there was no opposing file, the filename length was greater than 30 characters and the filename began with a "0".
• Implemented logic to work around an apparent OS bug introduced in Mac OS X 10.4.8 which leads to permission errors when copying "locked" files to an AFP mounted file server.
• German translation fixes.

Version 3.3.2
Septempber 6, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• Implemented a simple change that allows the "_Archived Items" or "_Deleted Items" folders to actually be symbolic links to folders stored elsewhere - even on other volumes!
• Improved the logic that handles synchronized deletion detection when dealing with files which have NULL time stamps.
• Updated online help.

Bug Fixes:

• Implemented a work-around for an OS bug that returns incorrect permission info when enumerating files in a folder on an external drive attached to a remote machine running 10.4.x and acting as an AFP server via personal file sharing.
• Implemented a work-around for an OS bug related to caching file information on SMB volumes.
• Applied some minor German translation fixes.
• Fixed a problem that could cause crashes when editing scheduled entries that run when mounting a volume.
• Added logic to fix an obscure problem where a file that has previously been archived becomes a folder, and now contains files that need to be archived.

Version 3.3.1
June 27, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• The behavior of preserving modification dates of folders is now tied to an option setting in the Special File/Folder Handling section of the Options panel.
• Added explicit filesystem changed notifications whenever changing attributes of a file, letting other applications (such as Finder) respond immediately to such changes.
• Added explicit filesystem changed notifications prior to restoring modification dates of folders whose contents have changed.
• Change the "Buy" URL to point directly to the ChronoSync page in our online store.
• Updated online help.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed some cosmetic UI problems and types.
• Fixed a problem determining unique filenames in a folder when the base filename has an extension that is so long, it is impossible to come up with a unique filename given the current filesytems' name limitations.
• Fixed a cosmetic glitch in the German localized version.
• Corrected a translation error in the French version of the Synchronizer Operations OLH page.
• Fixed a bug (introduced in v3.3.0) whereby attempting to copy a locked package would result in a permissions error.

Version 3.3.0
June 1, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• Localization of three new languages - French, German, and Japanese.
• Better preserves folder attributes (mod/creation dates, etc.) whenever contents of those folders are modified.
• Introduced the BSD flags and Timestamps sync triggers.
• Applied a major terminology/user selection change to the Targets panel whereby "Direction" and "Mode" have been combined into a single "Operation" setting.
• Implemented the "Get Info in Finder" command which appears on the same various pop-up menus that "Open in Finder" and "Reveal in Finder" appear.
• Implemented a "Help" button in the Setup panel which takes you directly to the "Synchronize Operations" page of the online help.
• Updated online help.
• Updated toolbar artwork.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a problem where archiving deleted files within packages with the "Dissect packages" option enabled could result in a crash.
• Fixed a bug dealing with filenames which were 255 characters long.
• Fixed a bug where Unicode text in Finder/Spotlight comments was not being properly preserved when the Preserve Comments option was enabled.
• Fixed a bug where the number of items to be processed list in the Trial Sync Selector window wasn't always accurate.
• Fixed a bug whereby the Analyze Panel was still available in the View menu when running with a simplified interface.
• Fixed a bug in the File Size rule that could result in crashes after editing the rule (in Intermediate or Advanced modes) and then closing the document.

Version 3.2.1
March 9, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• Better handles invalid time stamps associated with files.
• Introduced an optimization that reduces the frequency at which ChronoSync verifies if target volumes are still mounted.
• Relaxed some thread locks to allow more operations to execute simultaneously, and potentially increase performance, when when running multiple synchronizations.
• Some UTC date/time conversion functions have been modified to handle extremely large dates.

Bug Fixes:

• Eliminated a crashing bug related to the Preserve Comments feature.
• Fixed a bug where the Analyze and Archive panels would not re-verify the targets before refreshing themselves.
• Fixed an observed deadlock that could occur while moving files to an archive when when running multiple synchronizations concurrently.
• Fixed a theoretical deadlock that could occur while mounting server volumes when when running multiple synchronizations concurrently.
• Fixed a bug where quotation marks and other symbols in a Finder/Spotlight comment would result in the failure of CS to preserve that comment.
• A bug related to Preserve Comments in conjunction with Simplified Interface has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug where the Data Size trigger could erroneously detect a package size changing if the aggregate package size was greater than 2GB.

Version 3.2.0
February 9, 2006

Features & Enhancements:

• Universal Binary runs natively on Intel Macs.
• "Parent Path" rule that tests the pathname of a file or folder's parent folder against the user specified path.
• "Finder/Spotlight Comment" rule that tests the Finder/Spotlight comment associated with a file or folder against the user specified comment.
• Enhanced the "Finder Label" rule. It now displays a nice color swatch next to each label.
• Enhanced the "Creation Date" rule. It may now be applied to files, folders or both.
• Enhanced the "Modification Date" rule. It may now be applied to files, folders or both.
• FInder/Spotlight comment preservation. The comment is preserved when copying files or updating attributes.
• New Mail Bridge: GyazMail.
• Optimized the trial synchronization process by reducing the delay that occurred after displaying the "Trial Sync" sheet window and clicking "Synchronize"
• New "Trial Sync" AppleScript command.

Bug Fixes:

• Various bug fixes.

Version 3.1.2
December 19, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• The process of updating internal data structures and synchronizing them with the target filesystem as part of moving files to a folder in an archive has received some general optimizations and executes approximately 5 times faster than 3.1.1.
• The process of asserting file count limits when maintaining folders in an archive has received some general optimizations and executes approximately 10 times faster than 3.1.1.
• The main message field of the synchronization progress dialog has been modified to clip text instead of word-wrapping. This allows very long file names with no word breaks to at least be partially displayed.
• Reworked our core file copying functions to recursively preserve extended attributes and access control lists when copying file packages. Previously, EA/ACL preservation was occurring at a higher level and also would not preserve EAs & ACLs for files within a package.
• Enhanced the data validation logic to try and determine if a file is actively being changed by another process when it is being copied. Change detection is only performed if data validation is enabled.
• The "Maintaining" status message is now displayed whenever a scheduled or contained sync document reaches its maintenance stage. Previously, the status would remain "stuck" at "Running (100%)" for the duration of the maintenance stage.
• Implemented logic that deals with some exotic permission issues when deleting files or moving files to an archive.
• Changed the text of the error message generated when archiving a file fails. It no longer implicates that the file may be in use by another application.
• Eliminated a benign console message that was sometimes getting generated when deleting a file or folder within the Archive panel.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that was reporting "(null)" error messages when something goes wrong while trying to move a file to the archive as a result of a synchronized deletion.
• Fixed a bug where sync documents run by the scheduler would lose information about their window size and position, assuming the user had this preference turned on.

Version 3.1.1
October 26, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• The maintenance phase of a sync operation now consumes less memory and analyzes files in the archive much faster.
• Implemented instant feedback for the 'Delete' operation in the Archive panel by dimming each entry that will be deleted.
• When evaluating file pairs and blind sync mode is in effect, the pair will only be marked for deletion if a last modification date has been recorded for the missing file, i.e. the missing file previously existed in an earlier sync.
• A more meaningful error message is now generated if safe-deletion fails.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a problem that could occur on Tiger systems if the progress sheet dialog is displayed when a screen saver is running.
• Eliminated an exception that could get raised when opening a sync document and switching to the Analyze panel if the last viewed path in the Analyze panel was not the root path.
• Added a simple logic change so that file attributes are only compared if the counterpart file exists. This problem was sometimes adversely affecting blind syncs.
• Fixed a potential problem that could cause a crash when switching to/from the Archive panel.
• Fixed a problem that could arise in relatively obscure cases that would lead to improper handling of Unicode file names.
• Added code to workaround an apparent OS bug that affects moving files to the archive. This resulted in the random inability to move certain files to an archive.
• Fixed problems that could lead to improper symbolic link handling in certain cases.
• Fixed a problem that prevented proper synchronization of files with the "/Private" folder.
• Fixed a bug where you could not force synchronization on conflicts from within the trial sync selector sheet window.
• Fixed a bug where ownership (user & group) attributes would not be correctly applied to symbolic links. The links were being followed.
• Fixed a bug where some file attributes in file syncs might not be correctly applied to destination files if the destination files were locked. This problem always affected file ownership changes.
• Fixed a bug where symbolic links could not be properly maintained in an archive.
• Fixed a bug in the scheduler that caused lockups with some schedules when a Daylight Savings Time transition neared.

Version 3.1.0
August 24, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• Archiving - Deleted and/or replaced files can be placed in an archive for later retrieval and/or restoration.
• Automatic archive management - Maintain a minimum number of archived versions and/or purge older or excessively duplicated files.
• Manual archive management via the new Archive panel.
• Synchronized files now maintain extended attribute metadata and access control lists (Tiger specific).
• Added 'Compare' and 'Delete' actions that may now be applied from within the Trial Synchronization sheet window.
• Enhanced the 'Restore' command in the Analyze panel so it can now be invoked when files or folders are marked for deletion.
• Added the "Always Trigger" option which will copy all files in the sync. tree, allowing custom rules to be the sole determining factor for what files get synchronized.
• A "Monthly" scheduling option is now available so that synchronizations can be scheduled on specific days of the month.
• New deletion options are available from the 'Delete' command when invoked in the Analyze panel - files can be deleted immediately, moved to the trash or placed in the archive.
• Numerous bug fixes.
• Certified for use with Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3) and Tiger (10.4).
• ... and much more!

Version 3.0.2
May 25, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• More efficient use of memory when executing multiple sync documents from a container.
• Now tries harder to determine if a folder is a package if the logic to detect a package happens to fail.
• Added '/dev' to the list of blacklisted folders.
• When validating non AFP server volumes (such as SMB), creation dates of the volume are no longer compared.
• Minor artwork changes.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug where attention sounds would play even the user had turned OFF the preference setting for doing so.
• Added logic that should prevent a theoretical crash that can occur when a synchronizer aborts because it can't locate a target and another synchronizer which mounts a target executes immediately after it (such as back-to-back scheduled documents and/or within a container).
• Implemented workaround logic that scans folders for files that may have been erroneously marked as symbolic links when stored on an AFP mounted file server - caused by a bug detected in Mac OS X 10.3.x and older versions of ChronoSync.

Version 3.0.1
April 21, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• Added the "Expand all Folders" and "Collapse all Folders" commands to the "View" menu.
• The "Restore" command may now be applied to a file-pair earmarked for deletion.
• Improved performance while aggregating package dates.
• Improved performance while deleting large packages.
• Minor interface tweaks.

Bug Fixes:

• Eliminated an exception that was being raised when trying to scan the contents of a folder for which the user had no read access permissions. This behavior was introduced by Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4 (a.k.a "Tiger").
• Implemented additional logic to work around an OS bug that can cause crashes in rare circumstances.
• Eliminated a memory leak associated with opening and closing synchronizer document windows.
• Implemented additional logic to more thoroughly deal with the possibility of losing server connections in the middle of a synchronization.
• Eliminated the ability for the user to "Retry" a failed operation when the error that occurred is considered fatal.
• Eliminated a theoretical deadlock that could occur when one synchronizer starts at the precise moment that another synchronizer is terminating itself.
• Fixed a problem where modification dates for previously synchronized folders were not being collected.
• Fixed a problem where attributes coming from a resolved alias folder were not being correctly applied to its counterpart.
• Fixed a bug that could cause ChronoSync to 'forget' all collected state information for all files in a sync tree if a target is unmounted and then remounted while viewing the Analyze panel.
• Fixed a bug where attribute changes detected in Blind sync mode would generate a 'File not found' error if the file's counterpart did not exist.
• Fixed a bug whereby rules were not being applied to deleted files while running in the Blind sync mode.

Version 3.0.0
March 29, 2005

Features & Enhancements:

• A completely redesigned user interface with more logical option grouping.
• "Blind" synchronization mode, useful for many advanced tasks such as incremental backups.
• "Biased" synchronization mode, useful for many advanced tasks such as cloning.
• Data validation ensures copied data matches the original.
• User configurable synchronization triggers which determine how file changes are detected.
• Attribute synchronization, detects metadata changes and intelligently applies them.
• Folder tunneling allows you to drill through folders much more efficiently.
• Expanded file information panel.
• Icon shortcut menu, lets you open or view selected files in the Finder.
• Expanded Trial Sync. selector, displays detailed information about each file.
• "Wake-from-sleep" scheduling option will wake your computer when it's time to synchronize.
• Document window states are now saved with each file.
• Animated interface transitions.
• Additional user preferences such as control over attention sounds and automatic update checks.
• Redesigned online help.
• Numerous bug fixes.
• Certified for use with Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3) and Tiger (10.4).
• ... and much more!

To view the release notes for version 2.0.8 and earlier, click here...