On demand sync gives users visibility of their local documents whilst storing the contents in the cloud. Users can choose to download the documents for offline access, as and when required.
On-demand sync is only available on Windows.
The value of On demand sync
On-demand sync allows users to:
- Save space on their hard drives
- Access every file and folder on your HighQ Drive
- Select whether individual files and folders are available online or offline
- Select default sync settings for files and folders
Using On demand sync
If On demand sync is enabled, files are stored as placeholder files with an hqc extension, as shown in the image above. When a file is clicked, a blue 'downloaded' icon appears next to the file name and it is downloaded for instant viewing.
The size of the file will also increase from 0 KB.
In HighQ Drive Preferences, choose the Advanced tab and select the Enable On demand sync checkbox.
Select the checkbox next to Remove synced files after, then set a time period in Hour(s), Day(s) or Month(s) to automatically remove files that have been synced after the specified amount of time.
After the files are removed, the size of the file will return to 0 KB.
Offline files and folders
Select HighQ Drive >Available offline to make each of the files and folders that you selected available offline to users:
The selected file will then be downloaded and displayed with a blue 'downloaded' icon. Once the file is available offline a green tick is displayed next to the file name.
Key points of On demand sync
- It allows you to access all of your files and folders from the cloud - reducing the storage required on your computer
- You can view all of your files and folders directly in the File Explorer, instead of only seeing the files you've opted to sync to your computer
- When existing HighQ Drive installation is updated, On-demand sync is not enabled by default. Enable On demand sync in the Settings > Advanced tab
- You can view the status of all files and folders. HighQ Drive uses Windows Explorer icons to indicate if the file is downloaded or in the cloud:
- Users have the option to remove the local copy of each file from their computer. This only removes files from the computer, not the cloud
- When you update a shared file, the file is synced automatically across all devices that have access to it; other users will also have the latest version
- When a new document is created in a synced folder, the document is then uploaded to the cloud
- When you move a file placeholder from one folder to another in a site using HighQ Drive with On demand sync enabled, the file will also be moved in the cloud
- When you move a file placeholder from one site to another in HighQ Drive, the file is copied to the server and the local placeholder is removed
