Inadequate Documentation for running RTS on MacOS

[Inglenook]

The FFS Manual has a fine section on running RealTimeSync as a service on Windows. However, there is nothing similar provided for MacOS or for Linux. This leaves people guessing how it should be done, involving a lot of trial and error (in my experience).

A page should be added to the manual for MacOS along the following lines:
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RealTimeSync is designed to run as a background process which does not need further attention. On MacOS, there are some ways to start RTS automatically and have it run in the background. One way to do this is described here. This method involves the use of Automator and the System Preferences facility to start applications automatically at Login.

Step 1: Create an Automator app to start RealTimeSync

Open the Automator application on MacOS. Automator is supplied with MacOS and is in the Applications list.

Within the Automator window, there is a display of Actions on the left. Click on "Library", which displays a long list of actions. Scroll down the list of actions looking for "RunShellScript". Select "RunShellScript", which creates a "Run Shell Script" element in the application window on the right. Within this element, there is an input box where you can write the content of the script that this app will run. In this input box write a single command to start RealTimeSync, as follows:

open -a RealTimeSync "/Users/xxxxx/Foo/Bar/Main_Sync_File_01.ffs_batch"

xxxxx = your userid
/Foo/Bar = is the path to a directory where you store your FFS files

This assumes that you have created a suitable ffs_batch file containing a list of the directories that you want to monitor and sync as described in the material on batch jobs.

Once created, save this script as an app file using the "File/Save" menu option of Automator, using a name of your choice. You can put this file in a directory of your choosing - but the same directory used for the ffs_batch file is a convenient place.

Step 2: Run the RTS Shell Script file on Login

The idea is to run RealTimeSync whenever you login to your Mac and for it to run in the background while you're logged in.

Open "System Preferences" / "Users & Groups" and select your own Userid. This will typically be marked as "Current User". On the right of the window is an area with the options "Password" and "Login Items" at the top. Select "Login Items" and a list is shown with the legend "These items will open automatically when you log in". Below the list are a pair of buttons labelled "+" and "-" which are used to add and remove items in the list.

Click the "+" button. A file dialog opens, inviting you to select the application you want to run. Find the app file you saved at the end of step 1, select it and click the "Add" button at the bottom right. This adds your script app to the list of login items.

Once you have completed these two steps, the next time you login to your Mac, the shell script will run, RTS will start and you should see the RTS red arrows icon appear in the top right of the menu bar. RTS should first run FFS to perform an initial sync of the directories listed in the ffs_batch file and then settle down to monitoring those directories for any future changes.
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I hope that this will be helpful to those Mac users who might be scratching their heads working out how to automate their file sync.

I also have a Raspberry Pi and so I am also a Linux user - I hope that some equivalent mechanism for automation is possible for Linux and that we can add a description of that to the FFS Manual.

Yours, Mike.

[xCSxXenon]

I think a large hurdle is the differences between Mac OS versions, and saying to create a startup task is an OS skill, not FFS