The Local Files sync feature combines the power of Kahua’s File Management System with the convenience of working with folders and files on your computer. When you use Local Files from the desktop host, the folders and files you select will be synchronized to a user folder on your device. You can work on those files on your local device in their native applications, and Kahua will synchronize the updated files back to Kahua when you save and close those files.
Note that the Local Files feature only works with the desktop host.
To use the Local Files sync feature for any File Manager folder, the following settings must be in place:
- Local files sync must be enabled for your domain in the Domain Settings application. Refer to Domain Settings.
- You must have enabled Local Files sync for your account. Refer to "How to Enable Local File sync" below.
- You must be a member of a User Group with sync permissions for the File Manager application.
- You must be a member of a User Group with sync permissions for each of the folders you are trying to sync. Permissions can be modified at the File Manager folder level. If you are unable to sync a specific folder, it is possibly that sync permissions for that folder have been modified. To modify folder permissions, administrators can right-click on the folder and select Properties > Permissions. Select the appropriate user group to modify, select Override and select or clear the Sync role for that group.
In this article:
- How to enable Local File sync
- How to resolve Long Paths Not Allowed Error message
- How to select which projects and project folders to sync
- How to ensure your files sync correctly
- How to use File Manager > Open to sync a single file
- How to access the local files on your device
- How to pause file syncing temporarily
- How to reset the Local File sync
How to enable Local File sync
Note that to be available to users, local files sync must be enabled for your domain in the Domain Settings application. Refer to Domain Settings.
Syncing local files to your computer is managed from the desktop host. To enable local files sync for your account, complete the following steps:
- Open the desktop host and click the person icon in the upper right corner of your screen (or your image if you’ve set a picture for your user account). Select My Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Local Files tab. If this option is not available, your domain administrator may not have enabled local files sync for your domain or you may not have permissions to sync files.
- Select Enable to turn on local file sync for your account. Once local file sync is enabled, you must select which projects, folders, and files to sync.
How to resolve Long Paths Not Allowed Error message
After enabling local file syncing on your device, you may see a "Long Paths Not Allowed" error message.
By default, Windows only supports file paths less than 255 characters. This can prevent folders and files with longer path names from being synced to your computer. Longer file paths can be supported by changing a registry key or using the Group Policy tool to remove the limit.
For more information on resolving this error message, refer to Long Paths Not Allowed - Enable Long Path Support in Windows.
How to select which projects and project folders to sync
Once you've enabled local file sync for your account, you can select which projects and which folders within those projects to turn on file syncing for. Note that when you select a folder, all of the folder contents are selected and will be synced.
By default, you will initially see the project you are currently in. To sync all the File Manager folders in this project, select the check box next to Folders. Click Save when you are done.
To select specific folders or files for syncing, click on Folders to drill down into the file structure. Select the check boxes next to the folders and files you want to include for syncing. Click Save when you are done.
To select another project for syncing, click Change next to the project name.
Navigate the partition and project structure to select the folders and files to include for syncing. Click Save when you are done.
Syncing a large amount of data can take several minutes to a few hours depending on your connection speed. You must leave Kahua running to ensure a complete sync.
How to ensure your files sync correctly
There are several steps you should take to ensure that your local files sync correctly and completely.
They are:
- Leave the Kahua desktop host running in the background when working locally with your files.
- Close your files when you are done working with them. This step ensures that they are updated in Kahua and that those updates are available to other users.
- Log in regularly to get the latest file updates.
- When deleting or moving large numbers of files or folders, use Kahua File Manager instead of your local File Explorer. This will reduce the number of required confirmations and permissions checks when syncing occurs.
- Use My Settings > Local Files to stop syncing specific folders and files that you no longer want to sync. Do not delete them locally. Local folder and file deletions are synced to Kahua. Instead, navigate to My Settings > Local Files and clear the check boxes next to the folders and files you no longer want to sync.
How to use File Manager > Open to sync a single file
In File Manager, selecting Open to open a file while you are using the desktop host will automatically invoke the Local Files sync. If Local Files is not yet enabled for your account, selecting Open will enable it.
The selected file will be synchronized to your device and open locally. When you save and close the file, the file with any changes will be synced back to Kahua, just like any other synced file. To remove the file from the Local Files sync, follow the steps for "Select which projects and project folders to sync" and clear the check box next to the file.
How to access the local files on your device
The synced folders and files are located on your device at C:\users\YourUsername\Kahua-[DomainName]. You can access the C:\users\YourUsername folder directly from the My Settings > Local Files page by clicking the Local Path name in the upper-right corner. Once open, you can use the right-click menu in File Explorer to select Pin to Start or Pin to Quick Access for ease of access to the Kahua local files folder.
Note that the file path used by Kahua to store files locally on your device cannot be changed. If you attempt to move this folder, Kahua will simply rewrite it again to this location.
How to pause file syncing temporarily
If you have a poor connection or are running data intensive processes on your device, you may want to temporarily pause the syncing of local files.
To temporarily pause syncing, complete the following steps:
- Navigate to your profile in the header and select My Settings > Local Files.
- Select Pause at the top of the page. A message informing you that syncing is paused will appear.
- To resume syncing, return to the My Settings > Local Files page and select Resume.
How to reset the Local File sync
If you find it necessary to re-do the set up of your local files sync, you can use the Reset function. Selecting Reset will remove all your project, folder and file selections, and remove all the folders and files from your device. The files will remain in File Manager for the Kahua project and can continue to be accessed directly in the product.
To reset your local files selections and remove the files from your device, complete the following steps:
- Navigate to your profile in the header and select My Settings > Local Files.
- Select Reset at the top of the page.
- A confirmation message will appear. Select Reset to continue or Cancel to cancel the reset.
- If you select Reset, the local files will be removed from your device, your previous selections will be removed, and the local file sync will no longer be enabled. To begin syncing files again, you will need to re-enable the Local Files feature.