FormSync frequently asked questions

When should I synchronize objects, and when should I copy objects?

You should synchronize different versions of the forms database whenever you install a new version of the forms database from your vendor. You should copy customized objects when you move them between two forms databases, such as a test forms database and a deployed forms database.

What if there are no customizations to my application?

If you are synchronizing a new version and no customizations exist in your current forms database, you do not need to run FormSync. You can simply install the new forms database from your vendor and use it in place of your current forms database.

Caution:

You should be very sure, however, that your current forms database has no customized forms or components, no customized global objects, and no customized forms and folders. Any public or user folder (including each user's My Folders) is a customized folder.

What if I don't know whether customizations have been made to my application?

Use FormSync to create a list of customized objects that exist in a forms database. If this list is empty, you have no customizations in your application.

What if there are a great number of customizations to my application?

If your site has created many customized forms and global objects, you should plan to run FormSync repeatedly. Each time through, set the options so that you process only one type of customization each time. This gives you the opportunity to check the results of one synchronization before performing the next and can help minimize errors.

Note: If doing this, we recommend that each time through, you keep customizations by default for those options not being processed.

What's the easiest way to synchronize databases?

The easiest way to synchronize databases is to run FormSync and use all the default settings. By doing this, you will accomplish this:

Replace the old base-level versions with new ones.
Automatically merge basic form and component customizations with the new base-level versions. This choice reduces editing time afterwards.
Decide how to handle major form and component customizations by responding to prompts when those objects are encountered. This functionality helps you identify more complicated customizations and reduces editing time afterwards.
Decide whether to keep or remove customized global objects by responding to prompts when those objects are encountered.

Can I run FormSync in the background?

Yes. If you choose to log prompts for replay later, you can run FormSync unattended. Later, you can replay the prompts, respond to them, and complete the synchronization process.

Can I run FormSync more than once?

Yes. You can rerun FormSync as often as necessary to get the results you need. Consider the following examples:

If you do not like the results obtained by one pass through, you can completely redo the synchronization process. Just restore your Target database from the backup, and then rerun FormSync using different settings.
You can rerun FormSync, removing customizations that did not merge well the first time. Identify the same Source and Target databases as you did the first time. Then rerun FormSync and set options to identify the customizations you want to remove from the Target database.

Note: Before you rerun FormSync, you might want to clear old messages and prompts from the log so that you view only the new ones.

How is the Explorer affected by synchronization?


Master Explorer	Typically, the application folders in the Master Explorer are not customized, and you want to update them with the new versions supplied by your vendor. When you set your synchronization options, select the Update Explorer check box. If you clear this check box, the application folders remain unchanged. The All Forms folder is dynamically created from the forms database, so it automatically includes any new Vendor default forms after you finish synchronizing the Target database.
Public, User, and My Folders	All Public and My Folders folders that exist on your system are customized at your site. Typically, you want to retain these customizations. When you set your synchronization options, select the Keep Explorer Customizations check box. If you clear this check box, FormSync removes all Public and My Folders folders from the Target database. The application creates user folders dynamically and mirrors each user's My Folders. If you retain customized folders, you might need to revise them after synchronization to reflect any vendor default forms that did not exist previously.