# Syncing Preferences Between Multiple Copies of Yate

There is a mechanism to automatically sync preferences between instances of Yate running on different Macs. This is done by by using the preference import/export system. A file is designated to be the auto import/export preferences file. This file is kept in a location accessible to every copy of Yate. This can be a shared drive or a Dropbox folder. The feature is enabled by selecting the Auto import/export preferences fie option in General Preferences and then by choosing a file and optionally configuring what metadata gets synced.

When the option is enabled and Yate terminates, the current preference values will automatically be exported to the specified file. Note that the Auto import/export preferences file option is never written to the file.

When the option is enabled and Yate starts, the preference file will automatically be imported if the file was not written by the same copy of Yate. Note that the import is a complete overwrite. It is not a full or partial merge of values normally performed when importing preferences.

There is a scenario where incorrect values could be written to the file. For example: Yate-1 has the option enabled and terminates. At this time the common file contains the preference values used by Yate-1. You now start Yate-2 and enable the option. If you now terminate Yate-2, it's potentially different values will be written to the common file. To handle this situation, whenever you enable the option and select a file which already exists, you will be prompted to import the values in the file immediately. Importing the values ensures that the correct contents will be written to the file when Yate-2 terminates.

With a little common sense this method should allow you to maintain a single set of preferences. The functionality will only work if you are utilizing a single copy of Yate at a time. If for any reason you mess up, remember that Yate automatically creates a backup of the preferences each time the application is started. The number of auto backups retained is configurable in General Preferences.

Note that you can cancel the automatic loading of the preferences file by holding down the Shift key when Yate starts.