This chapter describes how to sync your Library or parts of it with a folder of your choice. After covering the basic ideas folder synchronisation is based on, this will describe how to use the synchronisation tab.
The Folder Synchronisation Concept
The sync's options are divided into two parts: the profile, which stores all options that are not related to one specific sync, and the options only related to a specific sync. A profile stores information, how the Sync should get performed, for example it saves weather files should get deleted if they aren't part of the sync or not. After you configured a profile, you can use it for a specific sync, so after choosing the profile you specify what playlists should get synced to what folder. The profile configuration features are covered by another chapter.
The Synchronisation Tab
The synchronisation tab can be used to start syncs, and to monitor current sync's status.
Accessing the Synchronisation Tab
After installing FolderSync and restarting Songbird to complete the installation, or after the first start of Nightingale you can access the Synchronisation tab via clicking the entry "FolderSync" or "Synchronisation" in the "Library" section of the service pane (located on the left).


The exact position might differ, depending on what feather (skin for Songbird) and other AddOns you use. The sidebar might be on another position, there might be additional entries in it, for example "Radio", when using SHOUTcast, DirectTune and/or BirdTune.
Tab Layout


As you can see on the screenshots above, the tab is divided into four parts:
The first part consists of the logo above all other features. On the right hand side there is information about syncs running or in queue. We'll take a closer look at queueing and monitoring features later.
The second one is "Favorite Syncs", a feature to 'bookmark' syncs you preform often. Favorite Syncs are covered in another chapter of this manual.
The third part is used to start a sync, which will be the next aspect to cover in this manual.
The last part contains buttons that should help you: a link to the Preferences, the comment page and this manual.
Starting a Sync


As mentioned above, you will only have to enter information related to the specific sync you want to start; general Sync-related options are bundeled in profiles. You can select the profile to use for the sync in the "Current profile:"-box.
The next specific information needed is what playlists you want to sync. If you created a new playlist since you opened the tab, you might have to use the "Refresh"-button to make it appear in the list. The same issue affects deleted playlists: playlists deleted since you opened the tab will only disappear after you refreshed the list. To include a playlist into the sync, check the box in front of it. The box on the left gets updated when you change your selection and displays the file size of all currently selected playlists when using the currently choosen profile (profiles may want songs to get copied for each playlist they are in, instead of only one time for every playlist).
The last information needed is the target Folder: you might want to use the browse button or enter the path by yourself. Enter the path as you would enter it into any other application, use the platform-specific syntax (so Windows users might use 'Z:\Music', Linux users '/media/mp3/Music').
If you finished entering all needed information, use the "Start Sync"-button to start the sync. Caution: depending on the profile "Start Sync" may delete files (although that is not the default behaviour).
Monitoring Syncs and the Sync Queue
As mentioned above, while syncs are running you can see their state on the right hand side of the logo:


There is only one sync running, there is no possibility to run syncs simultaneously. If you start another sync while a sync is performed, the new sync will go into the sync queue and will get performed after the current sync finished. You can cancel the current sync with the button "Cancel", and you can drop the whole queue via using the button "Cancel all". The bottom part with the "Cancel all" button is only visible if there are syncs in the sync queue.


After a sync finished, you see a notification above the status field. You can use the cross on the right hand side of the notification to close it, and see the status line again. This is because you wouldn't see the result of a sync if it would be displayed in the status field only when syncs are queued; new syncs would cause the result of old syncs to hide. If a sync failed, its notification will stay over notifications from syncs that succeeded, if there is more than one notification.


If you leave the tab, syncs will get performed in background. You will see a message (if you didn't change the preference for it) if a sync is completed, see screenshot above. If there are syncs running, the small logo in the servicepane (on the left) will spin.