Cloud Sync

Video Tutorial

The Cloud Sync system is a Cloud (Internet) based sync system for synchronizing subscribing devices such as iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad with Logbook Pro PC edition.  Synchronizing does the following:

• Stores information "in the cloud" from Logbook Pro PC edition for subscribing devices to pick up your aircraft types, history events, custom column data, and reports
• Stores information "in the cloud" entered on subscribing devices and merges any changes since the last sync from the device
• Displays a web page at http://logbookpro.com/sync allowing you to view the subscriber credentials (Account ID and Username), last sync dates (UTC), and presents data in the queue pending synchronization to Logbook PC edition which can be removed line-by-line or purged if desired.

Professional/Enterprise edition users - CLONES cannot be synced with Logbook Pro for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad apps.  Only MASTER files can participate in synchronization.

To get your Cloud Sync Account ID and Username, login to http://logbookpro.com/sync.  If you do not have an account on our web site create a new account during the login process.  Your account credentials need to be entered in Logbook Pro PC edition by clicking PDA...Cloud Sync...Account Settings (or click "Cloud Sync" on the Toolbar) and also on your device within the Settings/Synchronization area.

Figure 1.  Cloud Sync Settings

Figure 1 shows the account settings dialog which appears when clicking Cloud Sync/Account Settings.  Enter your Account ID and Account Username found on the Cloud Sync portal described above.  Check the options to enable automatic synchronization and AutoFill then close the dialog.  The automatic synchronization and AutoFill options can also be set from the sub-menu when clicking Cloud Sync.

Automatic Synchronization:

Automatic synchronization allows Logbook Pro to check your Cloud Sync portal when the program is launched.  If the Cloud Sync portal contains device data it will be downloaded to your PC and removed from the Cloud Sync portal and immediately synchronized into your data areas.  Automatic synchronization also automatically sends data to your Cloud Sync portal when closing Logbook Pro.  This is the preferred option to keep subscribing devices up-to-date any time there are changes made within Logbook Pro.

Enable AutoFill when synchronizing:

AutoFill is a powerful system to automatically enter flight log information based off of the Aircraft Type and Duration in a flight log record.  Minimal flight log entry is required on the device as AutoFill will be executed at the time the information is synchronized into Logbook Pro.  You can option AutoFill to occur on the device or have AutoFill occur when syncing to the PC within the Cloud Sync settings.  For more details on AutoFill, click here.

Enable Scheduled Sync:

A new feature in 1.10.54 and later is the capability to have Logbook Pro automatically sync on a scheduled time interval.  While Automatic Synchronization will sync when Logbook Pro starts and shuts down, the scheduled sync will sync every set period of time.  You can specify the interval from 15 minutes up to 12 hours.  The purpose of this feature is for those that travel such as airline pilots or if you're going on a cross-country trip.  You can add new information to your device, sync it and then with Logbook Pro running on your computer (open or minimized) it will poll the Cloud Sync portal at the specified interval.  Logbook Pro will pull down the information synced from your device and then refresh the Cloud Sync portal with the new data.  This will allow your device to receive updated reports and statistics without having any interaction with your computer back at home or the office.  This is vital for up-to-date currency status based on your recent flying activity or FAR 121/135 duty limits.  Professional Edition users have the FAR 121 and FAR 135 tabs in the device's Lookback report, these will be automatically updated via this scheduled synchronization system.  The status bar will show the last time the scheduled sync completed. (Note:  Use discretion on leaving Logbook Pro open on a computer as any sudden power loss could cause your data to become corrupt.  Use this feature only when traveling and when needed.  Keep frequent backups of your data for recovery if needed.)

If you do not opt for automatic synchronization you will need to manually publish Logbook Pro PC data to the Cloud Sync portal and synchronize device data in the Cloud Sync portal queue by clicking Cloud Sync...Sync Now.
 

Figure 2.  Cloud Sync Portal Data

After synchronizing your device, you can login to the Cloud Sync portal and view the data awaiting synchronization as shown in Figure 2 above.  Certificates, Ratings, and History show full data while the Flights section only shows a portion of the data.  If you make changes to data on the device and sync again, it will replace the matching items on the Cloud Sync portal, it will not get duplicated.  If, however, Logbook Pro PC edition has already synchronized the data and removed the device data from the portal, the device if edited and resynced will send the information to the portal again and Logbook Pro PC edition will sync this information and potentially duplicate it.  Once Logbook Pro PC edition synchronizes the portal data it should not be changed on the device.

The Cloud Sync portal also enables you to remove information if you no longer want it to go into Logbook Pro PC edition.  Click the "X" on the far right of each row that you want to remove and after acknowledging the confirmation to delete it will then be removed.  If you want to remove all data you can click the "Purge Device Data" button on the portal, as shown in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3.  Cloud Sync Portal

Cloud Sync requires Logbook Pro 1.11.x or later and a cloud sync subscription.  All Logbook Pro PC edition version 1.x updates are free.  Click here to download the latest version if needed.  For information about cloud sync subscriptions click here.