Filing documents in iCloud

[Anastasius]

As I'm currently in the situation of having my main iMac/working environment at our house that's undergoing renovation, I spend some nights away in rental accommodation where LOML is residing with her iMac. The first few nights I found things very frustrating as I rely heavily on Keychain for my user details on various websites and so couldn't do very much. Then I thought "Mmmm...iCloud ?". I created a separate user account on her iMac and logged into iCloud and Bingo...keychain access..brilliant news. Also there were my Mail accounts. And able to easily access my Mail. Result !!

But I'm fumbling a bit with files. I know that you can use iCloud as a repository for files created in iWorks, for example. But I have a folder where I've got all sorts of PDFs, HTML links, other stuff relating to the renovation project. But i can;t find a way to share that in the Cloud.

Supplementary question. My main email account is IMAP. I have my main iMac set up with sub-folders and file a lot of stuff away. But the act of filing into a sub-folder is treated by the IMAP server as a Copy and Delete operation and so no longer available on the server. A downside of Rule based filing ! So would Smart folders help ?

Or do I need to setup folders under my @me.com email address (if I can remember (a) where it is and (b) how to login etc!) and do a forward of all my mail to this email address and then have Rules to file into folders ?

I know that Dave has spent a lot of time looking into Smart folders

[Dave2002]

I spotted this while looking for something else, and it looked "kinda lonely" - so I thought I'd respond. As you've perhaps now moved back home some of the factors which caused you to try the iCloud may no longer be relevant. As you realise I have very mixed feelings about the iCloud. I almost completely try to avoid it, but once or twice it has actually (quite by chance) rescued a loss of data situation - though it's also possible that it was the iCloud settings which caused the data to be "lost" or at least hidden in the first place as one or two others (e.g. rfg) have noted.

Re folders and smart folders - I would still recommend smart folders over folders, though sometimes it takes a while for data (and emails) to wend their way into the relevant folders. I note that email which has been very recently sent will get into the inbox quicker than into a smart mailbox set up to filter the mail into useful categories. The good thing about smart folders/mailboxes is that the data stays in the same location, so you can have the same files or emails in many different smart folders/mailboxes.

These tools don't, unfortunately, solve all problems though, as over time you may still discover that you have a lot of different smart mailboxes. A filter for smart mailboxes/folders too, perhaps!

Obviously a lot depends on how much activity you have in your file system or mail system. Some people won't have much so can manage easily with a single mailbox, and one desktop etc. OTOH - some - and that seems to include me - do have many items which should be managed - sometimes also in mobile mode (i.e. on a laptop) - and it is helpful to have some form of technical support for that. For an example of the kind of thing I mean, try going to your local area council website, and look for details of large planning applications and their appeals. Some run to hundreds of documents, so represent major challenges for anyone trying to deal with those. I'm sure there are many other examples - just that most lay amateur people don't do this kind of thing too often. One of my friends used to work in an engineering field and told me about huge design files - and many of them - and that was before almost everyone walks around with laptops capable of storing the Encyclopaedia Britannica several times over.

[Stunsworth]

For file sharing I use Dropbox.

[Dave2002]

For file sharing I use Dropbox.

I avoid that too - though very occasionally I use it. Someone I know found a major problem - I think involving a major failure, and potential leak of confidential data and loss of research data - though I didn't have it from the horse's mouth so can't be sure of the details.

Personally I try to avoid any file sharing unless the data in the files is content I don't really mind anybody seeing, and I do email files to myself on a regular basis - and also to others who I really want to have the files. I guess Dropbox is actually more secure than using email, but I do find it quite a faff.

For large files I tend to use tools such as WeTransfer. I do have photos on imgur and flickr.