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Bird Brain

Bird Brain and iCloud

What's the iCloud Drive

iCloud is a service provided by Apple for storing files on a server on the Internet as a back up and so they can be easily shared by other computers or mobile devices. It's an especially easy way to back up your iPhone. Apple starts you out with 5GB of storage for free, and you can upgrade the storage to more by paying a monthly fee.

50GB of storage - $0.99 per month
200GB of storage - $2.99 per month|
2TB of storage - $9.99 per month

The two last MacOS operating systems, Sierra and High Sierra, made it very easy to enable this option when installing them on your desktop Mac. So easy that many people may have activated their iCould Drive without even knowing they did it!

If iCloud is turned on, by default, everything in your Documents folder and on your Desktop goes into your iCloud drive.

How do I know if I've activated my iCloud Drive?

You can check by choosing iCloud Drive from the Go menu. Take a look. Do you see your Desktop and Documents folders shown there? If they are not there, that means you have activated iCloud.

Here's another indication that iCloud has been activated. Look in the Finder's Sidebar panel. Do your Documents and Desktop folders appear under Favorites? If not, that also means you have activated iCloud. Instead, your Documents and Desktop folders will be in a separate iCloud section in the Sidebar.

Is it a problem for my Bird Brain Folder to be in the iCloud drive?

It may indeed be a problem!

We have not been able to find an authoritative opinion about running a FileMaker Runtime (which is what Bird Brain is) from the iCloud drive.

We have been testing it, and it seems to run OK most of the time. However, at least some Bird Brain users have lost their records after their Bird Brain Folder was transfered to the iCloud drive. Fortunately, they were able to retrieve their records, but only because they had recent backups. But it gave them an uncomfortable moment.

Until there is a greater body of knowledge and experience in running programs like Bird Brain from the iCloud, we recommend against it. We recommend that you keep the Bird Brain Folder on your local computer.

If you are experienced with iCloud and wish to use Bird Brain from iCloud, please be sure to keep backups. And be aware that if you do lose your records to the iCloud, we may not be able to help you recover them.

How can I keep my Bird Brain files from running on iCloud?

Home Folder IconTo prevent Bird Brain from runningon iCloud, you do not have to turn off iCloud. Simply move your Bird Brain Folder into your Home folder. (No matter what it is named, your Home folder icon will be a small house.)

You can open your Home folder by choosing Home from the Finder's Go menu.

That is a safe place, because files in the Home folder are not automatically moved to the iCloud drive. Bird Brain's files will remain only on your Mac.

Since it is possible to activate the iCloud drive without being aware of it, we strongly recommend users to keep Bird Brain in the Home folder.

Wouldn't it be nice to use Bird Brain on the iCloud?

Theoretically, it is a great way to effortlessly sync your Bird Brain records between your laptop and your desktop Mac. If both Macs have the same iCloud Drive enabled, and the whole Bird Brain 7.2 Folder is in your Documents folder, you should be able to go on a trip with your laptop, and when you come back, open Bird Brain on your desktop Mac, and the sightings you entered on your trip will be there.

But there have been mishaps, and that is why we feel it is too soon to recommend it. We will continue to research the issue and keep you informed.

However, if you decide to go ahead and use Bird Brain 7.2 (or any other version of Bird Brain) from iCloud, please report to us how it works out for you. Your experience is valuable, and we want to know about it. You can call us at 800-779-7256 or email Diane.

Bottom line: install the Bird Brain 7.2 Folder in the Home folder

For now, put the Bird Brain 7.2 Folder in your Home folder as recommended in the installation instructions.

If you are using the iCloud and later on you want to run Bird Brain from the iCloud drive, simply drag the entire Bird Brain 7.2 Folder from the Home folder and drop it into the Documents folder.