Cloud Sync Folder

Macabacus supports customers' use of cloud storage solutions like OneDrive, SharePoint, and Dropbox. These solutions typically designate a local folder path as the "synchronization folder," such as C:\Users\JohnDoe\OneDrive . As indicated in this example, the user name in the path makes these folders unique to each user. This makes it impossible for Macabacus to reliably know what sync folder path to use for each user to implement certain features—like shared libraries and linking between Excel and PowerPoint/Word—without further configuration.

Configuration

Shared Libraries

Ensure that your local sync folder is set as described below, if necessary, before configuring shared libraries.

Automatic Detection

In Macabacus v9 and later, Macabacus attempts to identify your cloud service and determine its local sync folder path automatically, so no configuration is usually required. You can view the sync folder(s) automatically detected by Macabacus in the Cloud Storage section of the Settings dialog. If Macabacus detects multiple sync folders, it will default to the one listed at the top of the list shown here.

Manual Override

If Macabacus cannot detect your local sync folder automatically as described above, or you use multiple cloud services and Macabacus does not default to the desired path, manually specify the local sync folder path that you prefer Macabacus to use in the Cloud Storage section of the Settings dialog. This path will override any path detected by Macabacus automatically, including any path set using an environment variable as described below. If you must manually specify a sync folder path, other Macabacus users in your organization will likely need to do the same.

Environment Variable

In Macabacus v9.1.10 and later, customers can set an environment variable named MacabacusSyncFolder to the desired sync folder path. This may provide customers a more convenient way to set the local sync folder path than having each user do it manually as described above. It should be trivial for customers to write a logon or other script that adds this environment variable to each user's computer. If your organization uses this approach, do not have users specify a sync folder path using the manual override option. This approach may be most useful for SharePoint customers where the OneDrive sync folder path detected automatically by Macabacus is incorrect or unused.

To edit environment variables manually in Windows 11 or 10, search for "environment variables" and click the top result to open the System Properties dialog, then click the Environment Variables button. This MacabacusSyncFolder variable should appear in the top section of the Environment Variables dialog when properly configured.

Working Example

With your local sync folder configured as described above, Macabacus will automatically replace the "local" portion of paths it encounters with placeholders that anonymize the path so that Macabacus can resolve it correctly on other users' computers. For example, if John Doe has a local sync folder path of C:\Users\JohnDoe\OneDrive and he creates a shared library at C:\Users\JohnDoe\OneDrive\Library, Macabacus will store the path to the shared library folder as %CLOUD_FOLDER%\Library. When Macabacus encounters this anonymized path on Jane Doe's computer, it will automatically resolve it to C:\Users\JaneDoe\OneDrive\Library, assuming her sync folder path is set appropriately.

This example highlights why it is important to configure the local sync folder path before configuring shared libraries.

_{This documentation refers to the latest Macabacus version. Some features and descriptions of these features may not apply to older versions of Macabacus. Update your Macabacus software to take advantage of the latest features.}