Connect and sync Backlog Files via local drive

Did you know that you can connect and sync your Backlog project files (in the Files page) via a local drive on your pc?

With this, you can add, update or remove files, without needing to login to Backlog on your internet browser.

Firstly, see if your operating system is compatible:

• Windows XP / Vista / 7
• Mac OS X (10.4 or newer)
• Ubuntu Linux (7.04 or newer)

Note: You can also use a WebDAV client, so you might be able to connect to your Backlog Files on other OS environments, but it’s not yet officially supported by Backlog. 

There are two setups here, depending on your OS.

• Setup for Mac OS X
• Setup for Windows 

Setup for Mac OS X

1. Go to your Files page, look for this box and copy the url.

2. At your Finder, click on “Go”, and “Connect to Server”.

3. Paste the copied url into the “Server Address” field. You can also store it, so that it’s easier to access it again the next time.

4. An authentication dialog will appear.

For name and password, you can simply enter your login email (used for Backlog) and your password. This is if you have not enabled 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) in your Nulab account. 

If you have enabled 2FA in your Nulab account, then you need a generated password to access Files. Please refer to this post — the later portion shows how to generate a password.

Note: For better security of your account and files, we recommend that 2FA is enabled for your Nulab account. Please see this post on enabling 2FA.

Note for Premium plan users: the space administrator can enforce 2FA login, which means that all users in the space must use a generated password in order to access features like Files, Subversion/Git, and RSS. Please refer here to learn more and how to generate your passwords for access to those features.

5. Once you have connected successfully, a local drive (for Macs, it’s called a “Volume”) will open in your Finder. It is named after your project key; in this example, ours is named “TSOO”, and it contains a folder named Folder01.

Now you can easily add files, or delete/move/rename them in this local drive. The changes will be reflected in your Backlog project files. And vice versa.

6. If you disconnect or restart your pc, you will have to reconnect again the next time to access the local drive.

However, the good thing is you can store settings in the connection, so you won’t need to re-enter your login information every time. Please note that this might not be secure if someone has physical access to your pc.

Known issues with Mac OS X:

The file size may become 0 bytes when a file is uploaded from a Mac using Finder and connected via WebDAV. This seems to be a common problem for other applications and has been reported to Apple forum.

To avoid this problem, please use Cyberduck (a WebDAV client) or other tools. Our developers are researching a solution for this problem.

Setup for Windows 

1. Go to your Files page, look for this box and copy the url.

2. Right-click on “Network” or “Computer”, and select “Map network drive”.

3. Paste your copied URL in the “Folder” field and click the “Finish” button.

4. An authentication dialog will appear. 

For name and password, you can simply enter your login email (used for Backlog) and your password. This is if you have not enabled 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) in your Nulab account. 

If you have enabled 2FA in your Nulab account, then you need a generated password to access Files. Please refer to this post — the later portion shows how to generate a password.

Note: For better security of your account and files, we recommend that 2FA is enabled for your Nulab account. Please see this post on enabling 2FA.

Note for Premium plan users: the space administrator can enforce 2FA login, which means that all users in the space must use a generated password in order to access features like Files, Subversion/Git, and RSS. Please refer here to learn more and how to generate your passwords for access to those features.

5. Once you have connected successfully, a folder will open. Now you can easily add files, or delete/move/rename them in this local drive. The changes will be reflected in your Backlog project files. And vice versa.

Known issues with Windows:

On Windows Vista, folders and files cannot be opened with a double-click, so users need to choose “Open” from the contextual menu. They also cannot access files from “Assign Network Drive”.

On Windows 7, folders and files can be accessed only by mapping the network drive and cannot be accessed from "Network place (network location)".

For issues about connecting to the WebDAV with Explorer, please check the following FAQs: 

For Windows 7 users: I’m having a problem accessing share folder (WebDAV).

From certain environments, there seems to be an issue accessing the share folder.

Please consider using the freeware like the one below that will allow you to use share folder (WebDAV) on Windows 7.

http://rei.to/carotdav_en.html

For Windows Vista users: I cannot use share folder (WebDAV) on Windows Vista.

You need to apply an updated file provided by Microsoft.

[ Microsoft Support: Description of the Software Update for Web Folders ]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/KB907306/

For Windows XP users: I cannot use share folder (WebDAV) on Windows XP (anymore).

There is a solution posted on Microsoft Support Online. Please follow the resolution instructions on "Troubleshooting Web Folders"(Article ID: 287402).

Most of the time, resolution 2 or 6 solves the problem.

This post is adapted from https://support.backlog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015470208-Environment