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Sync issues with nested folders in SharePoint library

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UPDATE: SharePoint Workspace can now adapt to many of the situations that caused this error. If you are having this problem, search for "SharePoint Workspace" "Office 2010 cumulative update" at https://support.microsoft.com/search/, and then apply the SharePoint Workspace hotfix from the most recent cumulative update displayed.

 

 ORIGINAL POST:

Nesting folders is a traditional approach to organizing data in the Windows file system, but in SharePoint, organization is more commonly done via views or pages. In a few cases, folder structures in a document library may cause problems with SharePoint Workspace sync, and the symptoms can be misleading. Here are the issues we have seen:

Nested folders moving to the root of the library in the workspace

If you create a document library and give it a nested folder structure in SharePoint Server 2007, then upgrade the server to SharePoint 2010, SharePoint Workspace may not be able to interpret the folder structure when you sync the library to SharePoint Workspace. The folders will move to a flat structure. For example, this:

 Library
  Folder1
     Subfolder1
     Subfolder2
     Subfolder3
  Folder2

will become this in the workspace:

 Library
  Folder1
  Folder2
  Subfolder1
  Subfolder2
  Subfolder3

A hotfix for this issue is available here:

Description of the SharePoint Workspace 2010 hotfix package (x86 Groove-x-none.msp, x64 Groove-x-none.msp): February 28, 2012
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2597939

“Path not found” when you create a nested folder structure in SharePoint Workspace in one operation

If you drag and drop nested folders containing a file into SharePoint Workspace, or created a nested folder structure containing a file while offline in SharePoint Workspace, the Office Upload Center may return the following error:

Upload failed: Path not found

This happens because folder creation and file transfer are processed by two different Office modules. In some cases, the upload center attempts to transfer the file before the folders for it are available. To prevent this, pause uploads in the Upload Center before transferring the nested folder structure, or before coming online. This pause does not affect folder creation. Once the folder structure is created on the SharePoint server, resume uploads to transfer the files.

“Harmonica version not found” or files appearing to “jump” to the root of the library

Consider the same folder structure as above, with all the files in the subfolders.

 Library
  Folder1
     Subfolder1
     Subfolder2
     Subfolder3
  Folder2

The site was created in SharePoint 2010 (or you applied the hotfix) and the library syncs accurately. However, at some point, while you are editing a file, someone deletes and recreates the folder and subfolder that the file was synced from, and then recreates them, along with the previous version of the file you are editing. Now this happens:

  1. You save your changes to the file, but the upload fails. In the workspace, the Error Tools/Resolve tab appears.
  2. You click Resolve Conflict or Error. This takes you to the Microsoft Office Upload Center, which shows the error "Upload failed. Server file updated."
  3. Since you know you are the only person who should be editing this file, you click Resolve, click Choose, and then click Keep My Version.

Instead of your edits overwriting the copy on the server, you end up one of these states:

If the changes to folder structure occurred while you were online in SharePoint Workspace:

  • Upload center looks as if the sync worked – the file is no longer shown as pending upload.
  • The workspace shows both the current and previous versions of your file in the root of the library, and your subfolder is gone. In Error Tools/Resolve tab, clicking Resolve Error may cause a notification that “errors were encounter while synchronizing….” to appear briefly. Clicking More Info displays the error “Harmonica version not found.”
  • The server shows the previous version of your edited file in the root of the library, and your updated version in the subfolder.

If the changes to folder structure occurred while you were offline in SharePoint Workspace, and you have applied the hotfix:

  • Upload Center reports "Upload Pending."
  • The workspace shows both the current and previous versions of your file in the root of the library, and your subfolder is gone. In Error Tools/Resolve tab, clicking Resolve Error may cause a notification that “errors were encounter while synchronizing….” to appear briefly. Clicking More Info displays the error “Harmonica version not found.”
  • The server shows the previous version of your edited file, but in the root of the library. Your changes never upload.

If the changes to folder structure occurred while you were offline in SharePoint Workspace, and you have not applied the hotfix:

  • Upload Center reports “Path not found.”
  • The workspace shows the edited version of your file in the root of the library, and your subfolder is gone. In Error Tools/Resolve tab, clicking Resolve Error may cause a notification that “errors were encounter while synchronizing….” to appear briefly. Clicking More Info displays the error “Harmonica version not found.”
  • The server shows the original version of your edited file, but in the root of the library. Your changes never upload.

Note: Without the hotfix, you may also see this issue with only one folder layer.

In all of these cases, the only way to resume synching the document library is to disconnect the library from the workspace and then reconnect it, so the workspace has the new folders and folder IDs.

If you need to make this sort of change on the server, advise people who are synchronizing the library to a workspace to disconnect it before you delete and replace content. Also, if you use an Explorer view to work with folders on SharePoint, be careful that you are not deleting and recreating folders as part of that process, by dragging them out and then back in.

Alternatives to nested folders

In some cases, you may want to consider different ways of organizing your data. A SharePoint document library should be a fairly narrow category, that will not usually require extensive subdivision. You may have files in one library that should be distributed among multiple libraries, or mingled projects that would be clearer if each had its own subsite. Some data is easier to organize in a list. If you are new to SharePoint (or stumbled into it unprepared), the article SharePoint 2010 Usage Best Practices is a good place to start.

When working with Views, keep in mind one limitation of SharePoint Workspace – it does not recognize views that sort, group, or filter by columns that do not apply to all content types. For example, you cannot sync a view that sorts by File Type, as folders do not have a value for File Type.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    February 26, 2014
    Siguiendo a vueltas con los problemas que puede dar OneDrive a la hora de sincronizar documentos en nuestro