Synchronize Tomboy Notes with Dropbox

One of my absolute favorite online services of the past year is Dropbox. It’s a very easy to use service that integrates with your Linux, Mac and Windows desktops and allows you to sync files across computers (among other things). Think of it as a big USB flash drive in the sky.

Not only is it useful for storing daily documents and sharing files with friends, it can also be quite useful for keeping your application settings in sync across computers. One example is syncing Tomboy notes across computers. Tomboy is an extremly handly note taking application for Linux, but I always found it annoying that it was so hard to sync across machines. With Dropbox, it’s amazingly simple.

If you’re not already a Dropbox user, sign up at Dropbox. Once you have the software installed, you should have a folder in your home directory called “Dropbox”. All of the files in this directory will automatically be synced with Dropbox and with other computers where you install the application.

Now that Dropbox is installed, just create a folder called “tomboy” (or whatever you like) inside your “Dropbox” directory. Now in your Tomboy prefernces, click on the Synchronization tab and choose “Local Folder” and browse to your “tomboy” folder.

To syncronize your notes, simply click “Tools” and “Syncronize Notes” at the top of any Tomboy note … and that’s it! Repeat these steps for all your other computers and you’ll have fully syncronized Tomboy Notes on all your machines. This also protects against accidentally loosing your notes if something happens to your computers, you’ll always have a copy saved at Dropbox.