WSL-Dropbox Workflow

Note: This README is AI-generated

Overview

When working with Dropbox and WSL, file watching and syncing can be slow. This workflow copies projects to WSL for fast local development, then syncs changes back to Dropbox.

Initial Setup

1. Copy project from Dropbox to WSL

cp -r /mnt/c/Users/USERNAME/Dropbox/PATH/TO/PROJECT /home/USERNAME/wsl-projs/

2. Configure sync script

Update the variables in the sync script: - WSL_PROJECT_PATH: Your WSL project location (e.g., ~/wsl-projs/project-name/) - DROPBOX_PATH: Your Dropbox destination (e.g., /mnt/c/Users/USERNAME/Dropbox/PATH/TO/PROJECT/) - PROJECT_NAME: Your project name

3. Make script executable

chmod +x utils/sync.sh

Workflow

Work locally in WSL - Make all changes in ~/wsl-projs/project-name/
Sync regularly - Run ./utils/sync.sh to push changes to Dropbox
Changes appear in Dropbox - Files are reflected in the mounted Dropbox folder

Benefits

Fast file operations in WSL
No Dropbox sync delays during development
R/Python packages cached locally
Dropbox backup maintained

Excluded from sync

renv/ directories (library, staging, cache, local)
R project files (.Rproj.user, .Rhistory, .RData, .Ruserdata)
Add more exclusions in the script arrays as needed

Git Ignored Files Scanner (`scan.sh`)

Purpose

Tracks which files are being ignored by git and ensures directory structure is preserved by adding .gitkeep files.

Usage

./utils/scan.sh

What it does

Logs ignored files - Creates ignored_files.log listing all git-ignored files
Preserves structure - Adds .gitkeep to directories containing ignored files
Forces tracking - Adds the log file to git (even though it may be ignored)

When to use

Before committing to ensure important directories aren’t lost
To audit what’s being excluded from version control
When setting up a new project from template

Output

ignored_files.log - List of all ignored files (added to git)
.gitkeep files - Empty files ensuring directories are tracked