Restart / Organization / Sync Folder

[gsf]

Hi,
I am in the process of returning to Obsidian for my work and all my notes.
Plateformes used: MacOS / iPad / iOS.
When I started using it (as Catalyst, I have no idea what it is anymore!!), there was no mobile app and I had migrated to iA Writer for several years.
For now my notes and work are organized in different folders, grouped in a parent folder “WRITINGS” in the “official” and root folder “DOCUMENTS” of iCloud Drive.
Having downloaded and tried the mobile app, I now have an “official” (=automatically created) folder “OBSIDIAN” at the same level as the official folder “DOCUMENTS”.
(I call “official” the folders with a small icon in their center!)
Am I supposed to use precisely THIS folder (“OBSIDIAN”) for the best possible experience (= flawless synchronization, etc…)?
If so, can I just move my .md notes to this folder while keeping my subfolders?

I read on a blog, while trying to understand, that not using the native “OBSIDIAN” folder could create synchronization problems.

Or can I still simply keep my organization in the native DOCUMENTS and use the (already existing) “WRITINGS” folder as the main (and only, by the way!) vault?

(The official help mentions “In the file picker, navigate to iCloud Drive → Obsidian.” But at the same time we are supposed to be able to use any folder? I don’t know, I don’t know anymore…)

Besides, I don’t understand why in the official “OBSIDIAN” folder there is a vault automatically named “Documents” (located here: /Users/myname/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud-md-obsidian) that… I don’t see when I look through the Finder!

I renamed it (via the “Rename Vault” option of the “Manage vaults” panel) with a fancy name (which worked), to understand how it all works, but then I only get a worrying “Failed to open, folder not found” (and still not seing it in the Finder)… Not very reassuring right away…

In short, I find it a bit confusing, and am lost in this restart!

In short: To sync my notes, am I supposed to use the official “OBSIDIAN” folder exclusively, or any of my folders in iCloud Drive?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[PatrickMarq]

From my little experience, i used this for a out 3 weeks, it seems that you create a vault with the ios app and there choose save in iCloud
From your laptop , computer choose open vault in selected folder.
This way I have a synchronised system.

[gsf]

Thanks for your help, unfortunately I’m afraid that doesn’t really clarify my questions about the right folder to chose, etc.
It’s maybe a little overwhelming app when you’re not a programmer etc., not sure if it’s made for everyone, after all.

[gsf]

What makes it even more confusing is that in the iOS app, I can’t connect to an existing vault, whether it’s in the official OBSIDIAN folder or not.
I can only Setup (the) Obsidian Sync (a service I don’t use) and Create New Vault…
(see screenshot)

[PatrickMarq]

Not needed, just create a new vault, in ios. Copy the files over on the desktop, and you will see them everywhere.
Just keep in mind that iso will be the ‘master’ for creating vaults.
Renaming can be done everywhere, don’t ask me why

[gsf]

Thank you again for your answer!
I don’t understand why, with the iOS app, I can’t rather chose and point an already existing folder created on macOS? Is that something normal?
And again, am I supposed to use solely the official Obsidian folder automatically created in iCloud Drive?
Or can I use any of my folders in iCloud Drive?

[PatrickMarq]

I don’t understand why, but if you choose save in iCloud you can not choose a different folder.
It will be the destination folder of Obsidian, on the otherhand you can later,on your computer that folder.
That said, this way the synchronisation between your devices will be flawless.

[gsf]

mmmh… according to my different tests, apparently I can choose any folder in my computer, so Obsidian’s or any other…
I will try to find my answer somewhere because I can’t start using it until I solve this problem. Maybe on Youtube!

[Pch]

On Mac, yes, you can store your vault anywhere within iCloud … but not on iPhone/iPad (because there’s some sandboxing/restrictions involved on mobile meaning that Obsidian mobile can’t see/access anything outside of that folder) …

So, yes, if you intend to sync your vault(s) across Mac and iPhone/iPad through iCloud, the concerned vault(s) need to live within the dedicated and specific iCloud Drive > Obsidian folder .

That folder should look like this in the Files app (on mobile):

So, as PatrickMarq said before, if the specific Obsidian folder doesn’t exist yet in iCloud Drive, all you need to do is:

• Create a new vault in iCloud:
  • On iOS:
    1. Open Obsidian and tap Create new vault.
    2. Enter a name for your vault.
    3. Toggle on Store in iCloud.
    4. Tap Create.

[ Source ]

This should trigger the creation of the specific Obsidian folder.
Then, once that done, you can from Obsidian on your Mac retrieve that brand new vault by selecting the option “Open folder as vault” in the vault switcher under the menu Manage vaults, at the bottom of the left sidebar…

This has worked like this since Obsidian mobile app was released …

[gsf]

Thank you for your answer!
So I will first delete the dedicated iCloud Drive > Obsidian folder (with icon!) that results from my tests (and yet created from the Obsidian application on mac!) and repeat this operation, but from the mobile application.
Apparently you have to operate in this order, the reverse did not work since by first creating and using the dedicated folder of the mac, the mobile app cannot connect to it.
You had to know that!
Thank you very much for your help @PatrickMarq @Pch !

[gsf]

I’m sorry but I still have a few questions:
I did exactly what was mentioned in your message, but…

1. I don’t understand why each folder in (my computer’s) Obsidian is considered a Vault in the mobile application?
   
   

This is not what I expected, where did I make a mistake?

2. Why in the “Manage vaults” panel is my Vault called “Documents”?
   I had not named it that but “Writings”…

3. I renamed it with the three little dots from the “Manage Vaults” Panel (“renamed successfully”) but as soon as I wanted to open it, the folder had literally disappeared. The dedicated Obsidian folder is now empty!
   This is very annoying because I had already imported a work folder there that I no longer have elsewhere…
   Thanks again for any clarification!

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[EDIT] Fortunately the files reappeared a little while later in the dedicated Obsidian folder in iCloud Drive.
I then had to “open folder as vault” again because the renamed Vault no longer existed in the vaults list.
It is automatically called “Documents” again…