Problems With Extended Attributes

[Moisie]

Hello:

I’ve just been experimenting with the new () Extended Attributes sync support - and I’ve just come across a few unexpected, yet reproducible, outcomes from doing so.

I’m running a shared folder between two macOS systems, both running Syncthing 1.23.6. Here’s how to reproduce the problems (points of unexpectedness highlighted in bold):

1. Mac 1: Create Shared Folder in Finder, to use as a Shared Folder root in Syncthing;
2. Mac 1: Create Folder 1 inside Shared Folder;
3. Mac 2: Create Shared Folder in Finder, to use as a Shared Folder root in Syncthing;
4. Mac 1: Share Shared Folder in Syncthing from Mac 1 to Mac 2. Do not enable Sync Extended Attributes;
5. Mac 2: Accept Shared Folder sync invitation. Do not enable Sync Extended Attributes - note that Folder 1 correctly appears in place;
6. Mac 1 and Mac 2: Enable Sync Extended Attributes;
7. Mac 1: Apply a Finder Tag to Folder 1. Prompt a rescan of Shared Folder inside Syncthing;
8. Mac 2: Note that the Finder Tag does not appear on Folder 1;
9. Mac 1: Create Folder 2 inside Shared Folder - give it a Finder Tag;
10. Mac 2: Note that Folder 2, complete with Finder Tag, correctly appears;
11. Mac 1: Rename Folder 1 to Folder 1a;
12. Mac 2: Note that Folder 1 AND Folder 1a have now appeared;
13. Mac 1: Note that Folder 1 AND Folder 1a have appeared here too;
14. Mac 1: Create Folder 3 inside Shared Folder - give it a Finder Tag;
15. Mac 2: Note that Folder 3, complete with Finder Tag, correctly appears;
16. Mac 1: Change the Finder Tag on Folder 3 - do not scan yet;
17. Mac 2: Change the Finder Tag on Folder 3 differently;
18. Mac 1 (or Mac 2): Rescan Shared Folder in Syncthing;
19. Mac 2 (or Mac 1): Note that the Finder Tag on Folder 3 has not changed - and now further changes on this Extended Attribute cannot be synced.

Hope that’s useful in improving the support here - thanks for the otherwise, as always, amazing tool!

[calmh (Jakob Borg)]

I tried to reproduce this by following your steps on my mac, but I can’t. None of the weirdness you describe happens to me.

[Moisie]

Hi @calmh - thanks for trying.

It’s definitely reproducible here between the two systems I’m trying on - one running macOS 13.5, one running macOS 12.6.7. Both systems have the shared folder on APFS.

My video isn’t as tidy as yours - but hopefully there’s enough useful info there:

Syncthing Xattr Test.mov