Workspaces
When you collect information and data you know it great to have a single point to easy access them. You also know, that there are areas that should not get mixed like business with private. This is where workspaces in OnePile help to stay organized without mixing things that should not get mixed.
When you start up OnePile on iOS or macOS (other platforms will come later) you are already in a workspace. The notes and files you put into the app will be stored in a local folder for you. This is great for privacy concerns, because there is not external service required to get started working with OnePile.
Storage and Sync
Of course the data should not only stay on one machine but instead be shared across the devices you own or even with other people working on the same workspace as you.
Therefore, a workspace can have one or more locations where to store copies of the data. Simplest one is to use the file format. On iOS this will be on iCloud Drive and on macOS you can choose any location you like. This can be your local hard drive, but also any other location like Dropbox, a Resilio Sync folder, your local NAS or what else your file dialog offers.
Multiple Devices
If you put your data on a shared folder as described before you can open it on other devices by double clicking on it. It will open a new workspace for you, if required. You can edit the data at the same time on multiple devices without getting into conflicts. This is also a great way to share workspaces with co-workers or family members.
Privacy and Encryption
The greatest thing of all is, you are not tied to a web service anymore! If you use services from Google, Amazon or others the data usually is stored on their servers. You need to trust them to keep your data intact and protect it against inappropriate access from other persons or institutions. With OnePile your data can stay on locations that are in control of you or your company.
If you still want to store your data on locations like Dropbox or iCloud you can encrypt your data before it leaves your device. A strong encryption is used (known as AES). Only those who know the password you provided for the file are able to access it. This feature is commonly called end-to-end encryption.
But that's not all. The format of the data is similar to so called BlockChains i.e. the integrity of the data is checked by checksums of previous entries. Together with encryption turned on this makes manipulation even more difficult.
Backup
Since you can have multiple locations for each workspace you can easily set up a backup location. For example, you have one encrypted copy on iCloud to share it with your iOS devices or other persons and you have one on your local NAS. This will result in at least 3 locations: Your local computer, Dropbox and your NAS. Any device you connect to one of the locations will also hold the complete copy of the workspace and can be the source for creating more copies.
Offline
You can even work offline completely. Since no service is required you do not even need the internet at all! This is pretty handy in locations where you have no or limited access to the internet or where you don't trust the infrastructure. You could still share the data through medias like a USB stick.
Future
Currently, only file locations are supported but there are no limits. Peer to peer data sharing is something that would be interesting to see. There are also great sharing protocols around like DAT to only name one.
Your input is very welcome, leave it here: Support and Feature Requests.