Sync & Monitoring

Once a media source is configured, Videobot automatically keeps your library in sync. This page covers how syncing works, how to monitor it, and how to handle common issues.

Sync Behavior

Scheduled Sync

Videobot checks all enabled sources every 5 minutes to see if any are due for a sync. When a source's next sync time has arrived, a sync task is queued.

The actual sync interval is configured per source (from 15 minutes to 24 hours). For example, a source with a 1-hour polling interval will sync once per hour.

What Happens During a Sync

1. Connect — Videobot authenticates with the external source.
2. Fetch items — All items from the feed or asset library are retrieved.
3. Compare — Each item is checked against existing imports using a version hash for efficient change detection.
4. Create — New items are imported as draft media.
5. Update — Changed items have their metadata (title, description, categories, tags, custom fields) updated.
6. Archive — Items that no longer exist in the external source are marked as externally deleted and the corresponding media is archived.

INFO

By default, media files are not downloaded during sync — only metadata is imported and media is created in draft status. This keeps syncs fast and avoids unnecessary bandwidth usage.

Manual Sync

You can trigger a sync at any time from the dashboard:

1. Go to Account Settings > Media Import.
2. Click the action menu (three dots) next to the source.
3. Select Sync Now to run a standard sync, or Force Re-import to delete all existing mappings and re-import everything from scratch.

WARNING

Force Re-import removes all existing import mappings and re-imports all items. Previously imported media is not deleted, but new copies may be created. Use this only when necessary.

Source Status

Each source displays a status indicator:

Status	Meaning
Pending	Source has been created but hasn't synced yet
Syncing	A sync is currently in progress
Active	Last sync completed successfully; next sync is scheduled
Error	Last sync failed — check the error message for details
Disabled	Source has been manually disabled and will not sync

Sync History

To view the sync history for a source:

1. Click the action menu next to the source.
2. Select View History.

The history modal shows a table of all past syncs with:

Column	Description
Started	When the sync began
Status	Completed or Failed
Items Found	Total items in the external source
Items Created	New items imported (shown in green)
Items Updated	Existing items updated (shown in blue)
Items Failed	Items that failed to import (shown in red)
Duration	How long the sync took
Triggered By	Scheduled (automatic) or Manual

If a sync failed, the error message is displayed below the history table.

Error Handling

Error Types

Error	Cause	Resolution
Connection error	Network issue, DNS failure, or server timeout	Check the source URL and try again
Authentication error	Invalid credentials or expired token	Update your username/password in the source settings
Parse error	Feed XML is malformed or missing required elements	Verify the feed format matches the MRSS specification
Rate limit error	Too many requests to the external source	Increase the polling interval
Download error	Failed to download a media file	Check that the media URL is accessible

Retry Behavior

When a sync fails due to a transient error (network issues, timeouts), Videobot automatically retries the task up to 2 times with a 5-minute delay between attempts. Authentication errors are not retried, as they require manual intervention.

Item-Level Failures

A sync can partially succeed. If individual items fail to import, the sync continues with the remaining items. Failed items are tracked in the sync log (up to 50 per sync) with their external ID, title, and error details.

Editing a Source

To modify a source's configuration:

1. Click the action menu next to the source.
2. Select Edit.
3. Update the desired fields (name, URL, credentials, polling interval, mapping rules).
4. Click Save.

Changes take effect on the next sync.

Deleting a Source

To remove a source:

1. Click the action menu next to the source.
2. Select Delete and confirm.

Deleting a source removes all import mappings and sync history. Previously imported media is not deleted — it remains in your Video Library.

Deletion Tracking

When an item is removed from the external source, Videobot detects this during the next sync and:

1. Marks the import mapping as Externally Deleted.
2. Archives the corresponding media in the Video Library.

You can view externally deleted items in the source's mapping history.