Excluding files, awkward examples

[anbr1]

Hello.

Is there any reason, why you didn't give us any useful example for a real, full path, like D:\Films\*.*?

All this wildcard stuff is incomprehensible to the normal user. I need to know, how to exclude items in a given path, like in the example above. Thanks!

[xCSxXenon]

All this wildcard stuff is incomprehensible to the normal user.

Wildcards are a pretty low bar to learn. Giving specific examples typically causes users to copy them literally, and then it doesn't work as intended. Anyone who understands wildcards will have no issue interpreting the documentation. You must learn to walk before you can learn to run

[anbr1]

Why can't you just give a straight answer?

Ok, if i try using

\Films\*.*

how would i know, if i missed some backslash somewhere, or prevent also catching E:\Films\*.*?

I can't spend time for everything just for some rare task, i may not need another time. And what's the problem with copying an example literally? The ones the help page shows might cause the same kind of confusion.

[xCSxXenon]

Why can't you just give a straight answer?

The same reason the docs are ambiguous, because I don't know what YOU want to exclude and not exclude. Paths beginning with a slash use the root location(s)

[anbr1]

If a slash uses the root location, we can't differentiate between all the different drive letters. That's a major problem.

What if i have E:\Films, F:\Films, G:\Films? So will FreeFileSync mix all items together?

I still don't understand, why users can't determine a clear path to avoid problems.

You wrote "because I don't know what YOU want to exclude and not exclude."

That's not true. I gave a real example, i want to exclude E:\Films\*, where * stands for all items under that path. I don't think i could have been much clearer.

Is there maybe anyone else here who cares to give me directions, or to tell me at least, that FreeFileSync is simply not capable of using real paths instead of confusing wildcards?

In that case i will have to look for another Sync solution, that provides this very natural function.

[Plerry]

Your left and right base location specify just your drive letter or your drive letter and the path to the left or right folder of which the contents is to be synced.
The length and depth of the path (if any) to your left and right base location can differ left vs right.

Filter rules are always relative to your left and right base location, and always apply to both your left and your right side location.
This makes perfect sense, because a syncing tool aims to essentially make the contents of the left and right base location equal, retaining the folder structure within the left and right base location.

Because In- or Exclude Filter rules comprising the full path would point to either a file or folder in just the left-side OR just the right side base location (or any of its subfolders), such rules do not make sense for a syncing tool.

If you (essentially incorrectly) nevertheless enter an absolute path to a file or folder as a Filter rule, FreeFileSync (FFS) is so accommodating to translate that for you into a rule relative to both your left and right base location.
For example:
If your left base location is E:\ and your right base location F:\Backup, and you enter an Exclude Filter rule E:\Films, FFS will translate that Filter rule into \Films (because E:\ is the base location corresponding to your entered filter rule), and thus will Exclude
both E:\Films and F:\Backup\Films (and any of its contents)
However, if e.g. your left base location is E:\Films and your right base location F:\Backup , and you enter an Exclude Filter rule E:\Films, FFS will translate that Filter rule into * (because E:\Films is now the base location corresponding to your entered filter rule), and thus will Exclude
both E:\Films\* and F:\Backup\*, so your entire left and right base location.

[anbr1]

Aha, ok, i will try that next time i'm on that computer. Thank you.