Batch File Synchronisation

[prevaljo]

I have been using Freefilesync for years and have just upgraded from 5.X to 9.X. I have been using the program manually to synch a number of folder pairs from a PC to a Synology SAN and USB drives. This has been a pain and generally I only synch half the folders. With 9.X I thought I would try and automate the process I have created individual batch files for folder pairs, I have grouped the batch files into a larger cluster for want of a better word. BUT.. there is always a but. When I run the individual batch files as a test on the folder pairs, the process runs a comparison between the folders and then stops waiting for a manual intervention to synch the folders. Try as I might I have watched the tutorial videos, read the manual, searched the forums, Googled a solution but to no avail. The closest I have got using all the solutions I have found when running my super cluster is a list of files that still need manual intervention to synch them. So what simple step am I missing.

[Zenju]

What kind of manual intervention is needed?

[Plerry]

Are you invoking individual *.ffs_batch files or *.ffs_gui files?
See here
Invoking *.ffs_gui files will open the GUI and start the comparison, but then wait for you to click to start the actual sync.
Invoking *.ffs_batch files will simply run the comparison and run the sync with further user intervention, provided you followed the instructions in the "Attention"-box on above referred to Manual page.

[prevaljo]

In response to @Plerry I was using the *.ffs_batch file and running it from the application interface (double click). After running the compare the program stopped, and waited for a manual synchronisation of the files. I did not realise that to get seamless synchronisation the batch files needed to be run from a command line or Windows batch file. Having created a batch file with the correct settings and run a test from the command line it syncs seamlessly. I have also created a batch file containing two batch files (created in the user interface) and the test command line runs seamlessly for both folder pair synchronisations.

[Zenju]

You can also just double-click on the ffs_batch file.

[prevaljo]

Hi @Zenju that is what I expected and wanted the behaviour to be but obviously I am still missing a setting somewhere. My two folder sync *.ffs_batch files when run individually don't complete, they stop waiting for the Synchronisation button to be clicked. If I double click the *.ffs_batch file that combines the two folder sync *.ffs_batch files, both batch files run but at the end of the process the program stops and I am left with a list of files under the compare window that are not in the destination folders. The Overview window contains a summary of the results.

[Zenju]

You can also just double-click on the ffs_batch file

... outside of FreeFileSync, while showing Windows Explorer.

[prevaljo]

Yes, but that's like running the batch file using "FreeFileSync.exe "X:\Backup Projects.ffs_batch" as an example. It works and will do what I want but not in the way I expected to be able to do. So if I go back to my original issue where I wanted to know how I could run a seamless update of a single folder pair or multiple folder pairs from within Freefilesync the answer is no you can't, you have to run the process external to the application, but using the application.

So my understanding is that in the application you can build batch files, can combine them into groups, you can run them from a script, a command line, or Windows Explorer, but not seamlessly run them to perform a seamless sync from within the Freefilesync application.

[Zenju]

You can:

- set "on completion" to "Close progess dialog"
- on the "start sync now?" dialog select "don't show this dialog again".

Then running a sync from GUI can be done with a single click on "Synchronize" (no click on Compare needed) or by pressing F9.

[prevaljo]

Hi @Zenju that works, not obvious but when has software ever been obvious, Thanks for the help you have both made my life a lot easier.