Hello all,
I would like to only copie new or changed files from a source folder to a a destination folder. The source folder should remain as it was. The destination folder will be cleared regularly. FreeFileSync should remember which files were copied. The clearing of the destination folder will be done by a script but I would like to ask if the rest is possible with FreeFileSync and if it is, how? I tried a little but wasn't abel to achieve what I wanted.
If you know another way exept FreeFileSync to do this I would be gratefull too!
Any help would be appreciated. :)
Thank you!
Copying new files with memory of copied files
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It seems using a Mirror sync variant, with the use of a database ("Use database to detect changes") should do the job you want. See here.
Specify your "source" folder as your left base location, and your "destination" folder as your right base location.
Specify your "source" folder as your left base location, and your "destination" folder as your right base location.
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This is very incorrect. The OP wants to be able to clear the destination folder out and have FFS remember files it previously mirrored as to avoid mirroring them again. With mirror sync, it will re-copy the files from source to destination since the destination files were deleted and are therefore missing.It seems using a Mirror sync variant, with the use of a database ("Use database to detect changes") should do the job you want. See here.
Specify your "source" folder as your left base location, and your "destination" folder as your right base location. Plerry, 29 May 2024, 16:23
OP, FFS can't do this exactly the way you want. You could possibly use the 'time span' option and have FFS sync periodically. If the time span is set to x days, and you use something like Task Scheduler to run the sync every x days, files from a previous sync will not be considered to be synced for the next one, unless they have been updated/modified of course. Personally, I would not 100% trust that this will be completely bulletproof, but it may work for you
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Just experimented with a setup like what OP wants, using the Update variant with a database. The new and unmodified files worked properly, where the former was copied, while the latter is ignored. However, for modified files, a sync conflict appeared, where there doesn't seem to be a setting to set their direction, instead needing to choose manually for each one.
Doesn't FFS used to have a setting for sync conflicts before? OP's setup might be possible if only there's a way to set the direction of sync conflicts, instead of the default "do nothing".
Doesn't FFS used to have a setting for sync conflicts before? OP's setup might be possible if only there's a way to set the direction of sync conflicts, instead of the default "do nothing".
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> This is very incorrect. ... With mirror sync, it will re-copy the files from source to destination since the destination files were deleted and are therefore missing.
Based on Zenju's post New sync concept in FreeFileSync 13 that is how I understood the difference between a Mirror sync with and without "Use database to detect changes" to be.
• Without using the database, previously source=>target synced files that were afterwards deleted from the target side will be copied source=>target again.
• When using the database, previously source=>target synced files that were afterwards deleted from the target side will not be copied source=>target again. Due to the database, FFS now knows that the target-side file existed, but was (hopefully purposely) deleted.
However: I checked the Action icons for a Mirror sync (when using the database)
And it seems xCSxXenon is right. The bottom right icon (Copy new item to the right) suggests that the target-side deleted file will (still) get recopied source=>target. So, there does not seem to be a clear difference for a Mirror sync between using the database or not (apart from being able to detect moved or renamed files).
I then looked at an Update sync, but that does not seem to meet the needs of the TS.
Then I looked at a Custom sync
By setting the Actions identical to the Mirror sync, except for the bottom right one (which was changed from "Copy new item to the right" into "Do nothing") it seems the objective of TS can be achieved: files that were deleted at the (right) target side will not get recopied source=>target.
The only thing I am not sure about is: is this consistent over multiple syncs?
That is: does the database still know a target-side file existed but was deleted; not just the first sync after it was deleted, but also during any consecutive sync?
Based on Zenju's post New sync concept in FreeFileSync 13 that is how I understood the difference between a Mirror sync with and without "Use database to detect changes" to be.
• Without using the database, previously source=>target synced files that were afterwards deleted from the target side will be copied source=>target again.
• When using the database, previously source=>target synced files that were afterwards deleted from the target side will not be copied source=>target again. Due to the database, FFS now knows that the target-side file existed, but was (hopefully purposely) deleted.
However: I checked the Action icons for a Mirror sync (when using the database)
- Mirror.png (30.65 KiB) Viewed 226 times
I then looked at an Update sync, but that does not seem to meet the needs of the TS.
Then I looked at a Custom sync
- Custom.png (28.71 KiB) Viewed 226 times
The only thing I am not sure about is: is this consistent over multiple syncs?
That is: does the database still know a target-side file existed but was deleted; not just the first sync after it was deleted, but also during any consecutive sync?
