[FEATURE REQUEST] Comparision improvement

[rafaelbg]

First option "1. Compare by File time and size" is fast, ok?

Second option "2. Compare by File content" is reliable, right?


Why not have an option that do both?
Somethin like that: Check all files using "option 1", then, with the result, re-check all "considered not equal" files contents, assuring that they have in fact changed.

Maybe this approach mitigates the performance issue, but avoiding false positives (with date problems)

[Plerry]

Your proposal is remarkable.

> then, ... , re-check all "considered not equal" files contents, assuring that they have in fact changed.

The first Comparison (based on date/size) would already have shown the files are NOT equal,
so why verify that based on Content?
For such files, to become in sync they would need to be updated according to the set sync rules, irrespective of the outcome of the Content comparison.

More commonly, users want to be absolutely sure files are truly identical before deciding NO sync action is required. Thus, they prefer a Comparison on Content, even if file date and size are identical.
However, for locations that are largely in sync, a stepped comparison (first on date/size and, if those are equal, then on Content) would hardly save comparison time with respect to directly comparing by Content.

[rafaelbg]

>The first Comparison (based on date/size) would already have shown the files are NOT equal,
so why verify that based on Content?

My scenario:
- Windows has a bug that keep updating "modify date" on some files (I did a little research and found it to be the case mostly with .eml files). Then the FFS always sync that files again and again. To address this issue I might turn off Window indexing on .eml files. I will try that and see what else I get from here.
Thanks for the response!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTkjl3stSvzlaSeqPjS-MKiTqq4-wp3K/view?usp=sharing

[xCSxXenon]

>The first Comparison (based on date/size) would already have shown the files are NOT equal,
so why verify that based on Content?

My scenario:
- Windows has a bug that keep updating "modify date" on some files (I did a little research and found it to be the case mostly with .eml files). Then the FFS always sync that files again and again. To address this issue I might turn off Window indexing on .eml files. I will try that and see what else I get from here.
Thanks for the response!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTkjl3stSvzlaSeqPjS-MKiTqq4-wp3K/view?usp=sharing

I can see how this would be useful! Of course, the original intention of comparing by content is to catch files that update but maybe keep the same date/time and files that suffer from corruption without date/time changing. I think the issue is that this problem you have will only grow and grow and grow. While running a content comparison will be quick for those 15 or so items now, what about 5,000 emails from now? 10,000?

Seems better to fix the root issue, which is what you said you are looking into

[xCSxXenon]

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/eml-file-dates-change-when-copying-in-windows-10/dac0c0ed-7718-4c54-af98-3d87956eb63c#:~:text=If%20you%20copy%20an%20EML,%22newer%22%20than%20they%20are.

[rafaelbg]

Yes, agreed! Thanks again!