Conflict flagged even though dates are different

Posts: 3 · scheurle 30 Dec 2012, 03:50

I am using Automatic mode with the 'File time and size' comparison. Since the last syncronization, the same files have changed in each of the two folders. However, the dates are different. e.g., one file was modified 12/28/2012 6:49:30 PM and its match in the other folder was modified 12/29/2012 8:08:48 PM.

FreeFileSync is flagging these files as a conflict with the note "Both sides have changed since last synchronization" (which is true). However, since one file is obviously much newer than the other, I would expect it to be copied and overwrite the older one. i.e., "different date - right newer" situation.

Why is FreeFileSync saying this is a conflict instead of copying the newer file?

FileTimeTolerance is set to 2
Both systems are Windows/NTFS
FreeFileSync 5.10 - Dec 3 2012 - Unicode x64

Posts: 7281 · Zenju 30 Dec 2012, 15:36

> Why is FreeFileSync saying this is a conflict instead of copying the newer file?

"newer" does not in general guarantee that it is okay to overwrite the older file. Just think of a partial undo.

Posts: 3 · scheurle 30 Dec 2012, 22:14

Thank you for your reply. I guess that's the desired behavior.

When using 'Automatic' mode and FFS flags multiple files as conflicts, what are my options? What happens if I choose 'Synchronize' at that point? Can I manually indicate which way I want each file to be copied?

Thanks again...

Posts: 7281 · Zenju 30 Dec 2012, 22:24

Yes, this is the intended behavior. You can set a direction manually or do nothing, in which case this file will be skipped.

Posts: 3 · scheurle 31 Dec 2012, 22:40

OK, thanks. I didn't realize that I could override the action when a conflict is flagged.

You might want to consider adding automatic conflict handling with an "Always overwrite old files" option to the Comparison Settings dialog box. In the main window, you could show an icon with a lightning bolt and an arrow to indicate the conflict and copy direction.

Thanks for a great program, and have a happy new year...

Posts: 1 · ar3paalvast 2 Apr 2013, 15:51

OK, thanks. I didn't realize that I could override the action when a conflict is flagged.

You might want to consider adding automatic conflict handling with an "Always overwrite old files" option to the Comparison Settings dialog box. In the main window, you could show an icon with a lightning bolt and an arrow to indicate the conflict and copy direction.

Thanks for a great program, and have a happy new year...scheurle

More or less the same problem, but...

I have hundreds of files on two media and only four of them are recently changed on either side (USB or laptop/desktop). Yet FFS copies these hundreds and leaves the four changed files unsynchronized, even after several rounds of comparing. FFS keeps telling that there are 'conflicts'.

That's why I choose FFS: to replace older files on one medium by newer ones from the other medium (USB or laptop/desktop). And without the need to create separate batch programs...

On this occasion I found all four newer files on the right panel, but no way that I could FFS get to copy/overwrite the older ones in the left panel. I didn't succeed to implement Zenu's approach...

Do I miss something? I don't know this weird thing from Allway Sync and Go...