Synchronize files based on their creation date.

[asaid]

Hello,

I'm a new user of FreeFileSync and I was wondering if it's possible to synchronize files according to their creation date. I'm looking to set up real-time synchronization, but for safety measures in case of interruptions, I'd like the program to synchronize files in the order of their creation. Is this feature already implemented in FreeFileSync, or is it currently not possible?

Thank you for your responses. Have a great day!

[xCSxXenon]

There isn't currently a way to define a sync order, other than manual babysitting. For example, only syncing a subset of directories first, then another set, then another, and on and on. Or, running a comparison to gather all changes and selecting what you want in the results to sync 'selectively'.

I'm curious though, withholding the fact that you should resolve any chances for interruption anyway, how would this increase "safety"?

[asaid]

OK thank you for the information.
Sorry, English is not my first language. I actually meant to say "as a precaution" instead of "for safety." Because I need my files to be consumed after synchronization in the order of creation. And for this to work, they must therefore be synchronized in order of creation. So if I have multiple files waiting to be synced in folder A, which cannot be synced to folder B because folder B is not available, it could be problematic for me if they are not sent in order of creation.

[handstand87]

Ahoy hoy xCSxXenon. Been using the software for probably more than a decade, but only lurked till now. I've just hit the use case where ctime would be extremely useful. I have may photo backups from the 90's and 2000's, both my own and family, that I am in the process of comparing, munging, and dedpulicating for a selfhosted family album. Some files within duplicate directory structures seem to have preserved original metadata, while others have not. FFS is showing these directories as identical even though the creation dates of hundreds photos are not, so if I hadn't noticed I may have deleted the photos with the correct/preserved metadata. Many directories were synced or compared historically using FFS, so the metadata mismatch could be the result of this type of FFS comparison in the past (deleting what was considered to be a duplicate).

I understand why mtime was chosen for sync software, but considering ctime preservation is the desired behavior under many scenarios, I think it'd be worthwhile to have the option to select comparison based on mtime AND/OR ctime.

[handstand87]

Make sure that "By Content" is selected in the How to section to have FreeFileSync take the contents of files into account when comparing.

"By Content" compares a files binary data and is unrelated to OS timestamps?

In the By section, select Created Date as the comparison criterion.

I can not see any option related to the type of timestamp used for comparison on any 13.4 version across Windows or Mac (neither x86 or arm builds)? I also can't see any option related to time in the apps settings xml. I don't believe I've ever seen that option.