Feature Request: Symlinks/Hardlinks/Junction Structure sync.

Discuss new features and functions
Posts: 1
Joined: 29 Sep 2013

marcio-miranda

A feature that I haven't found on any sync program is the hability to sync Symbolic links, Hardlinks and Junctions structures within a targeted folder.

As example Syncing FolderA with FolderB:

FolderA
|Subfolder1
|File1.txt (hardlink to File2.txt in Subfolder2 in FolderA)
|Subfolder2
|File2.txt (hardlink to File1.txt in Subfolder1 in FolderA)
|Subfolder3
|File3.txt (Symbolic link to file1.txt in Subfolder1 in FolderA)
|Subfolder4 (Junction pointing to Subfolder1 in FolderA)

>Sync

FolderB
|Subfolder1
|File1.txt (hardlink to File2.txt in Subfolder2 in FolderB)
|Subfolder2
|File2.txt (hardlink to File1.txt in Subfolder1 in FolderB)
|Subfolder3
|File3.txt (Symbolic link to file1.txt in Subfolder1 in FolderB)
|Subfolder4 (Junction pointing to Subfolder1 in FolderB)

But as it is now, this is what happens in FolderB:

FolderB
|Subfolder1
|File1.txt
|Subfolder2
|File2.txt
|Subfolder3
|File3.txt (Symbolic link to file1.txt in Subfolder1 in FolderA)
|Subfolder4 (Symbolic link pointing to Subfolder1 in FolderA)

(File1.txt and File2.txt are 2 copies of the same file instead of a hardlinked one)

So the current options are OK when dealing with any of these features pointing to targets outside the folder being synched, but it would be great to have the option to copy the same structure residing inside the target folder.

That would be awesome to me as I use a lot of these features and everytime I add/change anything I have to synchronize everything by hand, wich is very time consuming and there's always that chance of something being overlooked and left behind.

I'm not a programmer but it looks to me that might be a lot of work for a feature that can only be done locally (not over a networked folder) and few will need.

Any chances of it happening?
(and sorry for my bad english)
User avatar
Posts: 1
Joined: 18 Aug 2018

<A:C>

Hi,
any updates regarding this topic?

First at all Junctions do NOT need administrative rights. This is the reason I usually use them instead of SymLinks.
It would be great if FreeFileSync (FFS) could copy them without elevating.

2nd: Junction not have relative path possibilities BUT it would be an outstanding feature of FFS if it could adapt the Link-Path automatically.
So copying from drive A to B first copy all files an than junctions. Check if relative path form junction to destination of junction also exist at drive B and adapt the link. %pathA%junction%pathToDest% --> %pathB%junction%pathToDest%

best regards
<A:C>