Open++ and Folder Sync

[Archimede]

Hi :)

I am trying to add Folder Sync to Open++ (context menu shell extension http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=2084) but I cannot find the right parameters to open 2 folders that I want to compare :(

Any suggestion?

Thanks :D

[Zenju]

https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=command-line

[Archimede]

Thanks for your feedback Zenju :D however I have tried "%item_path%", "%item_folder%" and some other variation suggested by Open++ such as "%FilePaths%" but I don't get Folder Sync to compare the 2 folders.

I also tried adding Folder Sync to SendTo but no luck either :(

I am 100% sure that it's me doing something wrong as I am not familiar at all with command line and I would seriously appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

BTW, thanks for having re-enabled the Comparison Complete notification sound.

Thanks again :D

[Zenju]

I have tried "%item_path%", "%item_folder%"

Did you really click on the link above?

[Archimede]

I have tried "%item_path%", "%item_folder%"

Did you really click on the link above?

Yes, of course.

But I don't get which parameters I should use in Open++ to make Folder Sync compare the 2 folders.

Are you familiar with Open++?

[Zenju]

FreeFileSync.exe -leftdir C:\Source -rightdir D:\Target


... is the syntax you're looking for.

[Archimede]

The reason why I asked whether you are familiar with Open++ is that in Open++ the parameter is entered for any instance (i.e. for any pair of folders, not for a specific pair of folders, paths of which are known).

I saw the syntax (FreeFileSync.exe -leftdir C:\Source -rightdir D:\Target) but for the everyday use in Open++ that is not useful.

What I am looking for (and what I think it would really be useful) is a parameter that when given (to either the SendTo command or in 3rd party apps like Open++) would run FreeFileSync and allocate one of the 2 folders to the Source and the other to the Target in FreeFileSync dual pane GUI.

Thanks for your patience

[Zenju]

The sytax to open FFS with left and right folders specified is "-leftdir/-rightdir". How a particular path can be forwarded via command line depends on Open++, so this is something to ask on their forums.

[Archimede]

Let's for a moment forget about Open++.

What parameter should I add to the FFS SendTo shortcut that will run FFS and allocate 2 folders (at any given location) to the 2 FFS panels?

I have tried "-leftdir/-rightdir" but it didn't work... I know that there is a surely solution but I am doing something wrong grrrr :(

BTW, my apologies for having called "FreeFileSync" "Folder Sync" ;)

[Zenju]

What parameter should I add to the FFS SendTo shortcut that will run FFS and allocate 2 folders (at any given location) to the 2 FFS panels?

If what you want to do is start FFS with left and right folders set according to command line parameters then "-leftdir/-rightdir" is the way to do it. If not, then I don't understand what you are trying to do.

[Archimede]

First of all, thanks for bearing with me.

What I would like to do is, right click on any two folders, located under any given path on the local disk, then select the "Sendto" contextual menu in the hope to see that FFS would run with one of the 2 folders on one side and the other folder on the other side, ready to compare/synchronize them.

To do this I have added a shortcut to FFS in my Win7 SendTo folder (C:\Users\Me\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo). In the "Target" field of the shortcut properties I have entered (at the end of the path) the parameter "-leftdir/-rightdir". I have tried with and without quotes but this sadly doesn't work.

Hopefully the situation is clear, if not please ask.

Thanks :)

[Plerry]

In case you select multiple files in Explorer and then run an application via the context menu,
Windows will sequentially run the specified program for each selected file individually.
Here you will find some tricks that might(?) help you get around that:
https://autohotkey.com/board/topic/11287-explorer-context-menu-action-for-multiple-files/

[Archimede]

Zenju, on an older PC also running Win7 I still successfully run FFS (v5.6 - build Aug 2 2012 - Unicode x86) and that version works flawlessly both via Sendto (without any parameters) and Open++ (with %FilePaths%).

So my question is, what has been changed in terms of command line support after that version?

Hopefully this indication can help you help me :D

[Zenju]

The problem you're facing is that FFS's command line syntax has changed: It used to accept a simple list of directories to create a temporary configuration, but newer versions need left and right directories to be specified explicitly via "-leftdir/-rightdir".

[Archimede]

Oh, I see... Something that was working got fixed and now it's broken!

Just kidding (LOL) the changes you implemented in FFS since that old version are spectacular, really and I seriously thank you for that.

However, I would really appreciate it if you could be so kind to tell me (in an easy way for me to understand) what to do to to make FFS work via the Sendto in a way that when I right click onto any two folders (located under any given path on the local disk) and then click "Sendto", one of the 2 folders would land onto one pane of FFS and the other folder onto the other pane... Hopefully what was possible then is still possible now.

Thanks again

[Zenju]

You would need to convert an input string of folders "A B C D" into the format "-leftdir A -rightdir B -leftdir C -rightdir D", which is hard to do automatically. In general one could think about ways to make this simpler, but I question the underlying scenario:

Is there really a need to select two folders with Explorer, right click on them and run FFS? Most of the time source and target directories are on different volumes, so a selection of both is not possible with Explorer anyway. Only in the very narrow case where left and right folders are located within the *same* parent folder, Explorer let's you select both and you could then want to open them in FFS.
Additionally there is the currently much more intuitive and more powerful solution of just starting FFS and selecting folders precisely via drag and drop.

[Archimede]

I do often compare/synchronize directories that are in the same parent folder but I also experience (actually very often) the situation in which I have 2 folders that I need to compare/synchronize and that are indeed on different partitions or even on separate HDDs but in that case I don't run the Sendto command in Explorer, I run it from Everything (https://www.voidtools.com/).

What I am currently doing with FFS v5.6 is: I immediately locate both folders (whether under the same parent folder or not) via Everything and from its context menu I either use the Sendto or the Open++ and in both ways FFS opens and compares the 2 folders.

I would love to be able to do the same with FFS v8.1 (the current version) so to enjoy the many amazing improvements you have implemented in newer versions. I really hope that it is not to much trouble for you to restore the previous command line syntax, which frankly was rather practical as it easily permitted to exploit in full both the Sendto context menu option and 3rd parties utilities such as Open++.

Thanks once again for your patience and I wish you a great evening.

[Archimede]

Good day Zenju :)

I see that FreeFileSync 8.3 is out... Is this version addressing the issue we talked about in this thread (ref. FFS's command line syntax and adding support to make FFS work via the Sendto)?

Thanks for letting me know ;)

[Zenju]

Here's a little christmas present: FreeFileSync with "Send To" support:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/5p577pf3959qjo6/FreeFileSync_9.7_%5BBeta%5D_Windows_Setup.exe

[Archimede]

Hi Zenju,

Downloaded and tested FreeFileSync v.9.7 beta (with SendTo support)... Excellent to compare/sync folders that are under the same parent folder. Thank you!

However, for folders which are not under the same parent folder (and that are in 2 different locations on the local HDD) it would be great to have a workaround that permits to send to FFS one of the 2 folders and populate one side of the dual panel, then send the second folder a couple of seconds later and populate the other side of FFS dual panel. Presently this does not seem to be possible.

Hope the above is clear.

Thanks and have a great day ahead,

Archimede

[Zenju]

Why not just drag and drop the second folder via mouse?

[Gianni1962]

Beyond Compare handle it in this way.

Classic, you have selected the two folder you want compare, click "Compare":

screen_20171219_112022.png (11.65 KiB) Viewed 2400 times

You have selected the folder you want on the Left side, click "Select Left Folder for Compare":

screen_20171219_112050.png (13.23 KiB) Viewed 2400 times

You have selected the folder you want on the Right side, click "Compare to "Bookmark Chrome"":

screen_20171219_112120.png (16.88 KiB) Viewed 2400 times

Only at this time "Beyond Compare" launch with the two folders loaded.

[Archimede]

Why not just drag and drop the second folder via mouse?

I guess I will do just that ;)

But I have to say that developing FFS context menu towards something like Beyond Compare (thanks Gianni1962 for his hints and screenshots on this FFS Forum) wouldn't be such a crazy idea after all :D nah, drag and drop isn't that bad.

Thanks a lot Zenju, your efforts are much appreciated.

Happy holidays everyone

[Archimede]

BTW, I enabled the Notification Sound by manually adding the line below to GlobalSettings.xml

<NotificationSound CompareFinished="CompleteComp.wav" SyncFinished="CompleteSync.wav" />

I forgot whether there was another more intuitive way to do that in the Options menu

[Zenju]

Hm, maybe instead of being hidden in a sub menu "Send To", this feature should be at the top context menu level, shown when right clicking on a folder? I don't think we need both "Send To" and "Open with FreeFileSync".

[Archimede]

Well, "Send To" would easily work with FFS portable (see note below) and "Open with FreeFileSync" context menu could be dedicated to those users who prefer the traditional installation.

"Complete\Path\To\FreeFileSync.exe" -SendTo

Manually making the above SendTo shortcut for FFS portable is a no-brainer.

[Archimede]

BTW, I tried to run FreeFileSync v.9.7 beta via Open++ and no matter which parameters I enter, I don't manage to make it work :(

The older version of FFS (v5.6 - build Aug 2 2012 - Unicode x86) still works fine both via Sendto and via Open++ (with %FilePaths%).