Versioning - Define how many versions to keep

[TonyF]

Is it possible to define how many versions of a file are kept?

[Randy]

Been waiting for years for this feature to be added back in and I am VERY disappointed it was removed. Limiting the number of saved copies of a file was last available (that I know of) in Version 5.8 from October 2012. I am still using Version 5.8 for that very reason.

I just can't understand why they don't add it back in again since they have had so many requests to do so. It was a great backup program then, but without that feature, it is nearly worthless. It is irresponsible to have only the most recent backup of a file and impossible to have enough storage for an unlimited number of versions. The program used to have the best of both worlds. I have FFS Version 5.8 limit the number of versions per file to 5.

FreeFileSync, PLEASE bring back the ability to limit the number of versions of a file that will be saved!!!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

+1 for wanting versioning limiting.

[bgregory02]

I would also love to see this. I had to write my own program to clean up the files and although it works, I'd rather see it as part of FFS. Besides this missing piece, a really excellent program. Thanks Zenju

[Zenju]

I would also love to see this. I had to write my own program to clean up the files and although it works, I'd rather see it as part of FFS.

What rules would you like FFS to implement?

[snapperjonno]

Really want this feature too - the ability to have versioning save the last say 5 or 10 versions, not every one or only one!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I would also love to see this. I had to write my own program to clean up the files and although it works, I'd rather see it as part of FFS.

What rules would you like FFS to implement?

Being able to select the number of versions to keep (1 up to all), all versions up to a certain age, or both would be nice (greedy old broad, aren't I?).

[gogreen1]

Yup, this feature would be welcome. When FFS reaches the defined number, it would, of course, delete versions from the oldest.

[bgregory02]

My real need would be to delete versions older than xx days old or even a number like retain xx versions would be welcomed.

[FFS-User]

My real need would be to delete versions older than xx days old or even a number like retain xx versions would be welcomed.

I am as well very supportive of this request: a limitation by {age (years/months/days)] and/or [number of versions]} would be very much appreciated.

[Detox]

I agree. Keeping only 'x' versions would be great. I am using FFS to send daily backups to FreeNAS - primarily VeraCrypt containers and outlook PST backups. I think I can build a cron for this function, but I would need to build for each user and each folder. This would be quite a batch of cronjobs. The big worry is: if a person cannot do the daily sync ( vacation, sick, no internet, etc), the cron will begin dumping the file. At some point all will be deleted and I will have no backups.

Is this possible? Comments from the Developers?

[Detox]

I have experimented hoping I am reading the doc correctly. On the Docs page https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=versioning it states about versioning:

1. Keep only the most recent versions
In synchronization settings, set deletion handling to Versioning and naming convention to Replace. Deleted files will be moved to the specified folder without any decoration and will replace already existing older versions.

The way I read this, I thought it states the 'old' version would be tossed to another folder. Each subsequent 'old' version would just replace the first 'old' one.
That is not what happens. Each subsequent 'old' version is place in the 'archive' folder.

So, I am still searching for a way to limit the amount of old verisons

[CaptainStarbuck]

I know this doesn't apply to everyone but common version control systems can do this kind of thing without any changes to FFS. While I value the feature discussed here too, I'm also thinking that there's value in letting specific tools do what they do best. FFS is awesome for saving specific data. Now with that task complete, if we want to manage how many copies to keep, age, etc, then other software already has that, so maybe it's best not to ask Zenju to support such things outside the scope of what this software does well.

What concerns me about simple Count orAge mechanisms is that some files get re-saved frequently. I don't want the last 5 versions saved over the last hour, I might want the last file saved on each day for the last 30 days, and then one backup of that for each month. I also tend to save some backups into folders that are dated as FOO_YYMMDD_HHMM, or FOO/YYMMDD/. As you see this could lead to multiple profiles in FFS ... or thoughts about something else for that side of the problem.

Every developer faces the audience who wants all features convenently in one program, but that's usually not the right thing to do. We only do it because people keep asking. The right thing is to use different tools that do specific jobs well, rather than one tool that tries to do everything, ultimately not doing many things well or the way we'd like.

So is there any interest in looking at alternative methods to make use of the backups that FFS creates?

[CaptainStarbuck]

LOL ... and then I just saw this discussion:
viewtopic.php?t=4793