sorry if this has been asked before (I only read thru the first 5 pages) but is there a way to have FFS only compare existing folders on source drive if the mode is set to UPDATE?
I have a large disk array with thousands of folders and when I just want to update a few of those from a source with only three or four folders, FFS scans all ten thousand folders on the array which of course takes forever. I guess what I'm looking for is something like an xcopy which is just brutally direct but with the preview that FFS gives me before I press the SYNC button. A lot of my source disks are not fixed disks but things like usb drives, SD cards, blurays etc so I can understand a full scan of the target if the mode is set to mirror or two-way but not update.
Thanks in advance!
Faster compare (exclude items beforehand)
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- Joined: 25 Apr 2018
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- Posts: 2288
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
You have basically two options:
1) Define the root of your source as your left-side base-location, and the corresponding root of the destination as your right-side base-location.
Then change the Include filter from * (which includes all files in all subfolders) to point only to the (sub)folders to be included,
listing e.g. \IncludeMe1\*|\IncludeMe2\*|\SubFolderName\IncludeMe3\*
See also https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=exclude-items.
2) Define multiple left-right base-folder pairs, one pair for each (sub)folder to be included in the sync. You add a folder pair by using the "+" sign in front of the top left-right folder pair definition.
If you want to include almost all of the content of a (sub)folder, except for some specific files or (sub)folders,
it might be better to use the Exclude filter, entering there the list of files and/or (sub)folders to be excluded from the sync. You can combine using the Include and the Exclude filter. Note that all entries in the Include and Exclude filter are relative to left and right base location(s).
1) Define the root of your source as your left-side base-location, and the corresponding root of the destination as your right-side base-location.
Then change the Include filter from * (which includes all files in all subfolders) to point only to the (sub)folders to be included,
listing e.g. \IncludeMe1\*|\IncludeMe2\*|\SubFolderName\IncludeMe3\*
See also https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=exclude-items.
2) Define multiple left-right base-folder pairs, one pair for each (sub)folder to be included in the sync. You add a folder pair by using the "+" sign in front of the top left-right folder pair definition.
If you want to include almost all of the content of a (sub)folder, except for some specific files or (sub)folders,
it might be better to use the Exclude filter, entering there the list of files and/or (sub)folders to be excluded from the sync. You can combine using the Include and the Exclude filter. Note that all entries in the Include and Exclude filter are relative to left and right base location(s).
- Posts: 61
- Joined: 22 Apr 2018
Sync X folders Deep would be nice, times I want to just BUILD the Root List to be able to EXCLUDE
This option is of course ONLY available during the Compare Stage, like a check box X depth and ignore files, build a tree for excluding / including
This option is of course ONLY available during the Compare Stage, like a check box X depth and ignore files, build a tree for excluding / including
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- Posts: 2288
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
@markusoft
If you run a compare, you can presently already select the file or folder, right-click that item and choose to add it to the Include- or Exclude-filter list. Not a checkbox, but giving more options.
If you run a compare, you can presently already select the file or folder, right-click that item and choose to add it to the Include- or Exclude-filter list. Not a checkbox, but giving more options.
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- Site Admin
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An input helper for the exclude filter seems needed, e.g. a checkbox-tree. This would greatly simplify the problem of having to enter filter settings manually in cases where an initial full comparison would take too long (or would run forever, e.g. scanning "/" on Linux).
