How to set synchronization paths

[Backitup]

Hi,

I have the following question:

Say, my source directory is c:\users\fred\documents\directorytobackup\ and I want to backup the files inside it to the directory d:\documents\.

d:\documents\ contains lots of other directories. How may I synchronize the source directory (mirror it) to the destination directory, but also ensure that the path in the destination directory will be d:documents\users\fred\documents\directorytobackup\? I don't want the other directories in d:\documents to be disturbed when making this backup.

[Radish]

Set the left-side to c:\users\fred\documents\directorytobackup
Set the right-side to d:\documents\users\fred\documents\directorytobackup

Note that if the directory path d:\documents\users\fred\documents\directorytobackup does not already exist FFS will give a warning at the beginning of the sync but will also say that it will create the directory - so it is okay to 'Ignore' that 'warning' message. If you want to you can pre-create the right-side path before running the sync and you won't get the warning message.

As you're new to FFS remember to run a Compare and check the file listing carefully before you actually click the Synchronize button -- in this way you can check that you aren't going to delete files that are valuable to you e.g. your entire D:\ drive (as you're doing a Mirror sync, and if you entered the wrong right-side path). Keep in mind that the Compare action won't actually do anything to the physical files on your drives -- only when you hit the Synchronize button do files get copied, deleted etc.

Manual and helpful videos can be found here and are worth a read/view through for a newbie: https://freefilesync.org/

[Backitup]

Thanks for the advice. Unless I'm doing something wrong, I notice that the Mirror option will create the folder or ask to create the specific folder as you wrote, but not the whole path on the destination directory.

I'm trying to do three things: (a) recreate the complete path of the source directory on the destination side and (b) avoid having to create manually the destination folder concerned, but also (c) avoid deleting any existing files on the destination side.

[Radish]

Ah, I see. For (a) and (b) taken in combination, as far as I'm aware you can't do what you want to do. You must define a full path for the right-side into which to place the files/folders from the left-side. (If I've got that wrong maybe someone else with more expertise could correct.)

For (c) If by that you mean not to delete pre-existing files in the target directory that is your right side then Mirror sync isn't going to be useful to you. Mirror sync will definitely delete files/folders in the target directory on the right-side if they don't exist in/at the (source) directory of the left-side. If you don't want that to happen then the Update sync variant would be more useful to you.

However, what you want to do for (a) + (b) in combination would actually be a useful feature for FFS so I'll put in a Feature Request for it.

[Backitup]

Many thanks for the assistance!