I have the latest FreeFileSync donation edition. I'm having a problem regarding synchronizing some folders.
I have 2 machines: a WinXP machine & a Win10 machine. I want synchronize two folders (let's call them Folder1) to make sure the relevant content is identical, one on each computer.
The problem is that in I have Word documents in each folder where I want the content identical EXCEPT for the filepath field that I have in the footer of each document. i.e. in WinXP, the filepath field is
C:\Documents & Settings\Username\Data\Folder1 & in Win10 the filepath is
C:\Users\Username\Documents\Folder1
1) Is there a way that I can synchronize these folders, but have it skip the field that I have in the footer?
2) If not, is the best way to just have FreeFileSync compare by date & time?
Thank you in advance.
Syncing 2 folders by content without considering different file paths
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- Joined: 24 Nov 2020
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- Posts: 4866
- Joined: 11 Jun 2019
What footer are you talking about? How are you syncing these? Over the network or an external storage device?
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 24 Nov 2020
Thank you for your reply.
The footer is in a Microsoft Word document. Word has fields that can put the filepath & filename in the footer of the document. If you move the document to another folder & update it, the field will update also.
I am syncing them over a network.
The footer is in a Microsoft Word document. Word has fields that can put the filepath & filename in the footer of the document. If you move the document to another folder & update it, the field will update also.
I am syncing them over a network.
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- Posts: 4866
- Joined: 11 Jun 2019
That can't work unfortunately. If the contents of the file change, it will trigger the sync. If the footer auto updates to the current location, it will keep repeating the cycle. You are trying to sync two files that you want to be different, and that is not syncing anymore. Pretty niche setup so not sure the best solution, probably best to experiment with the settings
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 24 Nov 2020
Thank you so much for the information. I can see a workaround now.
What I really need to sync is the substance of my documents. The filepath is only needed so that if I print a document, I can immediately see where it's located on my computer(s). Since that's the only purpose for the filepath, it doesn't matter if it's wrong because I know that C:\Documents & Settings\Data is equivalent to C:\Users\Phil\Documents. Also, if I print either copy, the field will automatically update.
My solution, therefore, is to compare only date & time so I can see which file was edited & FreeFileSync will then copy it over to its counterpart. i.e. the substance of the 2 documents will be in sync & I can just ignore the filepath differences.
Thank you again for setting me on the right path!
What I really need to sync is the substance of my documents. The filepath is only needed so that if I print a document, I can immediately see where it's located on my computer(s). Since that's the only purpose for the filepath, it doesn't matter if it's wrong because I know that C:\Documents & Settings\Data is equivalent to C:\Users\Phil\Documents. Also, if I print either copy, the field will automatically update.
My solution, therefore, is to compare only date & time so I can see which file was edited & FreeFileSync will then copy it over to its counterpart. i.e. the substance of the 2 documents will be in sync & I can just ignore the filepath differences.
Thank you again for setting me on the right path!
