Hi!
Simple example:
C:\ should be mirrored to D:\
Filter says
"\BigData\" is ignored
on D: there already exists D:\BigData\
What I want: D:\BigData\ should be deleted because C:\BigData\ is ignored.
But apparently it is not deleted as the filter "\BigData\" also targets the mirror-side.
If I try "C:\BigData\" or "[Drivename]\BigData\" as filter, it doesn't work at all.
What can I do?
Deleting all of D:\ and make a new synchronization is not an option as the situation will occur again and it takes too long every time.
Greets, Huuurz
Mirror: Ignore folder just in source / Delete in mirror
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018
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- Posts: 2451
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Discussed before here.
You tell FFS to exclude "D:\BigData\" from the sync, and that is exactly what FFS does: it will not affect any excluded files and/or folders.
As filter definitions in FFS are relative to the left and right base location, there is no way to e.g. exclude "C:\BigData\" but not "D:\BigData\". Absolute filter specifications are illegal in FFS and are ignored.
This is simply the choice the author of FFS made long ago.
Changing this convention now would create a lot of confusion and unexpected loss of data.
• One may argue that if FFS would be supposed to delete "D:\BigData\" if "\BigData\" is excluded, then why should it not also delete "C:\BigData\" (if still present) ...
• For all that matters, the content of "D:\BigData\" may also originate from elsewhere than "C:\BigData\" (after all: what's in a name ...), and e.g. is the result of a sync from some other source. In such case, you obviously don't want FFS to simply delete "D:\BigData\".
The only way in FFS to no longer sync "C:\BigData\" and no longer have "D:\BigData\", is to add "\BigData\" to the Exclude Filter and (manually) delete "D:\BigData\".
You tell FFS to exclude "D:\BigData\" from the sync, and that is exactly what FFS does: it will not affect any excluded files and/or folders.
As filter definitions in FFS are relative to the left and right base location, there is no way to e.g. exclude "C:\BigData\" but not "D:\BigData\". Absolute filter specifications are illegal in FFS and are ignored.
This is simply the choice the author of FFS made long ago.
Changing this convention now would create a lot of confusion and unexpected loss of data.
• One may argue that if FFS would be supposed to delete "D:\BigData\" if "\BigData\" is excluded, then why should it not also delete "C:\BigData\" (if still present) ...
• For all that matters, the content of "D:\BigData\" may also originate from elsewhere than "C:\BigData\" (after all: what's in a name ...), and e.g. is the result of a sync from some other source. In such case, you obviously don't want FFS to simply delete "D:\BigData\".
The only way in FFS to no longer sync "C:\BigData\" and no longer have "D:\BigData\", is to add "\BigData\" to the Exclude Filter and (manually) delete "D:\BigData\".
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018
Thank you for the answer.
I hoped for something I hadn't seen like a "Radical Mirror" option or something :)
The main problem arises from stuff that was synchronized by accident and excluded later.
Now the remains are orphaned in the Backup and it is quite laborious to remove everything by hand (e.g. "*/temp/", "*/.git/", "*/thumbs.db" and looking through each custom filter for folder pairs) or make a completely fresh backup (several hours of non-productiveness and countless futile TBs written).
There are other factors that will lead to that situation again like reorganizing folders without tracking overlaps in excludes and manual or automatic changes by other programs in the backup.
I would definitely vote for a "radical mirror" option (just a checkbox, no need to allow absolute path excludes).
I hoped for something I hadn't seen like a "Radical Mirror" option or something :)
The main problem arises from stuff that was synchronized by accident and excluded later.
Now the remains are orphaned in the Backup and it is quite laborious to remove everything by hand (e.g. "*/temp/", "*/.git/", "*/thumbs.db" and looking through each custom filter for folder pairs) or make a completely fresh backup (several hours of non-productiveness and countless futile TBs written).
There are other factors that will lead to that situation again like reorganizing folders without tracking overlaps in excludes and manual or automatic changes by other programs in the backup.
I would definitely vote for a "radical mirror" option (just a checkbox, no need to allow absolute path excludes).
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- Posts: 2451
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Perhaps a "trick" can help.
I will refer to your present FFS configuration as "Backup".
Now, define a new, separate FFS sync configuration "Cleanup", copy the content of your present "Backup" Exclude Filter and paste it into the "Cleanup" Include Filter (replacing the default *), and leave/make the "Cleanup" Exclude Filter empty.
Define your present backup location as your "Cleanup" left location, and your "Cleanup" right location as an arbitrary dummy location (you will not perform an actual sync, just a Compare).
When you run the "Cleanup" Compare, FFS will find all the meanwhile excluded files in your backup location and suggest to copy those over to your dummy location.
Select all said files in the "Cleanup" Compare result window, right click and select to delete.
Done!
I will refer to your present FFS configuration as "Backup".
Now, define a new, separate FFS sync configuration "Cleanup", copy the content of your present "Backup" Exclude Filter and paste it into the "Cleanup" Include Filter (replacing the default *), and leave/make the "Cleanup" Exclude Filter empty.
Define your present backup location as your "Cleanup" left location, and your "Cleanup" right location as an arbitrary dummy location (you will not perform an actual sync, just a Compare).
When you run the "Cleanup" Compare, FFS will find all the meanwhile excluded files in your backup location and suggest to copy those over to your dummy location.
Select all said files in the "Cleanup" Compare result window, right click and select to delete.
Done!
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018
Thank you, this clever approach seems to have done the trick!
I was able to delete thousands of orphaned files.
Switch includes / excludes for every folder pair and overall,
compare to empty folder, mark all results by "Ctrl + A" and then delete.
For the googlers: Make sure you get rid of the "*" in the include field.
Nice!
I was able to delete thousands of orphaned files.
Switch includes / excludes for every folder pair and overall,
compare to empty folder, mark all results by "Ctrl + A" and then delete.
For the googlers: Make sure you get rid of the "*" in the include field.
Nice!
