Can FreeFileSync handle this case?

[shaolin11]

I am inquiring to see if FreeFileSync can handle the following scenario:

My laptop's hard drive died six months ago. I was able to restore a portion of
my data from an old backup onto a new drive. Recently, through invasive
recovery, I was able to recover the original data and file structure on the
old drive. The problem of course is that in the last six months the data on my
laptop has changed quite a bit... new files, renamed old files, reorganized
file structure.

I need to synchronize/compare/merge the recovered data with my current data as
a one-time operation. Some of the specifics are as follows:

I have files that may have the same content, but are now in new locations or
have new file names, time/date stamps, etc.

I only need a one-time sync, and the directory structure is now different
between the two data sets.

Essentially, I want to be able to compare everything below a specified
directory level (e.g. \My Documents) based on content, ignoring file location
or name.

The way I see the problem is that I started with a common set of data BACKUP,
from which RECOVERED and CURRENT were both created via the following possible
file operations:

1. Unchanged
2. Deleted
3. Moved
4. Renamed (potential duplicates, could have also been renamed and modified)
5. Modified file metadata - time/date stamp or other file metadata changed
6. Modified file contents
7. Created

Does FFS allow me to integrate the non-duplicate changes made in 2, 6, and 7?
i.e. once I have identified the duplicate and non-duplicate sets, can I choose
how those data should be merged into CURRENT?

Here are the rules I would ideally like to process on the CURRENT data set:

1. Unchanged - Duplicate files in identical locations should remain in their existing location in CURRENT.
2. Deleted - Duplicate files deleted in RECOVERED only should also be deleted in CURRENT.
3. Moved - Duplicate files that have been moved in RECOVERED but not in CURRENT should be reconciled with their current location in CURRENT. Duplicate files that have been moved in CURRENT (regardless of location) should be kept in their existing location in CURRENT.
4. Renamed - Duplicate files that have been renamed in RECOVERED but not in CURRENT should be renamed in CURRENT. Duplicate files that have been renamed in both RECOVERED and CURRENT should be manually reconciled.
5. Modified metadata - Duplicate files with modified metadata in RECOVERED should be manually reconciled with CURRENT.
6. Modified contents - Files with modified contents in RECOVERED but not in CURRENT should replace the existing file in CURRENT. Files with modified contents in both RECOVERED and CURRENT should be manually reconciled.
7. Created - There should be no duplicates here, and all new files in RECOVERED should be merged/copied over to CURRENT
8. In all other cases, existing data in CURRENT should be kept

Can anyone verify if FFS can handle the above requirements?

[Zenju]

> I have files that may have the same content, but are now in new locations or
have new file names, time/date stamps, etc.
FFS compares two directories respecting hierarchy. If there are not that many
rename operations, you may still be able to use FFS and resolve the renaming
manually. If there are, you may need some duplicate-finder like tool.

> Can anyone verify if FFS can handle the above requirements?
Except for detecting and associating renamed or moved files, FFS can handle
the rest.

[shaolin11]

Zenju,

Thank you for your reply. I have many files that have been renamed, moved,
or have modified metadata (but file contents are still the same). Just to
confirm then, FFS cannot compare the binary content of files?

[Zenju]

FFS only compares files by content that have the same name (= same position in
folder hierarchy). Renamed files will (depending on settings) result in a
creation and a deletion, or two creations.