Multiple base folders

[TheAncient]

I received the following warning message and I need a bit of an explanation:

Warning Some files will be synchronized as part of multiple base folders.
To avoid conflicts, set up exclude filters so that each updated file is included by only one base folder.
I:\ 👓 DIR\<PATH>\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml
I:\DIR 💾 <PATH>\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml

My first question was, what do the sunglasses and the floppy disk mean?
After lengthy futile searches in the manual, I finally found a forum post from Zenju that states:
💾 is write access, 👓 is read access
It would probably be a good idea to include an entry in the documentation that can be found using some sort of logical search term like “Symbol in log” or “Glasses” or “Floppy”.

Back to my warning message: I am mirroring FROM <Source Drive> TO <Target Drive> In my case, the target drive is “I”.
What does this warning message mean: Is it trying to read a file on the TARGET drive and then write that same file back to the target drive?
That doesn’t make any sense to me. I would like to know the BASE FOLDERS on the SOURCE drive that are causing this warning.

Could someone please explain to me what this error message is trying to tell me ?
Is there a way to make the warning message more meaningful e.g. "Folder <Source Drive>\A and Folder <Source Drive>\B are both trying to write to Folder <Target Drive>\X"

[Plerry]

This warning occurs if there is an (at least partial) overlap between one or more of your base folders or any of their contents (including in subfolders).
You write your target base folder is on your I:\ drive,
but it seems that either the source base folder is also on the I:\ drive (and has an overlap with your target base directory),
or you have multiple left-right base folder pairs, and that at least two of the base folders in all your left-right pairs are on the I:\ drive and have an overlap.

[TheAncient]

I am aware of what it is supposed to mean but this is not what is happening here:
The exact same path and file name appears in the sunglasses (read) line as in the Floppy (write) line.
The error message never mentions the source or base folder(s). (The source for this file is, in fact, on the "Z" drive). If I read the error message correctly, it wants to mirror this file FROM the target drive TO the target drive - i.e. it's trying to mirror to itself - which doesn't make any sense to me.

[xCSxXenon]

So you have a location syncing to I:\
Do you also have a pair syncing I:\ to something else?

[TheAncient]

The only SOURCE location (base folders) are on "Y" and on "Z".
The "I" drive is only a TARGET. Here are the Folder Pairs used (from the ffs_batch file):
<Left Threads="10">Z:\09 System\003 Setup\Setup T5.2</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

<Left Threads="10">Z:\08 OEM\Samsung\Samsung SSD T5\Updates</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

<Left Threads="10">Z:\09 System\008 Batch Files</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

<Left Threads="10">Z:\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

<Left Threads="10">Y:\</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\Data</Right>

<Left Threads="10">Z:\</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\Source</Right>

If you look at the "Left Threads" lines (aka base folders), every one of them is on the "Y" or "Z" drives
If you look at the "Right Threads lines (aka target folders) all of those are on the T5Backup2 drive which happens to have drive letter "I" assigned to it.
In case you are wondering: There are 4 files on the "Z" drive that get updated on the ROOT of the "I" drive.
The ENTIRE "Y" and "Z" drives are then mirrored to their respective sub-folders on the "I" drive.

[Zenju]

Search for "GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml" in the FreeFileSync file list. You'll find it twice and it'll probably be clear what the conflict is about.

[TheAncient]

I am not certain what you mean by the "FreeFileSync file": The folder pairs from the ffs_batch file are listed in my last post.
I did an Explorer search for that file on the source drive ("Z") and there is one and only one version of it.
I did an Explorer search on the second source drive in that batch ("Y") - just in case - and there is NO version of this file on that drive. Last, I did an Explorer search on the target drive ("I") and I found one and only one version here as well.
Finally, I looked at last night's log and - YES - I DID find multiple mentions of this file but ALL of them referred to the version on the target drive ("I").
Since this forum does not have a facility for attaching files, I am pasting the entire log below:

_S047L_T5Backup2-SOURCE 2022-12-13 11:04:53
Completed with warnings
Warnings: 1
Items processed: 2 (251 KB)
Total time: 00:00:00
Errors and warnings:
11:04:54 Warning: Some files will be synchronized as part of multiple base folders.
To avoid conflicts, set up exclude filters so that each updated file is included by only one base folder.
I:\ 👓 Source\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml
I:\Source 💾 09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml
I:\ 👓 Source\08 OEM\Gigabyte\GA-Z77X-UP5TH (Greg)\__ Original Utility CD\gcapi_dll.dll
I:\Source 💾 08 OEM\Gigabyte\GA-Z77X-UP5TH (Greg)\__ Original Utility CD\gcapi_dll.dll

11:04:48 Info: Comparison finished: 472,910 items found – Time elapsed: 00:00:48
11:04:54 Warning: Some files will be synchronized as part of multiple base folders.
To avoid conflicts, set up exclude filters so that each updated file is included by only one base folder.
I:\ 👓 Source\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml
I:\Source 💾 09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml
I:\ 👓 Source\08 OEM\Gigabyte\GA-Z77X-UP5TH (Greg)\__ Original Utility CD\gcapi_dll.dll
I:\Source 💾 08 OEM\Gigabyte\GA-Z77X-UP5TH (Greg)\__ Original Utility CD\gcapi_dll.dll
11:04:54 Info: Synchronizing folder pair: Mirror ->
Z:\
I:\Source
11:04:54 Info: Updating file "I:\Source\08 OEM\Gigabyte\GA-Z77X-UP5TH (Greg)\__ Original Utility CD\gcapi_dll.dll"
11:04:54 Info: Updating file "I:\Source\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml"
Windows 10 (Version: 22H2) – TheAncient (Edna) – MS-7881 – MSI

[xCSxXenon]

Got it

<Left Threads="10">Z:\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

You are syncing
Z:\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch
to
I:\
in your fourth pair.

<Left Threads="10">Z:\</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\Source</Right>

You are also syncing all of Z:\ to I:\Source, which includes the file GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml. Therefore, that file is in fact included in multiple base locations.

I will say, it is peculiar that you are syncing a folder deep in Z:\ to the root of the target, but then also syncing the root, and all contents, of Z:\ to a folder in the target.

[TheAncient]

In my post time-stamped 09:29 I pointed out:

There are 4 files on the "Z" drive that get updated on the ROOT of the "I" drive.
The ENTIRE "Y" and "Z" drives are then mirrored to their respective sub-folders on the "I" drive.

In other words, some files are mirrored or updated from one single location on the source drive to two different locations on the target drive.
This is exactly the opposite of the text in the warning which says "Warning Some files will be synchronized as part of multiple base folders." - Synchronizing from one single source folder to multiple target folders should NOT present a problem.
(The reason some files are duplicated in the root folder is, they give a quick and easy-to-find indication WHEN and via WHICH job the "Y" and "Z" source folders were last synchronized)

[Zenju]

I am not certain what you mean by the "FreeFileSync file": The folder pairs from the ffs_batch file are listed in my last post.

Run the ffs_batch job from the FreeFileSync GUI and look for the file mentioned in the warning message.

[TheAncient]

The GUI warning message / log only lists files in the target folder. It does not list ANY files in the base folders. Here is the relevant part of the message:
4:53:54 Info: Synchronizing folder pair: Mirror ->
Z:\
I:\Source
14:53:54 Info: Updating file "I:\Source\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml"

It tells me, that the error is triggered while updating the file from drive "Y" to drive "I" but, as I stated before, there is only one single version of this file on drive "Y". Where then, does FreeFileSync get the idea that I have MULTIPLE base folders?

If it would help and if you have the ability to send/receive private messages, please let me know where I can send the entire "[FreeFileSync] _S045L_T5Backup2-ALL ⚠️.html" file.

[Zenju]

At the bottom of the FFS main dialog there are the view filter buttons. Make sure they are all checked. Then search for "GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml" (CTRL+F3). You'll find multiple entries.

Alternative: Temporarily set include filter to "*\GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml"

[Plerry]

> Where then, does FreeFileSync get the idea that I have MULTIPLE base folders?

As per your own above message your sync has 6 left-right base folder pairs. All of the right-side locations are listing [T5Backup2]\ or in some cases a subfolder of [T5Backup2]\ . There you have your first set of overlaps.
Obviously where you specify (the root of) [T5Backup2]\ as your right base location, there is a direct overlap. Even where you specify a subfolder of [T5Backup2]\ as your right-side base location, such subfolders are still part of the total [T5Backup2]\ of other pairs and thus form yet another overlap.
Similarly, your last left base location is Z:\, whereas some other (earlier) pairs specify sub(sub)folders of Z:\ as your left base location. There you have your second set of overlaps, as those sub(sub)folders of Z:\ are part of total Z:\ and thus forms an overlap.

[xCSxXenon]

Got it

<Left Threads="10">Z:\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\</Right>

You are syncing
Z:\09 System\015 Directory Tools\$$ Synchronization\FreeFileSync\Config Files\DriveLetter\NightlyBatch
to
I:\
in your fourth pair.

<Left Threads="10">Z:\</Left>
<Right Threads="10">[T5Backup2]\Source</Right>

You are also syncing all of Z:\ to I:\Source, which includes the file GlobalSettings-DriveLetter-NIGHTLY.xml. Therefore, that file is in fact included in multiple base locations.

I will say, it is peculiar that you are syncing a folder deep in Z:\ to the root of the target, but then also syncing the root, and all contents, of Z:\ to a folder in the target.

[TheAncient]

Maybe I just don't understand what a "base folder" is:
I am under the impression that a "base" folder is the same as a "source" folder.
I am synchronizing (mirroring) the entire base folder ("Z") to its counterpart on the target drive "I".
I am also synchronizing (updating) a file within the that SAME base folder to a DIFFERENT location (root) on the target drive. There is no overlap: The SAME file on the source drive is synchronized to two DIFFERENT locations on the target drive. This is done so a user can look at the root directory and see immediately how and when this particular USB stick was last synchronized. They do not have to root through the bowels of the "I:\Source" folder to find out if this USB stick is current or if it's an old one.

[TheAncient]

I ended up splitting the ffs_batch file into TWO jobs:
Job 1 mirrors Folders “Y” and “Z” to their counterparts on the target drive (“I”)
Job 2 uses the appropriate files within drive “Z” to update the files in the root folder of “I”.

I still believe the error messages could be a lot clearer by stating the base folders that cause the problem. A message like Base Folder “A” and Base Folder “B” are both trying to update Target Folder “I”
would make it clear what the problem is.
Having one single base folder trying to update multiple different target folders is perfectly valid and should not trigger any error messages.

[Zenju]

I still believe the error messages could be a lot clearer
[...]
Having one single base folder trying to update multiple different target folders is perfectly valid and should not trigger any error messages.

Try FreeFileSync 11.29!

[TheAncient]

@Zenju:
I ran my original version of the ffs_batch file (the one that originally prompted me to post here) and, using FreeFileSync 11.29, I no longer get an error message when trying to synchronize from one source folder to multiple target folders.
(I have not checked if the proper error messages are any clearer since I do not have any jobs that try to use multiple base folders to sync to the same target folder)
When it comes to technical support, a lot of companies could (and should) take a page out of your book!