Differences
When you run a profile, if there are any differences detected, e.g. files have changed, this differences window will appear. You can configure your profile never to show this window (see the Compare Options page when creating/modifying the profile).
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The Differences window is not shown for unattended runs, e.g. scheduled tasks, if you run SyncBackSE with command line parameters, if the ‘Skip the Differences screen' option is enabled for the profile, or if there are no differences. The Differences window will always be shown when doing a restore or simulated run. |
When a profile is run, SyncBackSE will compare the source/left and destination/right files to find the differences. There may be files in the source/left that are not in the destination/right, for example. After it has made the comparison it will display the Differences window that lists all the differences between the source/left and destination/right. This gives you a chance to see what will happen and change what actions will be taken. For example, a file may be marked for deletion but you may decide not to delete that particular file.
At the bottom left of the window are details on the currently selected files. It shows the differences between the file on the left and the file on the right. Newer dates & times, and large file sizes, are shown in green, older dates & times, and smaller file sizes, are red.
The bottom right panel gives details on the number of files, and the amount of data, that will be copied, deleted, and skipped.
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Mirror all the files to the right: When this button is clicked all the files on the left will have their action changed so that they are copied to the right. Any files on the right which are not on the left will have their action changed so they are deleted. This button lets you quickly tell SyncBackSE that the right should have exactly the same files as the left. Note that you can mirror a selection of files via the pop-up menu.
If you keep the SHIFT key pressed while clicking the button, then the files will be moved instead of copied.
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Mirror all the files to the left: This does the opposite of the above button, i.e. the left should have the same files as the right. Note that you can mirror a selection of files via the pop-up menu. |
Between the Left and Right columns is the Action column. This shows what will happen to that file. Note that not all the options are available for each file as it depends on what the situation is with that file. For example, you cannot copy the left file if it doesn't exist:
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Skip: Ignore the file and do nothing.
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Copy to right: Copy the left file to the right. This will overwrite the right file, if it exists.
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Copy to left: Copy the right file to the left. This will overwrite the left file, if it exists.
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Move to right: Move the left file to the right. This will overwrite the right file, if it exists, and delete the file from the left.
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Move to left: Move the right file to the left. This will overwrite the left file, if it exists, and delete the file from the right.
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Unchanged: This option is only available when running a Fast Backup profile. By selecting this option you are telling SyncBackSE that the file actually has not changed and nothing should be done. This is useful, for example, when you have a copy of a file on an FTP server but the date & times do not match. However, you know the file is identical.
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Delete: Delete both the source and destination files.
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Delete from left: Delete the file on the left.
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Delete from right: Delete the file on the right.
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Collision, prompt me: You will be prompted what choice to make after you close this window.
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Missing, prompt me: You will be prompted what choice to make after you close this window.
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Details differ, prompt me: If the files are identical, but their attributes are different, then you can choose to be prompted on which files attributes to use.
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Use details from left: The files are identical, but their attributes are different, so copy the attributes from the left file to the right file.
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Use details from right: The files are identical, but their attributes are different, so copy the attributes from the right file to the left file. |
There are three ways to change the Action for a file:
| · | Click on the Action item and select the new action from the drop-down list |
| · | Right-click on the row and select the new action from the pop-up menu |
| · | Use hot-keys |
You can change the action for multiple files by clicking on the rows and pressing the Shift and Ctrl keys. You can press Ctrl-A to select all the files. Right-click on the selection and choose the action from the pop-up menu. Only actions that are available for all the selected files are shown.
You can use the following hot-keys to change the action of the selected items:
| · | Ctrl-S: Skip the files |
| · | Ctrl-L: Copy files to the source/left |
| · | Ctrl-R: Copy files to the destination/right |
| · | Ctrl-D: Delete the files from both the source/left and destination/right |
| · | Ctrl-U: Mark the files as unchanged (Fast Backup profiles only) |
To be prompted immediately on what to do with a file you can select the file (by clicking on its row) and pressing Ctrl-P (or by double-clicking the row, or selecting 'Prompt me now' from the pop-up menu). The File Collision Window will appear from which you can make a choice. Note that nothing is done with the file until after the Differences window is closed.
There is a roll-out bar at the top of the Window. Click on it to display other options:
| · | Show files/folders not on left: If not selected then files and folders that are only on the right are hidden. |
| · | Show files/folders not on right: If not selected then files and folders that are only on the left are hidden. |
| · | Show changed files: If not selected then files that are on both the left and right, and are different, are hidden. |
| · | Show skipped files/folders: If not selected, then skipped files and folders are not shown. |
| · | Only show action icons, not text: If selected then the Action column will just show icons and not text. This reduces the width of the Action column giving you more space. |
| · | Keep window on top of all others: If selected then the Differences window will be placed above all other windows on your desktop. |
| · | Show size column: If selected the size of files are shown. |
| · | Show date & time column: If selected the last modification date & time of files are shown. |
| · | Do not display this window again for this profile: If ticked then this window will not be displayed again when this profile is next run. This is identical to the "Skip the Differences screen when this profile is run (it is never shown when unattended)" option in the Compare Options page in the profiles configuration. Note that this checkbox is not shown when the run is a simulation (as the Differences window is always shown when a profile is run in simulation mode). |
After you have reviewed the differences, made whatever changes are required (if any), and are ready to continue with the profile run, you can click either the 'Continue' button or the 'Abort' button. Aborting will stop the profile run immediately and no files will be copied, deleted, or moved.
Comparing Files
SyncBackSE can tell you files are different, and using third party programs, you can ask SyncBackSE to show you the actual differences between the files. Click the Comparison Programs button to tell SyncBackSE which programs to use to compare which types of files.
To compare files simply click the file (or files to compare multiple files) and press Ctrl-M, or select Compare from the pop-up menu. You can also configure the double-click action to compare files.
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Note that the files must be retrieved to the local drive for comparison. If you have large files on FTP servers, or slow networks, then there may be a delay while retrieving the files. |
Opening Files
To open (view) a file simply click the file (or files to compare multiple files) and press Ctrl-O, or select Open from the pop-up menu. You can also configure the double-click action to open files.
You can also drag & drop files from the Differences window onto your desktop, for example. Click on the file, keep the left-mouse button pressed, drag it to your desktop, and release the mouse button.
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Note that the files must be retrieved to the local drive to be opened. If you have large files on FTP servers, or slow networks, then there may be a delay while retrieving the files. |
Collisions
A "collision" is when a file in the source and destination differ, yet have the same name. That is, the file is both in the source and destination but is modified in some way, perhaps by date, size etc.
A notification of collisions occur in the "Differences" window which appears by default when making a backup (note however there are circumstances when the "Differences" window does not appear, for example when the user has chosen not to show the window):
Collisions are shown in red in the "Differences" window to highlight there are going to be changes made when you continue the profile task. If the user views the Differences window carefully, the user has the option to make choices about whether they want to accept the changes SyncBackSE will make, or bypass them with a right click and choose a different action. For more read about the Collision Window.
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