Options Dialog Box

The options dialog box displays various options for the current Sync Set.

Click the Conflict-Resolution Options buttons for a second dialog box that specifies how qFileSync should deal with conflicts.

The options are organized into the following sections:

Smart Synchronize

• Enable: check this box to enable Smart Sync. Smart Sync uses the last sync date to guess what has been done to each file since the last synchronization. For example, Smart Sync allows qFileSync to
  • Tell the difference between when a file has been newly created in one folder, and when the same file was deleted from another folder
  • Detect when the same file was updated in two locations.

  Smart Sync only has an effect after you've already synchronized once. When using the default conflict system, if you disable Smart Sync, qFileSync will behave exactly as though the Last Sync Date was set to Never.

• Last Sync Date: self-explanatory. qFileSync updates the last sync date after a sync is completed; if you abort during a synchronization, the last sync date remains the same.

Logging

When synchronizing, the list of actions qFileSync has performed is displayed in a box labelled "Sync Status". When you use logging, the same information is written to a text file of your choosing.

• Log to file: Check this box to enable logging, then type a file name in the box immediately below.
• Clear log daily: Causes the log to be cleared if, when opening the log file, the date stamp on the log file does not match the current date. If this box is not checked, the log grows indefinitely.
• Browse: allows you you select the log file with a Save As-style dialog box.

When Copying Files

Contains the following options specific to file copying:

• Allow read-only files to be overwritten: self explanatory. This option can be overridden on a case-by-case basis in the Confirm dialog box.
• Clear archive attribute: Specifies that the archive attribute should be cleared (removed) for both files when copying. Note: qFileSync will not use the creation date on files whose archive attribute is clear.
• Set creation date on copy: Specifies that the date stamp on copies of files should be changed to match the original file.

qFileSync that at least one of the latter two options is checked, to ensure that the Use Creation Date option works correctly. If both these options were cleared but Use Creation Date were enabled, qFileSync could end up copying every file on every sync.

Miscellaneous

• Allow read-only files to be deleted: self-explanatory. If a file is supposed to be deleted, whether qFileSync determined to do so or you selected to do so manually, it will not delete read-only or system files if this option is clear. This option can be overridden on a case-by-case basis in the Confirm dialog box.
• Warn about dates in the future: If this is checked, qFileSync checks each file against the system clock and warns you with a single message box about any files apparently in the future. If two or more computers are involved in the sync, or if two or more computers may be modifying the files involved in the sync, dates in the future typically indicate that the clocks on the different computers are out of sync. qFileSync can only work reliably if the clocks on all computers involved are set to the same time. This option sometimes makes you aware of a problem with your clocks, but it is not a reliable indicator. When using qFileSync, you should synchronize your clocks regularly.
• Use creation date when it seems appropriate: This option is intended to detect files added to a folder through copying. When you copy a file into a folder, it retains the modification date of the original file; thus, qFileSync might not see it as a "new" file. However, if the file did not exist at the destination location already, its creation date is set to the time when the file was copied in. When this option is checked, qFileSync will use the creation date instead of the modification date when
  1. The file's archive attribute is set (present), and
  2. It was created after it was modified.

  When you copy a file, the achive attribute is always set. The last two options under When Copying Files ensure that a file copied by qFileSync does not meet the above two conditions. That way, qFileSync never treats a synchonized file as "newer" than the file from which it was copied.

• Recurse folders: This option tells qFileSync to synchronize subfolders of the folders to be synchronized. If you uncheck this option, it will ignore all subfolders. Unchecking this has the same effect as using "*" as the folder exclusion filter; but if you uncheck this option, the folder filter boxes on the main dialog will be disabled because they don't apply.

Archiving

This feature is not yet implemented. It is intended to back up old files before overwriting them with new versions or deleting them. However, I'm not entirely certain how the archival system should work. E-mail me with your ideas.

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