This page present various criteria that can be matched to
determine if folder items status, based on metadata information
if possible, then by comparing file contents.
Check date and size, files are
considered identical only if their size and date are
identical. Any difference in the date or size makes the item
marked as different.
Check files content if date or size are
different, files are considered identical only
if their size and date are identical. When date or size is
different, the files content is compared to determine the
item status.
Always check files content, do not use
metadata to determine the item status, this implies all the
files contents are explicitely compared.
You can also set the criteria as you wish, and use
the "Custom" configuration.
Different file sizes mean dfferent files
Equal file sizes mean equal files (dangerous)
Use the file sizes as an indication whether the file has
changed or not.
"Equal file sizes
mean equal files" should be used only for files which
continuously grow (for example log files)
Different dates mean different files
Equal dates mean equal files
Use the file dates as an indication whether the file has
changed or not. If you check the file dates, you
can specify more options about files and timestamp. You can
also restrict the file date equality criterium is the file
sizes are equal if you consider that files with the same
timestamp and sizes have not be modified.
Compensate file system precision loss
The date known as the 'modification date' of each file is
stored by the file system. Each file system uses some
convention, for example a number of seconds since some
particular date. However for the many file systems, many
conventions were chosen. NTFS was built with high precision
(100 nanoseconds precision), while FAT was built with 2-second
only precision. Most Unix systems are precise only up to the
second. Archivers as well have their own precision.
It means that whereas copying a file from place to another or
simply archiving a folder should not change the files dates, it
does in fact. The "compensate precision loss" option changes
somewhat the comparison test so that two dates are considered
equal if they are distant from less than 2 seconds (as this is
the least precise format in use).
NB: if checked, this setting applies whichever timestamp
comparison method is chosen
Timestampcomparison
Timestamp difference
Exact file dates
The dates should match exactly
Ignored
Fixed difference
Allow file timestamps to have a difference
corresponding to +/- the value specified in the timestamp
difference control.
Enter here the time difference in minutes you
allow on file last-modification dates.
You can choose 30 or 60 as these values correspond to
both timezones and DST situations.
The
timestamp difference must be less than 24 hours: only
values between 1 and 1440 are valid.
Multiple difference
Allow file timestamps to have a difference
corresponding to +/- several times the value specified in
the timestamp difference control.
Checksums
Check the checksum algorithm the program can use if
available on the local computer.
These checkboxes are useful mainly for binary comparisons and
for comparison of files with respect to archived
versions.
NB: these checkboxes are ignored at this time and will be used
when SCM plugins and archive format plugins will become
available.
Allow comparisons of files content in
background
All pending file contents comparisons can be processed as a
background task, so that most of the comparisons will
be finished when you navigate on items.
Compare files and folders names
case-sensitively
You can force folder items name to be associated
case-sensitively or not. This option can be used when
comparing files shared between computers where the
system case sensitiveness is not the same.
"Equal file sizes
mean equal files" should be used only for files which
continuously grow (for example log files)