Feature Change "Request" - Dry Run vs "Compare"

Feature
1

Hi, so everything has went well with the updated exe, and I noticed something else that could be better as I set up my Sync jobs.
I would like instead of their being a “Dry Run” option, which does what it says, we change it to an actual “Compare” feature.

How this works:
1. Like Dry Run, it shows all the files that will be changed.
2. However, it not only “lists” the changes, it has a checked “Check Box” next to every file that will be changed.
3. You can then “uncheck” the items you don’t want changed, if you need to.
4. You then press “Run”, and those checked changes are simply done, it doesn’t do yet another “Full check”.
5. If you don’t feel you “need” to show a Comparison, you simply press Run, and a full evaluation is done, and then files are automatically changed. This is still the same as before.

Why this is better:
1. It gives you the ability to “edit” your Sync/Copy etc., thus you have more control over it.
Every change has a checked Checkbox, and then you simply uncheck the items you don’t actually want “changed” right now.
2. It saves resources and time. With using the Dry Run, it does a FULL check, you then press “Run” and it does yet another FULL CHECK again, and then automatically makes the changes. (am I correct in that’s how it works?)
However, with “Compare”, you do the Compare, and Then press RUN, and it ONLY makes the changes that were found in the Compare. It doesn’t do another unnecessary full check of ALL files.

3. You can STILL press “Run” without using Compare, and things are fully checked and automatically changed as before. However, if a “Compare” was done first, then pressing Run will ONLY change what was selected by checkbox during the compare.

If you look at the program “FreeFileSync”, this is also how it works. Instead of Run, they call it Synchronize.
I find this is a much better system than the backup programs which use “Dry Run”, that I’ve also tried.

”Compare” is acting like a Dry Run still, because you don’t change anything until you press Run, but it gives you more control and when you press Run it doesn’t perform a FULL Sync check again thus duplicating effort, using more resources on your end and the Servers end, and spending more time.

So, this is my suggestion to change how the Dry Run works… Hope you consider this. :slight_smile:
Thank you so much for this program… :slight_smile:
BTW, I also use FreeFileSync… I find it seems to be the BEST of all the Free/Paid programs I’ve used over the years (save missing some “Online Server” features.)

2

Forgot to also add that I will likley “migrate” all my backup functions to RCloneView eventually, especially if this “Compare” Feature is added. Then I can just use one program for all my basic needs. :slight_smile:

3

You’re right about how it works today: Dry Run does a full check, and Run then does a second full check from scratch.

I like the proposal. Part of it already exists, though not tied to Jobs yet:

  1. Open the two folders side by side in the explorer (left and right pane) and click Compare in the toolbar.
  2. Select the rows you want, then use Copy (→ / ←) or Delete for that side. Only what you selected is transferred, without a second full scan.

The catch is that Compare doesn’t know about your Job, so it doesn’t apply the Job’s exclusion rules or other options. The Windows system files you excluded will show up there too, so just leave them unselected.

If you’re still on 1.5.32, Compare copies four files at a time regardless of your --transfers 2. In 1.6.6 it follows that setting.

What you describe is the natural next step: compare using the Job’s own settings, pre-tick exactly the changes the Job would make, let you untick some, then run only the ticked ones. That’s how we’d like to build it, rather than adding checkboxes to the Dry Run list. It’s logged, but I can’t give a date yet.

One more thing I found while looking into this, relevant to your pCloud concern: Dry Run was ignoring your Global Rclone Flags and checking with rclone’s defaults (8 checkers instead of your 2). That was a bug on our side. It’s fixed now, so a dry run uses the same global flags as a real run, and the fix is in 1.6.6. If you’re on an older version, setting Transfers and Checkers in the Job’s own settings makes the dry run use those values.

And thanks for saying you’d move your backups over if this lands. That’s useful to know, and I’ve added it to the ticket.

4

Excellent to hear…. :slight_smile:
Now, are you saying you’re going to add a “Third” checking system, a “Compare”?
So, there would be Dry Run, Compare, and Run? Not sure I understood what you were saying there?
Or, are you replacing Dry Run with the Compare as I was suggesting?

If it’s the later, might as well have the checkboxes checked after compare, then we just uncheck if there are any we don’t want touched. That way we aren’t doing extra work unnecessarily?
If you’re going to add “three” options, I don’t know that that is necessary? Because Compare is just like a dry run.
Although, now that I think about it, either way you’re doing it, having the boxes “unchecked” at first might be okay, maybe to prevent accidentally hitting run for those who aren’t thinking, preventing mistakes?

Anyway, great to hear… So look forward to things. Woo Hoo….!!! :slight_smile:

Also, might have found a bug… I’ll report it, and also test to see if it happens on the 1.6.6 version.