Folder watching and treatment of folders in Queue

I have a local folder with many files and subfolders that I basically want to replicate on my remote ftp server. At present I'm doing this by putting the head folder in the Queue, and changing its properties to Monitor.

This works OK, but the behaviour is not quite as I'd like it, and want to know if there is any way I can set things up to work better for me (or just put up with the current behaviour, or find another tool to do what I want).

The problem I have is this. Each time I open up SmartFTP and set the Queue running, SmartFTP starts processing the watched folder again, going through each and every file and subfolder (mostly no changes will have happened since the last time), and this takes AGES and uses up resources in the Queue that I might want to use to process other short-term transfers.

Can I set the folder to NOT be processed routinely every time the Queue is activated? And pausing it is not quite what I mean (see below).

In further detail, I'd like the option to have the monitored folder to ONLY kick into life when a change is detected in the folder (or one of its subfolders). And then only kick in to process the subfolder in which the change has occurred, rather than go through the WHOLE folder and all its subfolders again. Even better (although I have a feeling that SmartFTP would not know this information) would be if it processed ONLY the changed files, rather than each file in the changed folder. But I'll settle for processing just the changed folder.

This way I can keep the remote site up-to-date with the local folders with the minimum of fuss and interruption. I know that this method would miss any changes that occur when the Queue is not active, but I can live with that, and force a complete run every now and then.

I also know that I can pause the folder and only unpause it when I want it to be processed (which is what I do at the moment), but this also is not ideal because I have to remember to pause it after it completes, which I often don't do, only to find it starting off again then next time I fire up SmartFTP, which is a PITA because I'm then stuck waiting until the whole thing completes again (and often forget yet again -- groundhog day). What is more, this is BOUND to happen when I choose "Turn Off Computer" after the Queue finishes (which I often do, setting a job going into the night), because there isn't an option to "Turn Off Computer AND Stop Queue" (I've requested this feature a couple of times to no avail), to give me the chance to pause the folder when I next open up SmartFTP -- instead the Queue immediately starts off again including the monitored folder.

Cheers,

Mike

P.S. Also when "Turn Off Computer" is selected in the Queue options, I think this means the computer also turns off the next time the queue finishes, which can be disasterous if you happen not to be at your computer when the Queue finishes next time you open SmartFTP, causing the computer to shut down in your absence, killing all your open work. Any chance of having the option come off "Turn Off Computer" automatically?

So, I guess what I'm trying to do is not possible with SmartFTP, and that I should look around for an alternative FTP application that does? I note for example that CuteFTP Pro has a folder monitoring function that seems to do what I want. As does the free WinSCP.

Mike

Hello ..

Of course it is possible with SmartFTP. We will be more than happy to explain it to you under our technical support agreement.

Regards,
Mat

Of course it is possible with SmartFTP. We will be more than happy to explain it to you under our technical support agreement.

Very cryptic. What is your technical support agreement?

Mike

We will add an option to prevent the folder from being processed the first time the queue is started. Give me a couple of days for the implementation.

Mat

We will add an option to prevent the folder from being processed the first time the queue is started. Give me a couple of days for the implementation.

If you could do that, it would be absolutely great. For me, that's the main thing missing from SmartFTP compared to the competition. I have 5 days left of the evaluation period, so I hope I get a chance before then to try out your new implementation!

Can I clarify:

This would allow the folder to sit there "active" in the queue and being monitored, but never actually doing a complete run through -- unless and until I force it to? That would be perfect: a single job that acts both as a watch and as a "sync" type job; I think with other ftp programs I've tried over the last few days you need separate jobs for monitoring and for syncing, which seems wasteful and confusing to me. A single job for both is all you need.

Hopefully, "forcing" it to process the entire folder tree will be a simple matter of selecting the job in the queue and clicking a button, or selecting from a right-click menu, rather than having to go into Scheduling, unchecking the option you're putting in, then stopping and starting the queue to get it to kick into life.

You mention adding an option to "prevent folder being processed the first time the queue is started"... only the first time? If I stop and then start the queue again, will the monitored folder be processed then? Would seem like strange behaviour. Surely better to be "prevent folder being processed unless requested"?

I assume this option will be available for files as well as folders?

With a folder watch, are all sub-folders monitored? That would be best for me, but could you have another option to let the user state whether or not they want sub-folders monitored as well, or only the folder concerned? Maybe there is one already.

What happens when I make a change to a single file in a deeply-buried sub-folder? Only that file is transferred? Or are all files in that sub-folder processed (with only the changed file transferring after comparisons between local and remote files? (Can SmartFTP know exactly which file is changed, or only which folder?)

Cheers,

Mike

PS I guess that, at the moment, I'm only using the "monitor" option as a means to keep the folder in the queue at all times, because I have to leave it paused most of the time to avoid the folder being re-processed every time I run SmartFTP... thus negating the whole point of the "monitor" function... will be great to use the monitoring function as it was intended. But what about having an alternative option to "monitor": that being to "keep item in queue after completion", so that you can re-run transfers as often as you like, without also having them actually monitored? With that option you could still click the option to ask that it is not processed unless explicitly requested... just sits there patiently waiting to be run.

Hello ..

The option I'm implementing will only prevent the monitored items (file/folder) from being processed right away. But there won't be a function to force the synchronization on demand.

I think your exception for software products are unrealistic. You won't find any application which does exactly what you want to do because every user has other preferences. In the end you choose the product which comes as closest to your needs as possible.

Regards,
mat

The option I'm implementing will only prevent the monitored items (file/folder) from being processed right away. But there won't be a function to force the synchronization on demand.

I think your exception for software products are unrealistic. You won't find any application which does exactly what you want to do because every user has other preferences. In the end you choose the product which comes as closest to your needs as possible.

Please explain why you think "on demand" synchronisation for a monitored file/folder wouldn't be useful to anyone apart from me.

If the user doesn't want it to synchronise (and just to sit there waiting for a change) then they don't have to do anything; just leave it sitting there in the queue. It's just another little option available to make your software useful to the maximum number of users. Ignore such user preferences requests as your peril, IMHO.

Check out the latest version from:
https://www.smartftp.com/download

It includes the option I mentioned. You can now specify whether the file/folder should be processed and then monitored or just monitored.

Regards,
Mat

After using our application (in violation of our license agreement?) and requesting technical support for more than a year would you please be so nice to share with us what wonderful application you have found?

In violation of what license agreement? Until recently you offered SmartFTP free for home use. And this forum -- the Public Support forum -- was specifically intended for questions from us scummy non-paying users. The Premium Support forum was specially for the licensed customers. It says so in the notes under the forum names.

So, what gives with your arrogant and unfounded accusation?

Anyhow, I wish you well with your new licensing model. To think I was *that* close to forking out for a licence and 3 years of maintenance updates. There is no doubt SmartFTP is very good, but I'm glad I bothered to check out the competition before clicking on Buy.

Just to clarify SmartFTP was not free to use for home use. Maybe you misunderstand the license agreement.