Folder syncing, specify file types

[daroga]

Hi all!

I use Dropbox a lot to keep data synced across all my computers and devices. I mostly have use for my Word documents and PDFs in these cases, and the folders that I'm syncing often have other stuff thrown in as well (Powerpoints, images, video clips, music, etc.) which I don't want to move.

On Windows I currently use SyncToy (free!) to setup folder pairs between the Dropbox sync folders and my documents folders. In those pairs I can specifiy not only files to includes (*.doc, *.pdf, *.rtf, etc.) but files to exclude (for instance, one folder has a GIANT PDF that I don't need on other devices nor do I want taking up my precious Dropbox space, so I just tell SyncToy to not sync that file and we're good).

My first Apple computer will be here the middle of the week and I want to get this same functionality setup there. This does not have to be an automatic sync (although if I could schedule it to happen at regular intervals that would be great), but I NEED to be able to do it on command.

It looks like FolderWatch on the Appstore will do this and do it rather well. Are there other alternatives. I don't have a problem paying the $12 for FolderWatch, but if there's something that free to do, that would be neat too!

It looks like rsync can actually do it, although I'm a little unclear if the exclude/include can use wildcards to in/exclude whole file types or if it's a file-by-file basis.

Any direction would be great! Thanks!

EDIT: Another program I had found and forgot to mention. Will Carbon Copy Cloner take care of this?

 

[Weaselboy]

Another program I had found and forgot to mention. Will Carbon Copy Cloner take care of this?

I just looked in CCC and this advanced filter screen seems like it would do exactly what you want.

Just setup a folder to folder clone and use the CCC scheduler to run it with the filters.

 

[daroga]

Ah, excellent! Thanks for looking into that for me!

That's a nice way to setup what not to copy. Does it have a similar window for what TO copy? I could sure setup most of what I wouldn't want to copy, but it would be easier, I think, to limit to copying the few document types I'd want moved over.

Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

Look at the very bottom of this page at the CCC help section and it looks like you can setup a filter to do just what you want.

 

[daroga]

Look at the very bottom of this page at the CCC help section and it looks like you can setup a filter to do just what you want.

ah, sure enough! I'll have to play around with that when the computer gets here!

Thanks so much!

 

[flynz4]

Hi all!

I use Dropbox a lot to keep data synced across all my computers and devices. I mostly have use for my Word documents and PDFs in these cases, and the folders that I'm syncing often have other stuff thrown in as well (Powerpoints, images, video clips, music, etc.) which I don't want to move.

On Windows I currently use SyncToy (free!) to setup folder pairs between the Dropbox sync folders and my documents folders. In those pairs I can specifiy not only files to includes (*.doc, *.pdf, *.rtf, etc.) but files to exclude (for instance, one folder has a GIANT PDF that I don't need on other devices nor do I want taking up my precious Dropbox space, so I just tell SyncToy to not sync that file and we're good).

My first Apple computer will be here the middle of the week and I want to get this same functionality setup there. This does not have to be an automatic sync (although if I could schedule it to happen at regular intervals that would be great), but I NEED to be able to do it on command.

It looks like FolderWatch on the Appstore will do this and do it rather well. Are there other alternatives. I don't have a problem paying the $12 for FolderWatch, but if there's something that free to do, that would be neat too!

It looks like rsync can actually do it, although I'm a little unclear if the exclude/include can use wildcards to in/exclude whole file types or if it's a file-by-file basis.

Any direction would be great! Thanks!

EDIT: Another program I had found and forgot to mention. Will Carbon Copy Cloner take care of this?

Rather than syncing my documents to my Dropbox folder... I keep the originals of anything I want while traveling stored in my dropbox folder.

By default... I treat my dropbox folder as my documents folder... and everything new by default goes into Dropbox. By contrast, my real documents folder is treated like an archive documents folder.

/Jim