The Copy Files dialog is available from the Command menu (main window). This dialog allows you to copy and backup files listed in the main windows file list.
Simply enter the destination directory and select whether to copy All files, or just the selected files. Press OK and the files listed are copied to the destination folder while maintaining any directory structure. If Backup Mode is enabled then older versions of files previously copied to the destination are preserved.
Files in the main file list are converted to a relative file path by removing the base directory (displayed in the main window's title bar) from each filename's path. The destination filename = The destination directory entered + The relative path of each file.
Keep File Attributes:
When checked the copied file (at the destination) is given the same file attribute as the original source file. Uncheck this box to clear the file attributes of all copied files.
Show Prompts:
Check this box if you want to be prompted when files at the destination are about to be overwritten. Uncheck this box to copy with a minimum of popup messages.
Smart Copy:
When checked instead of blindly copying files to the destination, we only copy a file if a) It does not exists at the destination and b) it exists but has a different file date and file size. Thus we can copy a file list several times to the same destination folder but overwrites are not performed on identical files. So only modified and new files are copied on subsequent copies and much time and bandwidth is saved. Uncheck the box to always perform the copy on every file. We recommend you keep this switch ON.
Backup Mode:
In Backup mode, Smart Copy is forced ON. Before copying the source file to the destination, any existing destination file is first backed up (renamed for safe keeping). EG. Before overwriting destination file File1.htm, we first rename it to File1[0001].htm. If File1[0001].htm already exists we rename to File1[0002].htm etc.
Thus in the destination directory File1[0001].htm is the oldest version available, followed by File1[0002].htm, then File1[0003].htm etc and finally File1.htm itself is always the most up to date version.
Backup Mode is very handy for backing up the days work. Simply Backup to the same folder every day. Only new and modified files will be copied to the destination folder and older version of your files at the destination will be preserved.
You can view exactly which files have been copied and which destination files have been backed up (prior to a copy) by checking the FAR file list (main form), Matched column. You can then sort the Matches column and create a report using the "File > Report" command.
Note: FAR reports allow you report on the Matches column data.
Match Result Description (Blank) Means file not processed. EG. Maybe you aborted or copied only selected files. 0 Copy failed, or user chose to skip, or smart copy detected nothing to do. 1 Filed was copied to destination. 2 Destination file backed up, but copy failed or user skipped file. 3 Destination file backed up + File copied (1+2 above).
FAR can perform Copy or Backup in batch mode. This is done by running FAR.EXE with special command-line switches. FAR Batch Mode could be run from Windows Scheduler or as part of an overnight build. Also if you give your batch file the special file extension .FarRun, then you can simply run or double-click this file from Windows File Explorer and it will automatically start FAR and perform the batch operation for you.
See also
02-May-2007
The Copy File popup menu contains infrequently used commands. To show the menu right-click the dialog, or click the mini button in the top-left corner of the dialog.
Export Command to .FarRun Batch File
Exports the Copy dialog settings (along with FAR's current Base Directory & Drop File Filter) to a .FarRun batch file. Click this command to open a SaveAs dialog so you can specify the name and location of the new .FarRun file. Before running this command you must first close this dialog and setup the following (as these items will be stored in the .FarRun file):
- Set the FAR base folder by dropping the source folder (to be copied) onto the FAR main window.
- Set the FAR Drop File Filter (so FAR knows which files to copy).
- In the Copy dialog make sure the Destination directory and other options are setup correctly.
- Set any required Export Options (see below).
Note: .FarRun files are ASCII files that you can edit and tweak using any text editor (eg. NotePad). See the FAR Batch Mode guide.
Export Options
This menu contain options you can set for the Export Command (above).
- Select the level of batch logging required.
- When "Add to Master.FarRun" is checked, FAR creates a second .FarRun file called Master.FarRun (in the same folder). Bottom line is, if you create several .FarRun batch files then you can run them all from Master.FarRun (which links to all the .FarRun batch files you create).
Flat Copy
When checked FAR copies all files, in all folders to a single folder.
As this is not common action, the Flat Copy setting...
- is only accessible via the popup menu
- is not available in batch mode
- is OFF by default when the dialog is opened