Request: function Compare-Paths: for Relative Path Duplicate finding

[raccoon]

compare-paths:

Compares 2 or more folders by displaying each object's relative child path structure under the Name column (instead of the Path column).

Useful for performing Duplicate Name searches (ie, dupe:name) such that it only matches for duplicates synchronized between the two folders and their sub-folders, but won't match any stray files that exist elsewhere in either folder structure (since the entire relative path must match up).

Example:
compare-paths:"C:\Users\void\Documents\;D:\BackupDocs2015\" dupe:name

The above example finds matches for
C:\Users\void\Documents\essays\wallaby.doc
D:\BackupDocs2015\essays\wallaby.doc

But not for
C:\Users\void\Documents\copy2\wallaby.doc
nor
D:\BackupDocs2015\wallaby.doc

The actual Name column and Path column will display the following matching duplicate items...

Code: Select all

| Name                  | Path                      |
+-----------------------+---------------------------+
| \essays\wallaby.doc   | C:\Users\void\Documents   |
| \essays\wallaby.doc   | D:\BackupDocs2015         |
... but not (due to dupe:name) ...
| \copy2\wallaby.doc    | C:\Users\void\Documents   |
| \wallaby.doc          | D:\BackupDocs2015         |
+-----------------------+---------------------------+

Note: The Path column will only display the path names that were passed to the compare-paths: function, and all descendant folders will show up in the Name column instead. That is the basic/sole purpose of this function. Actual comparisons will be performed by one of the dupe: unique: distinct: functions, optionally. Simply sorting the Name column would also prove useful in comparing both paths.

[therube]

(
FreeFileSync uses the concept of "directory pairs" (including multiple source & target pairs).
Certainly would not be as fast as anything Everything can do.

On the file manager end, Altap Salamander can also compare directory / directory trees.
)
.

FFS directory compare.png (60.94 KiB) Viewed 1649 times

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Salamander directory compare.png (42.07 KiB) Viewed 1649 times

[raccoon]

Indeed. And because extra tools to control the scope of duplicate finding (sync comparison) are very popular requests on this forum, I think this function is basically what most people are asking for.

I know that Void can change the contents of the Name column; we have the setting command /display_full_path_name=! to display full paths in the Name column. Compare-Paths: will simply do the same thing, as a temporary override, displaying relative paths in the Name column. Paths relative to those passed to the function. This augmenting the behavior of dupe:name to give consideration for those relative paths.

[anmac1789]

So is a new change going to be implelented ?

[raccoon]

So is a new change going to be implelented ?

That is the nature of my feature request. Hopefully @void adds it in.

[horst.epp]

For me to find duplicate files or synchronize dirs all special tools and file managers
have one big advantage compared to Everything, they are much easier to handle.
Most of the time there is no speed problem to do the job, so using Everything is not needed.

The ongoing enhancements of Everything are welcome
but for me they should be concentrated on search and display
and not trying to make just another kind of file manager.

Try to explain a new user all the relevant settings and their behaviour
and compare this effort with the simple description you need for most file managers or specail tools.

For me the priority for version 1.5 should be to get it out of the alpha state
before adding new functions all the time.
This includes a much better documentation,
not only a list of ever growing descriptions of configuration items
but more related to the type of job to accomplish and the related settings.