2 foldes with different data, but same name. In different devices

[dariomor]

Hi,

I use Resilio Sync with a "Pro Individual" license in devices running Windows and Debian.

 

I have different folders, with different data, in different devices. But these different folders have the same name. And it's defined by a third part software. I cannot change the actual folder name.

 

I want to sync all these folders with all my devices for backup purposes. BUT (this is different of people usually wants), the data on the folder of device 01 will not merge with the data of the device 02.

In the disk of each device, the original folder will remain named "Financial data" . And I will be able to sync the data from other devices, saving in different folders, like:

- "c:/backup/device01/Financial data"

- "c:/backup/device02/Financial data"

- "c:/backup/device03/Financial data"

 

When I add a folder in Resilio Sync, it is named automagically just like it's name on disk. Let's say... "Financial data".

I want to rename it's label inside Resilio Sync. To "Financial data - device 01", for example.

So, I will repeat the procedure in the other devices: "Financial data - device 02" will contain the data of the 2nd device.

 

How can I rename the label of a folder inside Resilio Sync?
 

 

[Moe]

Well you can't. This is currently a "limitation"/UX Bug of Sync.

There is a thread you can add your voice to, to have them add a way to make Shares more distuingishable.

Here:

 

 

[futile]

So I've been a little frustrated with the 'Backup' functionality for the same reasons. If you want to backup from multiple Mobile Devices to say your NAS, it is possible, but to have folders of the same name (DCIM, Download, Pictures, etc...). By default it would seem that Resilio just names the folder DCIM (1), DCIM (2) etc... but of course its a real pain to know which folder belongs to what.

With some manual intervention during the 'connect' process, you can organize these folders accordingly at your NAS/Destination, but it doesn't solve everything...

 

How to do it

I'm gonna talk about this from the perspective backup from from Mobile (Android) to NAS (Qnap), as this is where I have tried it...

The general principal is that you do not want to 'push' the backup to the NAS, instead declare the folder to be backed up and NOT specify to which device(s). In doing this the Backup will be 'defined' but not automatically 'connected' on your other device. If you automatically 'connect' the backup it will go into your default Sync/Save path, and if you have a folder with the same name it will get complicated.

After defining your folder to Backup on your Mobile Device, the next step is to goto Resilio on your NAS and right-clicking the new 'disconnected' folder and choosing 'Connect'. In this next dialog you can specify the resulting 'Path' and therefore 'Folder name' of how it exists on the NAS.

 

Example

Lets say you have 3 Devices (Mum iPhone 5s, Dad OnePlus 3T, Sister Samsung S7) that you want backed up to a NAS (Qnap), and they are all running Resilio. On the first Mobile Device you want to specify which folders to 'backup' but you do not want to tick a destination as to where to back them up to. Next you'll want to goto 'My Devices' on the NAS, and Link the device by scanning the QR Code. (If you are alreadly linked, thats fine, but ensure you do not choose where to backup to).

At this point all the 'backup' folders will appear in the NAS and will be in a disconnected state. You can then right-click on each one and choose Connect and then specify a Path and Folder Name for that particular folder (and turn off selective sync). For example, if the folder is DCIM, you can name it '......./Backups/Mum iPhone 5s - DCIM'.

After you have connected to all the backup folders for that device, you can then repeat the process for the next device and so on. You should end up with something like this:

• ...../Backups/Mum iPhone 5s - DCIM/
• ...../Backups/Mum iPhone 5s - Download/
• ...../Backups/Mum iPhone 5s - Pictures/
• ...../Backups/Dad OnePlus 3T - DCIM/
• ...../Backups/Dad OnePlus 3T - Download/
• ...../Backups/Dad OnePlus 3T - Pictures/
• ...../Backups/Sister Samsung S7 - DCIM/
• ...../Backups/Sister Samsung S7 - Download/
• ...../Backups/Sister Samsung S7 - Pictures/

 

Problems

Because the 'original' name of each folder is the same at the source on every device (i.e.. DCIM, Download) if you disconnect from all of these folders on the NAS (or add another destination at a later date) you will not know which folder belongs to which Backup/Device. This is because when you 'disconnect' from a folder it will show up as how it was named at the source. So you will have a list of 'disconnected' folders that look like this:

• DCIM
• DCIM
• DCIM
• Download
• Download
• Download
• Pictures
• Pictures
• Pictures

This is also the case for how other devices see whats available to be connected to. For example 'Dad OnePlus 3T' sees two other DCIM folders it can connect to, but doesn't know which is 'Mum iPhone 5s'. Also it clutters the list where it may not be relevant to that device.

 

Feature Request

There are a number of ways this whole process could be made simpler and more robust/purposeful. The simplest way would be to just provide an 'label' or 'column' that explains the device that the 'backup' originated from. It doesn't solve anything, but makes the manual process easier/possible. The next would be to allow some kind of 'auto naming' pattern for backup or read-only folders. i.e.. if connected to a read-only or backup folder then name it '.../<DeviceName>/<DeviceName> - <OriginalFoldername>'.

Ideally though, it would be nice to separate (both visually and physically) how Backup folders and Shared folders appear and work. For example, provide two separate paths where these are default saved to (.../Backups/ and .../Shared/). Additionally why not add a view to the UI where Shared folders and Backup folders are separated with a Horizontal rule/collapsible heading, I don't want to see a ton of backup folders on most of my devices.

Lastly though, I can't help but wonder if much of this could be made easier if the User was simply able to specify a 'Unique Title/Label' for a sync'd (Backup or Shared) folder that is independent of the Folder name itself. For Example, if I 'backup' the folder 'DCIM' from 'Dad OnePlus 3T', it could retain its 'name' of 'DCIM' but could get the unique default 'title/label' of 'Dad OnePlus 3T - DCIM' (that could be changed), that would appear that way across all devices. Any device could update/change this and it would be seen the same way across all devices at all times.

It would be massively useful for 'Shared' folders too. In a scenario where I have a work machine with a '/Projects/' folder it'd be great to 'title/label' it as 'Acme Inc, Work Projects', because on my personal machine I already have a '/Projects/' folder for say house repairs. Seeing 'Projects' in Resilio is just not user friendly, especially when there is more than one.

Additionally, if you were to 'join' a shared folder at a later date that had the same unique name, you could specify easily choose to consider them the same or change the 'title/label' of one of them to treat them different.

 

I gather that might be difficult or even impossible to implement, but honestly I struggle to use/rely on Resilio day to day without this ability to differentiate folder names from their content.

[w76]

I'd also like this functionality improved. I tested a few scenarios before buying the license that I thought would stress the sync functionality, and it worked well so I made the purchase, but I've since started to regret it after I added more devices and, especially, after I did a factory reset on a phone without first unlinking. Now I've got an extra device thats got the same name as the new 'real' one, can't easily ever be removed, and then I had to go through some guesswork on how to set up the links correctly again. OneDrive might've taken my data and put it in their cloud subject to their terms & conditions, but at least the behavior was easy to deal with (and explain to my wife).

[futile]

After posting this, I actually revisited SyncThing (its been like 2 years) and was kind of annoyed that it does the folder handling better.

I didn't have much joy with the Android app or the ability to sync while in my work, but Resilio could definately learn a thing or two from their choices with regards to folders.

Good point about the 'ghost' devices. I have like 3 or 4 cluttering up my peer list and wish I could remove them.

[w76]

I found the same, that SyncThing's android app just wasn't up to par.

It'd be nice to have some sort of official comment on this feature, as I've noticed this isn't the first thread about it. I don't know how large corporate users possibly manage things, they must have a different interface or lots of patience.