I love that Directory Opus copies the modification date when I copy files.
However, when I use the Synchronize tool to copy files, the modification date is changed.
Can this be fixed, so that Synchronize acts just like Copy?
In fact, it would be great to have an option to make ALL file operations (copy, move, sync) copy ALL file attributes (creation date, modif. date, flags etc.) EXACTLY like they are in the sources. This would allow true sync/mirroring. Maybe it exists already?
Sync copies file dates the same as copy (subject to the options lxp shows above).
OTOH, sync doesn't copy folder dates. (But folder dates are fragile and not that meaningful. They just record the last time a file directly below that folder was added, removed or renamed, which can change all the time. They don't update when things in child folders change, either, so they are no use for tools that want a quick way to check if a folder has changed or can be skipped; the folder still has to be listed and recursed to find out if anything below it changed.)
Sorry my bad. I meant folder dates, not file dates. I need both file and folder time stamps to be cloned. In my tests I was only looking at folder dates.
The PSP sorts installed apps by folder modified date btw, that’s why I need to copy that.
Using Copy Files > Update All may be a good alternative, if the aim is just to get new/updated files into the destination.
(PSP as in PlayStation Portable? Anything using folder dates for sorting seems somewhat flawed, since they'll change the moment you drop a new file into a folder, or remove a file.)
Yes, Playstation Portable. It is an amazing device. I agree the sorting method is flawed, but that's how it works.
Is there a command to specifically update all file and folder creation/modification timestamps in a destination to become the same as in a source?
I am currently using a powershell script to do this, but it is a hassle and error-prone. If there's an Opus way of doing that, I would be so glad. For example, I could run that after synchronize to fix all the folder modification dates.
Thinking about it, I'm not sure Copy > Update All would be much better since I think it would only set the creation/modified dates on folders it created as part of the copy, not on ones it just updated.
You could use either of these:
Robocopy.exe is my first choice for sync/mirror operations since the DO tool cannot be run from buttons, always needs manual setup first, which is unhandy for repeating operations.
Here's a demo button to sync src/dst lister with robocopy, add switches to your liking (to skip junctions and links or to skip special folders/files e.g.).
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<button backcol="none" display="both" label_pos="right" textcol="none">
<label>Synchronize (Robocopy)</label>
<tip>Synchronize (Robocopy)</tip>
<icon1>#syncpane</icon1>
<function type="batch">
<instruction>@leavedoswindowopen </instruction>
<instruction />
<instruction>Confirm MSG="Synchronize (mirror to destination) with Robocopy?\n\nfrom:\n{sourcepath$} \n\nto:\n{destpath$} " TITLE=Robocopy.exe</instruction>
<instruction>Robocopy.exe {sourcepath$} {destpath$} /V /E /NP /R:0 /W:0 /COPYALL /PURGE /DCOPY:T</instruction>
<instruction />
</function>
</button>
If you have the "Confirm" script addin installed, the button will prompt you before starting.
Find it here: https://haage-partner.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4926
Thank you for the solutions! I think Leo's ClipAttr buttons are exactly what I was looking for! Amazing work. I will test it as soon as I get home. If it works, this will make my life ten times easier from now on.
It works perfectly! Thanks again!
Late to the party, but you may be interested also in Nirsoft's FolderTimeUpdate tool. It has a number of useful options, including a simulate mode so you can see the changes before committing. I added the tool as a menu entry in DOpus' Tools menu that allows me to launch FolderTimeUpdate in a selected folder. If updating folder timestamps to match last modified dates of contained files is your game, this does everything anyone might need in this area, I think.