Fetch Softworks

Mirrow window in reverse? (6 posts)

• Started 17 years ago by sstevenson
• Latest reply 17 years ago from Scott McGuire

• sstevenson Member

  I work in the city, live in the country and have done a lot of work recently on my Powerbook in the city, but I'm now trying to work on my home iMac and need to download more recently uploaded files and I'd like to know if it's possible to download into Dreamweaver only those pages/folders which have a newer date? I realize you can automatically upload the most recent, but can't see a way to do it in reverse.
  ----Pause, Ok, so I just did a search which I should have done before. Sorry. Anyway, I found this from Jim Matthews:

  You can use the Mirror Folder... command in the Remote menu to only transfer files that are newer at the source than at the destination. See the Mirror Folder help topic in Fetch Help for more information.

  But that seems to download ALL files....not just ones that have been changed. Jim, if you're there, how does one just retrieve the newest files?

  Ah, and now I find this:

  "You should use the mirror command in your AppleScript; that will only download new or changed files. The easiest way to write the script is to press the Record button in Script Editor and then choose Mirror Folder... from the Remote menu in Fetch to perform the command. Then go back to Script Editor to polish the script that was recorded for you.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks "

  But what makes the script only download the newest dated version of changed files?

  Thanks.
  sharon

  Thanks.

  [This message has been edited by sstevenson (edited 03-15-2007).]

  [This message has been edited by sstevenson (edited 03-15-2007).]

  Posted 17 years ago #

• Scott McGuire Administrator

  Hi Sharon,

  I'm not Jim, but I work with him.

  Despite the wording in Jim's response, there is no difference between using the Mirror function in an AppleScript, and using the Mirror function directly in Fetch. Jim mentioned AppleScript in that response because the user wanted to set up something to download all new files automatically every week.

  Unfortunately, the first time you use the Mirror window to either upload or download with a folder that you haven't used Mirror with before, it will usually copy all the files.

  However, the next time you use Mirror on that same folder, it will copy only the new or changed files.

  If it's downloading all the files every time you use the Mirror window, let us know and we'll look into it.

  Here's the technical explanation (you can just skip the rest of this if you want):

  Fetch uses modification dates, as well as size and name, to judge whether a file is newer or not.

  Fetch does not preserve modification dates of files on upload. So, when you uploaded your files from your Powerbook in the city, the copies of the files on the server received a modification date that matches the time you uploaded them, not the last time you modified them on your Macintosh. That means the files on the server will have a newer modification date than the local files on both your work Macintosh and your home Macintosh.

  Then the first time you mirror the files back to a Macintosh, all the files will be copied, because even though they are otherwise identical, the files on the server have a newer modification date, so they look newer to Fetch. However, once this is done, the files on the Macintosh will now have the same modification date as on the server, and from then on, only files that have changed on either end should be transferred when you mirror. (If you mirror the files back to your Macintosh twice in a row, on the second mirror, nothing should be transferred.)

  I hope this makes sense, and please let us know if you have more questions.

  Thanks,

  Scott McGuire
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 17 years ago #

• sstevenson Member

  Thanks Scott, I did go ahead and do the mirror and it did only download files that were newer on the server side. Now I'll go the other route, upload al newer from my mac and I think I'll have the versions synced. Obviously most peple would be working from one machine and so I expect a program to simply up and download newest files to both machines wouldn't really bbe worth it.
  Only one suggestion. In your help page for Fetch on the program and on the web page there is no mention (or none that I found) that only the newest files would be up/down loaded, so I just had to take the word of the replies I found on the support forum, which is fine, but would be nice to see it in the manual for us beginners.
  Thanks for a great program!
  Sharon in Peru

  Originally posted by ScottMcGuire:

  Hi Sharon,

  I'm not Jim, but I work with him.

  Despite the wording in Jim's response, there is no difference between using the Mirror function in an AppleScript, and using the Mirror function directly in Fetch. Jim mentioned AppleScript in that response because the user wanted to set up something to download all new files automatically every week.

  Unfortunately, the first time you use the Mirror window to either upload or download with a folder that you haven't used Mirror with before, it will usually copy all the files.

  However, the next time you use Mirror on that same folder, it will copy only the new or changed files.

  If it's downloading all the files every time you use the Mirror window, let us know and we'll look into it.

  Here's the technical explanation (you can just skip the rest of this if you want):

  Fetch uses modification dates, as well as size and name, to judge whether a file is newer or not.

  Fetch does not preserve modification dates of files on upload. So, when you uploaded your files from your Powerbook in the city, the copies of the files on the server received a modification date that matches the time you uploaded them, not the last time you modified them on your Macintosh. That means the files on the server will have a newer modification date than the local files on both your work Macintosh and your home Macintosh.

  Then the first time you mirror the files back to a Macintosh, all the files will be copied, because even though they are otherwise identical, the files on the server have a newer modification date, so they look newer to Fetch. However, once this is done, the files on the Macintosh will now have the same modification date as on the server, and from then on, only files that have changed on either end should be transferred when you mirror. (If you mirror the files back to your Macintosh twice in a row, on the second mirror, nothing should be transferred.)

  I hope this makes sense, and please let us know if you have more questions.

  Thanks,

  Scott McGuire
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 17 years ago #

• Scott McGuire Administrator

  Originally posted by sstevenson:

  Only one suggestion. In your help page for Fetch on the program and on the web page there is no mention (or none that I found) that only the newest files would be up/down loaded, so I just had to take the word of the replies I found on the support forum, which is fine, but would be nice to see it in the manual for us beginners.

  Hi Sharon,

  Thanks for the suggestion. Could you please tell us which webpages and help pages you think could be improved, so we can review their text and make changes?

  I believe most of the pages that mention the Mirror command and window do say that it will upload only new or changed files, but perhaps we've missed a couple of places, or we don't mention the Mirror command some place we should.

  Thanks,

  Scott McGuire
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 17 years ago #

• sstevenson Member

  Ok. My fault, Scott, I just didn't absorb the new and changed phrase it seems. Thanks, though, for the opportunity. Sorry.
  ss

  Originally posted by ScottMcGuire:

  Hi Sharon,

  Thanks for the suggestion. Could you please tell us which webpages and help pages you think could be improved, so we can review their text and make changes?

  I believe most of the pages that mention the Mirror command and window do say that it will upload only new or changed files, but perhaps we've missed a couple of places, or we don't mention the Mirror command some place we should.

  Thanks,

  Scott McGuire
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 17 years ago #

• Scott McGuire Administrator

  Originally posted by sstevenson:

  Ok. My fault, Scott, I just didn't absorb the new and changed phrase it seems. Thanks, though, for the opportunity. Sorry.

  Hi Sharon,

  No need to apologize. If you think different wording would be easier to understand, please let us know - we always appreciate feedback. Thanks,

  Scott McGuire
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 17 years ago #