Show Common Folders

[Michael Bulgrien]

How would you recommend that I efficiently accomplish this goal:

Computer A base folder has multiple subfolders
Computer B base folder has a subset of Computer A's subfolders

The goal is to copy all files from Computer A to Computer B in the common folder structures (without introducing any new folders to Computer B).

If there's no easy way to accomplish this, may I suggest the following enhancement:

[Chris]

Michael,

You can try using the "Show No Orphans" filter with the folder display set to "Only Compare Files". Select All, then set the filter back to "Show All" your selection should be preserved, then you can use "Update Left" or "Update Right" to sync changes from the selected folders to the other side.

[Michael Bulgrien]

That would not work. I want orphan files to be copied if they exist in common folders.

[Zoë]

Do you want to copy orphan folders within common folders?

[Michael Bulgrien]

No. Just files. I do not what any new folders created on the target system.

[Michael Bulgrien]

Here is a screencast of an actual work session. Due to the complexity of my folder structures, I can't reasonably set a folder filter that will allow me to just see what I want to see. In this sample, I've expanded two of the sub-folders just a single level, so the copy will actually replicate orphan folders in the collapsed subtrees on the left to the same subtrees on the right. This causes hundreds of additional files to be copied than I need on the right hand side. If I could limit the visible folders each side to the folder structure common to both sides, then I wouldn't even have to create a multi-folder selection. I could simply select all on the LHS and copy it to the RHS and know that no additional folders or their contents will get copied to the RHS. This would save me a considerable amount of work every month.

In case you are curious:
The LHS is a build box with 8,250 files in 482 Folders for a specific build of our product.
The RHS is a packaging box. Only a subset of the files coming out of the build need to be packaged.

The folder structrure on the RHS is an empty folder tree prepped only with the folders that will contain files that need to be packaged. I want to move only the files to be packaged from the build box to the packaging box. This enhancement request would allow that to be done easily.

[Michael Bulgrien]

Perhaps my suggested enhancement option would be better worded "Compare Files in Common Folder Structure" instead of "Show Common Folders"

P.S. Thanks for the return of "Always Show Folders" option. I use it every day!

[Michael Bulgrien]

Any further thought on synching files in common folder structure only without adding new folders to the target side? I could really use this feature!

[Chris]

Sorry Michael, I can't think of a way to do this in BC3.

[Michael Bulgrien]

Chris,
That is precisely why I brought it up. Please add it to the wish list.

[Aaron]

Added to wishlist.