Limiting number of characters in filename compare

[wendisf]

Win10Pro64; BC 4.2.10 Greetings. I need to compare two directories, but in one of them, all file names have been truncated to 32 characters. Is there a way to tell BC to limit file names compare to the first N characters? Thank you.

[Aaron]

Yes, if you can place the Longer version of the name on the left, then go to the Folder Compare's Session menu -> Session Settings, Misc tab, new Alignment Override, and define a new override:
(.{32}).*
to
$1
with Regular Expression enabled.

You can use the Folder Comapre's Swap command in the toolbar to flip the sides if the shorter version is loaded on the left. The Alignment Override rules only support the Regular Expression on the Left side, hence why the rule is sided.

[wendisf]

Thanks Aaron. I tried what you suggested, but it isn't working. I'm comparing the music library in my phone with the one in my desktop. I'll attach a screenshot showing some of the mis-matches. I also tried some variations of your suggestion, such as using $1.*, or replacing the * with mp3. No variation that I tried made any improvement. Do you have any ideas? Wendi

[Aaron]

Ah, in that example, you need to also include the file extension.
(.{32}).*\.mp3
=
$1.mp3

The text found in the first 32 characters (.{32}) would need to match with $1, and the full file name needs to be represented in the match, too, with the extension.

[wendisf]

That did it! Thank you so much. Wendi