Find files with different names that are identical

[InquiringMinds]

Is there a way to get BC2 to find all of the files in two folders that are identical whether or not they have the same name?

Thanks

[Aaron]

Hello,

No, BC2 does not support a duplicate finding capability; we require file names to match in order to align and then compare the aligned pairs.

BC4, similarly, also requires file names to match. BC4 Pro has an Alignment Override feature which can align name changes, but requires you do define a rule which dictates how the name is changed. This is not designed to help find arbitrary or unknown changes, but can help with specific changes, such as file names with an added prefix or postfix. If interested, this feature is available in our fully functional BC4 trial for testing (to make sure it works for your dataset) before any purchase is necessary.

[InquiringMinds]

No, BC2 does not support a duplicate finding capability; we require file names to match in order to align and then compare the aligned pairs.

That's what I figured. Too bad. You are missing an opportunity to better serve your customers and increase sales (IMHO). There are a lot of duplicate file finders out there, so there must be a need.

Is searching for duplicates not a type of "compare" and is BC not a comparing utility? Or is the "Beyond" part of the name just marketing hype?

Besides, isn't it pretty easy given what you already do? Just sort the two lists of files by size, then compare the contents on any that are the same size. No? Seems like a simple undergrad programming class assignment.

And remember, while I am out there looking for a duplicate file finder, I might just find another compare utility as well -- one that does everything. I already have too many utilities, so any opportunity to consolidate is attractive.

[Aaron]

Adding de-duplicate scanning is something on our wishlist, but is non-trivial to implement. We do routinely add new sessions and features of such scale, but as you note, some software does only De-duplicate scanning while it would be a small part of BC's total suite if we're able to add it. In the meantime, we build BC4 to work with and interact with as many tools as possible, using commands such as our "Open With", to help integrate with a variety of solutions.

[InquiringMinds]

Adding de-duplicate scanning is something on our wishlist, but is non-trivial to implement.

Of course it's non-trivial. That's why we buy your product. Otherwise, we'd all write our own. But it's only slightly more difficult than trivial. I was given much more difficult problems in undergrad programming classes and that was many years ago, before many of the modern development tools. I'm confident that most undergrads could finish it in a couple of weeks. I already gave you the rough flowchart.

PS: "de-duplicate scanning" is a silly, geeky term and an oxymoron. If you ever get around to implementing it, please don't call it that.