Two-way Sync in Depth

Binfer’s two-way rules work to keep a directory on a local machine and a directory on a remote machine in sync with each other.  Binfer will detect changes on both the local and the remote sides and make sure these changes are synced.  Below is an in-depth look at what happens when a given action is taken.

Editing a File

When a user edits a file, that edit will be synced to the to keep the files up to date.  When this occurs, the entire file will be synced again to ensure that all changes are synced.

NOTE: If a file is edited on both the local copy and the remote copy at roughly the same time, Binfer will use the file’s timestamps to determine which copy was edited most recently. The most recent copy will be synced to the other side, and the edits in the copy that was not synced will be lost.

Renaming a Folder

When a user renames a folder inside the synced folder on the local machine, Binfer will sync the renamed folder and all files inside it again.

This is NOT a move which means that the remote machine’s directory will now have the old folder with all files that were inside it before it was renamed as well as the newly renamed folder and all files within it.

This old directory will not be synced back to the other side or deleted; it will persist as an archive until manually deleted. If a file is added into this archive, the folder will be recreated on the other side and the new file will be synced back but previous files will not be re-transferred.

Enabling the option Sync deletions when creating a rule will change this behavior; Binfer will still sync the renamed folder and all files again, but it will also delete the old folder keeping the directories in a mirrored state.

Deleting a File or Folder

When a user deletes a file or folder inside the synced folder on the local machine, Binfer will not sync this deletion unless the option Sync deletions is also checked.

Creating a New Folder (Handling Empty Folders)

When a user creates a new folder inside the synced folder on the local machine, Binfer will not sync this folder over. Binfer will only sync directories that have at least one file of size greater than zero inside them.