Karen's Replicator Job Tip Sheet
(Revised September 7, 2003)

Job Name
This is your name for this job. Each job must have a unique name. You can choose any name you like, though it's usually best to choose something descriptive, such as "Weekly Accounting Backup", or "Work in Progress". 

Source Folder
This is where the folders and files to be copied currently reside. The Source Folder's contents will be copied to the Destination Folder each time the job is run. (See "Include Sub-Folders", below, for more information)

Destination Folder
This is the location where files and folders will be copied. You may specify any folder on any drive, including network drives and shares. The Replicator will create the Destination Folder the first time the job runs, if necessary. 

Tags
This feature allows you to specify Destination Folders whose names change, depending on the date and time the job is run. For example, a Destination Folder's name could contain the day of the week, the hour of the day, or any combination of several other tags. This lets the Replicator create multiple copies of files and folders, each group stored in their own Destination Folder. For more information, click the "Tags" button.

File Filter
Only those files whose names match the selected filter will be copied. You can select one of the pre-defined filters, such as "Common Sound Files" or "Common Image Files". Or you can define your own File Filters by clicking the "Edit Filters …" button.

Exclude Files that Match Filter(s)
This option reversed the behavior of File Filters. Now, files whose names match the selected filter will not be copied.  All other files (those that don't Match the filter) wil be copied.

Schedule …
This button allows you to control when the job will be run. You can select the time between runs (from seconds to months), and the days of the week the job can run.

Enabled?
Place a checkmark here, and the job will be run automatically, according to its schedule. Clear this checkbox and the job will not be run automatically. You can, however, run the job manually by selecting the job in the Replicator's list of jobs on its main window, then clicking the "Run Highlighted Job(s) Now'' button.

Include Sub-Folders
If this option is selected (by placing a checkmark here), then all files and folders residing in the Source Folder will be copied, including sub-folders and the files they contain. If this option is not selected (the checkbox is clear), then only files found immediately inside the Source Folder will be copied.  Sub-Folders (folders inside the Source Folder) will be ignored.

Copy Files Only if Changed or Added
By default, the Replicator will copy every file (and folder, if "Include Sub-Folders" is checked) found in the Source Folder. This option tells the program to skip files that already exist in the Destination Folder, as long as they are identical to the one found in the Source Folder. This is normally a good idea, since copy files that already exist and haven't changed wastes time. 

Note: Files that exist in the Source Folder, but not in the Destination Folder, are always copied provided they match the selected File Filter (see above).

Once this option has been selected, you must tell the Replicator how to determine if a file has changed. That's done by making selections from the options shown below:

Compare Date/Time of Last Modification
Compare the Date or Time of Last Modification of the file found in the Source Folder to that of the file with the same name in the Destination Folder.  If the date or times differ, consider the file changed and copy it.

Copy Only if Source is Newer
Same as above, but now the Source File's Date and Time of Last Modification must be later than the Destination File's, not just different. In other words, copy the file only if the version in the Source Folder is newer than the corresponding file in the Destination Folder.

Compare File Sizes
If this option is selected, the Replicator will compare the size of the Source and Destination files.  If their sizes differ, the Source file will be considered changed and will be copied.

Replicate Folder and File Deletions?
If this option is selected, Files and Folders in the Destination will be DELETED, if the corresponding file or folder in the Source doesn't exist. In other words, if a file or folder in the Source Folder is deleted, the Replicator will delete the corresponding File or Folder from the Destination Folder. 

This option is great if you want to "synch" to folders or drives, making sure both always have exactly the same contents. But use this feature with care, since it does delete files and folders.

Move Deleted Items to Recycle Bin
Select this option, and deleted files and folders will be moved to the Recycle Bin. This allows you to recover them if they are inadvertently deleted. However, files and folders in the Recycle Bin still require disk space. So it's possible to unexpectedly run out of space if too many files are placed in the Bin.

More Information
Karen's Replicator has been the subject of several issues of Karen's Power Tools Newsletter. You may find the answer to your question in one of those back issues, which can be found on the Internet at http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp.

Copyright © 2003 Karen Kenworthy
All Rights Reserved