14 DAY TRIAL // For many users, replicating data between two locations is a task for file synchronization services such as Dropbox and the like, but there are some situations that require a bit more control over the files that have to be processed.
The Internet is home to plenty of solutions, and among them is PathSync, a simple alternative that is also available as a portable download. The application is free of charge and should not cause trouble when working with it, regardless of the type of users handling it.
Installing PathSync is an extremely simple process that gets you through regular screens, without attempting to push third-party software on the system. If you decide to work with the portable version, things are easier, because all you have to do is run the executable file and all the data is extracted to a folder of your choice.
The interface is plain and simple, without any bells and whistles. The developer stuck to providing only the options essential for carrying out the job. Even tooltips are scarce in the application window and have been introduced only for one option that needed clarification about its proper usage.
The reason behind the scarcity of additional information is quite easy to grasp once you take a look at the choices available, since all of them are pretty much self-explaining.
PathSync provides a single screen where you can make all the necessary adjustments, with the fields for the synchronization paths at the top of the screen. The two folders can be either local or on the network, and there is no support for drag and drop, which leaves manual input of the path or browsing for it as the choices to define them.
The program features multiple types of synchronization, bidirectional being the default setting, which means that the file transfer goes both ways and the two locations will end up having the same data.
Additional options are to enable the process only from “local” to “remote” or vice-versa or to maintain the items that are missing in one of the locations, depending on the direction of the transfer.
Despite its apparent simplicity, PathSync provides some flexibility for automatic selection of the data according to some rules imposed by the user. It offers the possibility to discern between file formats and ignore or choose specific ones.
This can be done by applying file masks, which has a brief tutorial explaining how everything works. Basically, placing the exclamation mark in front of a mask excludes those file types. Multiple masks can be added by separating them with a semicolon. Additionally, the exclusion list can be created with folders too.
For even more control over the items that are transferred, PathSync provides the possibility to enable checking of the file date and size to make sure that important data does not get overwritten by mistake.
Before proceeding to synchronization, the application runs an analysis of the content and displays the results at the bottom part of the screen. Apart from the file name and folder location, the details presented include the size of each entry (both local and remote, if available) and type of the action.
PathSync can also calculate the total size and number of the files that will be processed during the procedure.
Modifications can be made in the list of results, although there aren’t too many options at hand. Among them, you can change the direction of the transfer for multiple files at once or disable the synchronization altogether.
For more detailed verification of the data, the application provides the option to open the location of the selected file.
The transfer screen displays information about the item that is currently being processed, total progress of the job, and an estimated time of completion. Furthermore, the speed of the transfer can be throttled to a specific value.
The Good
There is control over the type of files that can be processed by creating exclusion lists through file masks.
