Nemo file copying: merge and skip by default.

[HT-7]

I suggest an option for Nemo to merge folders and skip existing files by default, without asking the user. This would make smartphone (MTP) backups easier. You can start copying a folder, then leave the computer and not have to interact with "file exists" and "folder exists" window.

If you back up the Camera folder of your phone, you don't want to have to confirm that you want to skip existing files from the last backup.

Please add an option to merge folders and skip existing files by default, without asking the user. This would make backups easier.

[Jopp-gh]

Defaults are the basis, so if Nemo offers two ways (skip & overwrite) then it's for a good reason

What you're doing right now is perfectly acceptable but unsuitable to do with default commands.

The way to backup "correctly" smaller data is to use rsync. Check this thread: https://linuxize.com/post/how-to-use-rsync-for-local-and-remote-data-transfer-and-synchronization/

[HT-7]

Does rsync work on MTP devices? At least reliably?

[fosslover306]

Great idea but not all files or setups are appropriate to default to this strategy, resulting in in unwanted duplicates and un-updated files so the best strategy is just to ask the user and if you use the "all" options then it will skip and merge automatically if you ask nemo to.

[goyalyashpal]

one way can be to modify the paste dialog to allow setting these things beforehand. something like "in case of clashes, skip/overwrite/ask" defaulting to ask. and warning for others...

[HT-7]

Exactly, or on the progress bar window. Something like the "options" tab in TeraCopy. I suggest adding it below the progress bar.

[ghost]

No offense, but this is a terribly horrible idea!

Practical example: Few days ago, by testing purposes, I moved a symbolic link folder to a location of a non-symbolic link folder with the exact same folder names. It asked me whether I wanted to merge the folders. I pressed on yes, merge.

My bets were right, guess what happened: "black-hole effect".

Both folders pretty much destroyed each other (because one was a symlink and one was not), to a level, where not even the almighty testdisk was capable of recovering the (dummy) files. If the user is not aware of this, and Nemo would do the merge automatically in the background - of how you suggested - there would be hundreds of tons of data loss and unhappy users, including me...

If there would be a failsafe-mechanism for Nemo, not to screw up symlink folders/files with regular folders/files (and vice-versa), the idea would be probably good, but Nemo, let's be honest, while it's clean, elegant ant plain simple, it's not the smartest one.

KDE's Dolphin handles these kind of human errors very well, and will never destroy files, but I'm not sure how come Nemo is not prepared for this, since it's there out for ages.

[HT-7]

Of course, all these scenarios should be tested first. A symlink should never replace a folder. They are not the same thing. A symlink is somewhat similar to an LNK file on Windows.

I am really annoyed by having to wait for the first file conflict to occur before I can tell Nemo to merge and skip the rest. I want to do it in advance so I can leave the computer and have it finish instead of seeing a progress bar stopped 53% with a file conflict message. TeraCopy for Windows can lets you set an action in advance.