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Hello,

I have a small list of things that I would like to discuss:

• User definable directory for the winscp.ini. This file includes my FTP passwords and user names, so I don't want it in the registry nor in the program directory. I want it on my TrueCrypt drive, where I have similar information from other programs safe and secure. Please extend the setting for this, like it is existing already for the temporary files.
  
  
• Remember the synchronized directory change state
  
  
• Keep date/time of folders when up/downloading. I don't know if this is a missing feature in WinSCP or if it is not possible at all (I use SFTP-3).
  
  
• I use the exclude / include mask and noticed an irritating behaviour when working with directories. For example the dir com/; is defined for exclusion. Now for a temporary deactivation I simply change the setting Exclude to Include (instead of changing the mask content). Result: only the dir com is transferred, but none of its subdirs and no files in this and the subdirs.
  

Thank you for this program.

Hello?

noftpanymore wrote:

User definable directory for the winscp.ini. This file includes my FTP passwords and user names, so I don't want it in the registry nor in the program directory. I want it on my TrueCrypt drive, where I have similar information from other programs safe and secure. Please extend the setting for this, like it is existing already for the temporary files.

There is command-line /ini switch for that.
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/commandline#configuration

Remember the synchronized directory change state

I believe that we discussed that in an another thread.

Keep date/time of folders when up/downloading. I don't know if this is a missing feature in WinSCP or if it is not possible at all (I use SFTP-3).

This is also for a long discussion. In my opinion it is wrong to set timestamps of directories as you do not transfer the directory, you create a new one a create a distinct files inside it and transfer only contents of the files. So it is a different directory that the opposite one as as such it should have its own timestamp.

I use the exclude / include mask and noticed an irritating behaviour when working with directories. For example the dir com/; is defined for exclusion. Now for a temporary deactivation I simply change the setting Exclude to Include (instead of changing the mask content). Result: only the dir com is transferred, but none of its subdirs and no files in this and the subdirs.

Correct mask would be com/; com/*

martin wrote:

There is command-line /ini switch for that.

Works perfectly, but is more complicated in handling than a simple registry entry where WinSCP looks for the ini path. I mean this is a user-friendly Windows program, and it can be started from the desktop, the start menu, the systray or whatever. Adding the command line to all these options...?

In my opinion it is wrong to set timestamps of directories

I don't want to start a long discussion but just show you why it makes no sense to me as it is now.

WinSCP is used to sync my web dirs with the ones on my local drive. I use the Norton display, so I can see immediately when there are differences between the left (local) and the right (server) pane. As all the folders on the server have a different date, their sorting is different to the local sorting. So to see that there really is everything ok I have to change from date to name sorting. After that I have to change back to date sorting to verify the latest files are all ok. The same mixed and un-identical display is found in all my subdirs – not good.

A workaround would be to do what the TC does – ignore the date of folders and always sort them by name. Would be OK with me.

BTW, you really should change the default of sorting by date to 'newest files first' (arrow down). At this time one has to click two times on the date field as the default sorting is the wrong one (arrow up - who needs that?). Especially when changing between date and time this becomes an annoyance. TC does it the user-friendly way...

Correct mask would be com/; com/*

Thanks for that one, but I still struggle with this. Example: I have a root folder images, but also subdirs images deep down in other dirs. How to make sure only the root dir images is excluded, not all the others? That's what happens now.

Please include an option, to sync the folder timestamps. Would be very useful for my needs (same as in the posting above).

BTW, you really should change the default of sorting by date to 'newest files first' (arrow down)

Oh yes. I will also appreciate it.

Thanks & Keep keep up the great work.

noftpanymore wrote:

martin wrote:

There is command-line /ini switch for that.

Works perfectly, but is more complicated in handling than a simple registry entry where WinSCP looks for the ini path. I mean this is a user-friendly Windows program, and it can be started from the desktop, the start menu, the systray or whatever. Adding the command line to all these options...?

To me it looks as a strange request. An INI file support is intended for portable usage of WinSCP. Writing path to an INI file to registry isn't very portable :-)

In my opinion it is wrong to set timestamps of directories

I don't want to start a long discussion but just show you why it makes no sense to me as it is now.

WinSCP is used to sync my web dirs with the ones on my local drive. I use the Norton display, so I can see immediately when there are differences between the left (local) and the right (server) pane. As all the folders on the server have a different date, their sorting is different to the local sorting. So to see that there really is everything ok I have to change from date to name sorting. After that I have to change back to date sorting to verify the latest files are all ok. The same mixed and un-identical display is found in all my subdirs – not good.

A workaround would be to do what the TC does – ignore the date of folders and always sort them by name. Would be OK with me.

OK, I'll think about it.

BTW, you really should change the default of sorting by date to 'newest files first' (arrow down). At this time one has to click two times on the date field as the default sorting is the wrong one (arrow up - who needs that?). Especially when changing between date and time this becomes an annoyance. TC does it the user-friendly way...

OK, sounds reasonable.

Correct mask would be com/; com/*

Thanks for that one, but I still struggle with this. Example: I have a root folder images, but also subdirs images deep down in other dirs. How to make sure only the root dir images is excluded, not all the others? That's what happens now.

Just specify full path. Depending on direction of synchronization it would be like d:\images\ or /images/.

martin wrote:

To me it looks as a strange request. An INI file support is intended for portable usage of WinSCP. Writing path to an INI file to registry isn't very portable :-)

Please don't look at my proposal out of context. I suggested to add the same options to the ini file location as the program offers now for the temp file locations. Nobody forces the user to use this ini-file-location-defined-in-reg, so it is not a default setting. But if I want to put the ini file to a different place (which excludes portable use in many cases, correct) then I can easily define this within the program and the program will know where to look for because it finds the path in the reg.

IMHO there is no problem with all these methods working side by side.

Thanks for listening.

I understand you, it just gets to complex. Already now, the algorithm of detecting a place where configuration is store is too complex. So maybe if more people ask for that. Not now, sorry :-(

noftpanymore wrote:

Keep date/time of folders when up/downloading. I don't know if this is a missing feature in WinSCP or if it is not possible at all (I use SFTP-3).

This issue has been added to the tracker:
Issue 94 – Preserve timestamps of directories.

martin wrote:

BTW, you really should change the default of sorting by date to 'newest files first' (arrow down). At this time one has to click two times on the date field as the default sorting is the wrong one (arrow up - who needs that?). Especially when changing between date and time this becomes an annoyance. TC does it the user-friendly way...

This feature has been implemented already:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/history?a=4.1

I see that it has previously been requested that the user be able to define the path to the WinSCP.ini file. I would LOVE to see this feature implemented. Consider this usage; we have about 4 users currently who all connect to the same FTP sites to manage the same set of files. Anytime there is an update, every user has to remember to keep their sessions in sync. With a user defined path to the WinSCP.ini we could simply store a single ini file on a network share and all users could point to this same file. The more users the larger the benefit. Thanks for your consideration.

@jseeley: I stated before, you can set path to an INI file with /ini= switch.
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/commandline#configuration

@martin: I'm doing that now, but it just seems like it would be more intuitive to most users if they could configure it directly in the GUI as well; rather than having to create a batch file or a modified shortcut to open it this way.

@jseeley: OK, this issue has been added to the tracker:
https://winscp.net/tracker/817

Old thread, but just for reference:

You can also use a symlink to link the winscp.ini from your truecrypt drive to your WinSCP dir.

martin wrote:

This issue has been added to the tracker:
Issue 94 – Preserve timestamps of directories.

Hi Martin, it's been some time...

It looks like this topic has never been worked on. If it makes no sense for you to sync the timestamps of directories then this is ok for me. But then PLEASE add the option to always sort directories after name! As written above dual-pane browsing through my site is either cumbersome or lacks any overview in the way it is right now. I just tried 5.22 (awesome!), but it seems this one has not been addressed.

noftpanymore wrote:

But then PLEASE add the option to always sort directories after name! As written above dual-pane browsing through my site is either cumbersome or lacks any overview in the way it is right now.

Ok, this request has been added to the tracker:
Issue 1024 – Option to always sort directories by name