"real" background transfer queue

Hello again Martin,

I come this time with more an improvement to an existing feature than a suggestion.

The background transfer is a big improvement over the old version of WinSCP. However though, it could be a real transfer queue and what I mean is that a user should be able to add files and start the transfer afterwards ... meaning a transfer queue. Right now, as soon as you add a new file, another transfer starts (and a new connection also) and you end up having multiple transfers simultaneously which will clutter your bandwidth.

Another nice thing of having a transfer queue is that even if the transfer started, you can add files to the queue while transfering and they will start when their turn comes.

When adding a file/dir to the queue you should save its destination dir also so you can transfer any file/dir to any directory ... but i'm sure you know what to do. Total Commander (if you know it) has a real transfer queue in version >6.0. Also you could take a look at WS_FTP v8.x

mastabog wrote:

Right now, as soon as you add a new file, another transfer starts (and a new connection also) and you end up having multiple transfers simultaneously which will clutter your bandwidth.

You may limit number of simultaneous background transfer to one. By default only two (not multiple :-)) background connections are opened.

Another nice thing of having a transfer queue is that even if the transfer started, you can add files to the queue while transfering and they will start when their turn comes.

I do not understand. This is exactly what the queue in WinSCP does.

When adding a file/dir to the queue you should save its destination dir also so you can transfer any file/dir to any directory ...

Again, this is exactly what the queue in WinSCP does. Or it does not work so for you?

Oops, my bad this time :oops:

Yes, it does the right thing. I do have a couple of sugestions though.
1. It would be nice to show the whole, meaning the files that are transferring and the ones that are waiting to be transferred too. Right now only the ones that are xferring arre shown. Not very important.

2. You could add a feature (checkbox maybe, checked by default) to use the same login/passwd as the active session when spawning new transfers in the background. To do this now i have to save my password inside the session profile (at the 1st login screen) thing I always avoid. You could remember the password in the memory for as long as the session is active so that background tranfers can use the same login/passwd. Right now, when I limit the queue to 5 simultaneous transfers, i get asked 5 times for the session password. CoreFTP (free) and WS_FTP have this. CoreFTP has an advanced queue manager as well as others, but I still use WinSCP for the NC like keyb shortcuts.

Again sorry for the 1st post, I was hasty in my remarks.

p.s. I for one am waiting on the full real-time sync (with sub directories) feature. That will be a killer ... and i need it badly also :D

oh, I forgot another suggestion on the background queue

3. Possibility to limit the bandwidth on the background transfer queue. If I upload in the background, my bandwidth gets topped untill the transfer is completed ... big files can make your other net activities (like web-browsing) very very slow.

mastabog wrote:

1. It would be nice to show the whole, meaning the files that are transferring and the ones that are waiting to be transferred too. Right now only the ones that are xferring arre shown. Not very important.

I do not like this. What if you upload deep directory tree structure with tens of thousands files, would you like to get all of them listed? WinSCP also uploads the files that exist in the particular moment it starts to upload some subdirectory. So the list created before upload may not correspond to files actually uploaded, because it may change.

2. You could add a feature (checkbox maybe, checked by default) to use the same login/passwd as the active session when spawning new transfers in the background.

Added already, wait for the next release within few days.

p.s. I for one am waiting on the full real-time sync (with sub directories) feature. That will be a killer ... and i need it badly also :D

OK, I'll add it definitelly sometime :-)

martin wrote:

mastabog wrote:

1. It would be nice to show the whole, meaning the files that are transferring and the ones that are waiting to be transferred too. Right now only the ones that are xferring arre shown. Not very important.

I do not like this. What if you upload deep directory tree structure with tens of thousands files, would you like to get all of them listed? WinSCP also uploads the files that exist in the particular moment it starts to upload some subdirectory. So the list created before upload may not correspond to files actually uploaded, because it may change.

Well, yes .. i would like that. The transfers window is scrollable anyway so frankly i don't care if it is 1000 files long. I just want to have control over the files that are xfering. As it is now you can't delete a file from the queue, or pause it, things that should be possible. The thing you say with files that appear new while uploading and get transferred too is not an expected behavior of a transfer queue and in my opinion is not a good thing.

I was just trying to make a suggestion of features seen in other already mature software like WS_FTP and help WinSCP get better. The new CuteFTP v6 has some neat new queue-related features also.

2. You could add a feature (checkbox maybe, checked by default) to use the same login/passwd as the active session when spawning new transfers in the background.

Added already, wait for the next release within few days.

Ok.

p.s. I for one am waiting on the full real-time sync (with sub directories) feature. That will be a killer ... and i need it badly also :D

OK, I'll add it definitelly sometime :-)

Sweet!