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file_operations:copying_moving_and_deleting_files:the_confirm_file_replace_dialog
The Confirm File Replace Dialog
When copying files around, you'll often encounter the case where the file you're copying already exists in the target folder. In this case Opus normally displays the Confirm File Replace dialog, asking you what to do.
The goal of this dialog is to show you enough information about the existing file (the one that already exists in the target folder) and the new file (the one you are copying) to help you decide what action to take.
Basic information
The basic information that's presented for the two files is Name, Location, Size, Date (the last modified date) and Desc (the file's description). When this information is different between the two files it is displayed in bold, making it easier to see at a glance how the two files differ (except for the locations, since they are almost always different and highlighting them would make the more important differences harder to notice). The dialog also uses two little icons to indicate which file is larger and which is newer.
Thumbnails
If possible, thumbnail images are also displayed for the two files - if not, the file's icon will be displayed. The thumbnails (or icons) have some additional functionality:
- If a thumbnail is displayed for the file, hovering the mouse over the top of it will display a larger preview image.
- You can right-click the thumbnail or icon to display the context menu for the file.
- You can double-click the thumbnail or icon to open the file.
The context menu displayed when right-clicking a file's thumbnail (or icon) can be customized using the File Types system. For example, you could add a command to compare the two files using an external comparison tool.
Proceeding with the file copy
Fundamentally, you need to decide if you still want to copy the file or not. If you do still want to copy the file, your available choices are:
- Replace: Copy the incoming file over the top of the existing one. You can click the main part of the button to do this. Alternatively, click the arrow on the right of the button to open the menu, then choose the first option.
- Replace All: Replace the current file, and automatically replace any subsequent clashing files for the remainder of the operation. You can use the menu to choose this or, as a shortcut, hold the Shift key while clicking the Replace button.
- Rename New: Automatically choose an alternative name for the incoming file, so both it and the existing file will exist side-by-side. (To manually specify the new name, see below.) As a shortcut, the menu item can be accessed by holding Ctrl while clicking the button.
- Rename New (All): Automatically choose an alternative name for the incoming file, and all subsequent clashing files. As a shortcut, hold Ctrl+Shift.
- Rename Old: Automatically choose an alternative name for the existing file, so both it and the incoming file will exist side-by-side. As a shortcut, hold Alt+Ctrl.
- Rename Old (All): Automatically choose an alternative name for the existing file, and all subsequent clashing files. As a shortcut, hold Alt+Shift.
- Keep Newer: Copy the incoming file over the top of the existing file, but only if the incoming file was modified more recently than the existing one. Otherwise, leaving the existing file alone and do not copy the incoming file at all. (This is done by comparing the modified timestamps of the two files. In the case of a tie, where both timestamps are identical, the incoming file is skipped.)
- Keep Newer (All): For this and all subsequent clashes, copy the incoming file over the top of the existing file if the incoming file was modified more recently, and skip it otherwise.
You can also use the options on the Copying Files / Confirmation Preferences page to add selected rename presets to the Replace dropdown menu.
In addition to the automatic rename options discussed above, you can also manually edit the incoming file's name. The Replace button changes to a Rename button if the name has been edited, and clicking the button will copy the incoming file with the specified name and leave the existing file as it was.
The filename edit field responds to the same (configurable) control keys that the inline rename function supports.
Abandoning the file copy
If you decide you do not want to copy the file after all, the available choices are:
- Skip: Skip over this file. The incoming file is not copied and the existing file is left alone. You can click the main part of the button to do this. Alternatively, click the arrow on the right of the button to open the menu, then choose the first option.
- Skip All: Skip over this file, and skip all subsequent clashing files for the remainder of the operation. You can use the menu to choose this or, as a shortcut, hold the Shift key while clicking the Skip button.
- Skip Identical: Skip over this file, and any subsequent files, if the incoming and existing files have identical size and modified timestamp. Note that the actual file contents are not compared! You will still be prompted for subsequent clashes where the two files have different sizes or Modified timestamps. You can hold Ctrl and click the button as a shortcut.
You can also abort the whole operation by clicking the Abort button or closing the dialog.
Resuming FTP transfers
If you are copying a file to or from an FTP site, and the remote FTP server supports resume, you will also have the choice to Resume the copy (as well as a drop-down for Resume All). If you select the Resume option Opus will attempt to resume the file transfer where it was (presumably) interrupted previously. For example, if the file you are copying is 100 KB and the existing file is only 50 KB, Opus would start transferring data from the 50 KB mark. This option will only be available if the existing file is smaller than the new one. You need to be sure of what you're doing when you select this option, as it would be very easy to wind up with a corrupted file if you accidentally resume copying the wrong file.