Sync Folder-by-Folder
Idiot's Guide — resyncmirror app
Why this mode exists: syncing the whole site in one go can crash
partway through on a flaky connection, and starting over used to mean
re-checking all 127,000+ files again. Folder-by-folder breaks the job into
small chunks — if one crashes, you only lose that one folder, not the
whole run.
First time on a site
- Choose your local folder — the NAS/backup destination, as usual.
- Tick Sync folder-by-folder instead — leave this ticked from now on.
- Click Rescan folders — this checks both your local folder
and the actual server, and builds the checklist. Anything found on
the server that isn't local yet gets flagged with a 🆕 note in the log.
- Click Sync all remaining to work through everything for the first time.
Every time after that (routine updates)
- Click Rescan folders — catches any brand-new top-level folder added since last time.
- Click Update mirror (recheck everything).
Important: use Update mirror for routine
updates, not Sync all remaining. "Sync all
remaining" permanently skips anything already marked ✅ — so if a file
changes inside a folder that finished syncing days ago, "Sync all
remaining" will never look at that folder again. "Update mirror" rechecks
every folder every time; it's quick when nothing's changed, so there's no
real downside to using it as your default.
The two sync buttons, side by side
| Button | What it touches | When to use it |
|---|
| Sync all remaining |
Only ⏳ pending / ❌ failed items |
Resuming an interrupted first-time sync — don't redo finished folders |
| Update mirror (recheck everything) |
Every folder, regardless of status |
Routine, day-to-day updates — the one you'll use most |
Reading the checklist
| ⏳ | Not synced yet |
| ✅ | Done — last check succeeded |
| ❌ | Failed — will be retried automatically next run, or click its own Sync button to retry it right away |
Syncing a single folder
Every row has its own Sync button. Click it to
sync just that one folder immediately — same rsync logic as the batch
buttons, just scoped to one item. Handy for retrying a single ❌, or for
a folder you know just changed.
The other two buttons
Rescan folders — refreshes the checklist by checking your
local folder and the server. Needed whenever a brand-new
top-level folder might have appeared on the site (e.g. you added a new
project folder to htdocs). Shows "Checking server…" while it
runs.
Reset all progress — wipes every ✅/❌ back to ⏳. Doesn't
sync anything by itself. Only needed if you deliberately want to force
a full re-check of everything from scratch (e.g. after a bug fix, or if
you suspect something's out of sync).
If it crashes or stalls
- Watch the log for
⚠️ No response for Ns — the connection's gone
quiet. It'll either recover on its own, or the run will time out and
fail cleanly after a while.
- A failed folder just gets marked ❌ — nothing is lost. Let the next
"Update mirror" run retry it automatically, or click its own Sync
button.
- Progress is saved between app launches (per site profile), so
quitting the app or restarting your Mac doesn't lose anything already
marked ✅.
Quick reference
| Button | What it does |
|---|
| Rescan folders | Builds/refreshes the checklist from local and server |
| Reset all progress | Clears all ✅/❌ back to ⏳ — doesn't sync anything |
| Sync (next to one item) | Syncs just that one folder, right now |
| Sync all remaining | Only ⏳/❌ items — for resuming an interrupted first run |
| Update mirror (recheck everything) | Every folder, every time — for routine updates |