Verify remote

Note: Within the Push or pull view, the text switching --dry-run mode off is incorrect. The switch itself is correct, but the text displayed in the button is misleading; text should be Off. Fixed in code.

The function is not intended to be automated. Users must verify their subsequent actions. If the remote destinations are stored on a Git server, such as GitHub or Gitea, regular git push and pull commands will suffice. Git is a superior tool for version control, but in certain situations, creating a Git repository may not be feasible, and this function may prove useful.

The verification applies only to remote destinations on servers.

Synchronization of Multiple Macs to a Remote Server

If you are using multiple Macs, as I do, and all Macs synchronize data to the same remote storage, there may be challenges maintaining synchronization and preventing data loss, particularly if the remote storage is not a Git server, such as GitHub and Gitea.

I have over 3,000 bird photos (130 GB) from the past four years that are synchronized using RsyncUI to a local remote server at home. New photos are added, old photos are deleted, and updates are made to sidecars of the photos. As long as I was using only one Mac, all updates were made on that Mac. However, with two Macs, I now use both Macs to work on my photos. When I synchronize my changes, I need to transfer those changes to my second Mac.

Arguments for rsync

The following arguments are used in both push and pull.

• --itemize-changes - output change-summary for all updates
• --dry-run - rsync execute an estimate run
• --update - evaluates the timestamp

The result from the pull command is subtracted from the result of the push command. Conversely, the push command is subtracted from the result of the pull command. After both subtractions, the resulting arrays are compared based on the number of rows.

The outcome is as follows:

• If pull has more data than push, it is likely that the remote repository is more up-to-date than the local repository.
• If push has more data than pull, it is likely that the local repository is more up-to-date than the remote repository.
• If the number of rows is equal, it is likely that the local repository is more up-to-date than the remote repository.

Itemized output - push or pull

The parameter -i or --itemize-changes produces details about each file. The format of the output is YXcstpoguax:

YXcstpoguax
|||||||||||
`-------------------------- the TYPE OF UPDATE:
 ||||||||||   <: file is being transferred to the remote host (sent).
 ||||||||||   >: file is being transferred to the local host (received).
 ||||||||||   c: local change/creation for the item, such as:
 ||||||||||      - the creation of a directory
 ||||||||||      - the changing of a symlink,
 ||||||||||      - etc.
 ||||||||||   h: the item is a hard link to another item (requires --hard-links).
 ||||||||||   "+" - the file is newly created
 ||||||||||   .: the item is not being updated (though it might have attributes that are being modified).
 ||||||||||   *: means that the rest of the itemized-output area contains a message (e.g. "deleting").
 ||||||||||
 `----------------------------- the FILE TYPE:
  |||||||||   f for a file,
  |||||||||   d for a directory,
  |||||||||   L for a symlink,
  |||||||||   D for a device,
  |||||||||   S for a special file (e.g. named sockets and fifos).
  |||||||||
  `--------- c: different checksum (for regular files)
   ||||||||     CHANGED VALUE (for symlink, device, and special file)
   `-------- s: Size is different
    `------- t: Modification time is different
     `------ p: Permission are different
      `----- o: Owner is different
       `---- g: Group is different
        `--- u: The u slot is reserved for future use.
         `-- a: The ACL information changed

RsyncUI indicates remote is more updated than my local repository. However, this is merely an advisory. I must verify this independently to ensure my certainty. From the toolbar, choose Push or Pull to view more details.