What's New - Version History for FolderClone

Version
4.0.1	ADDED: Registry modification during installation to resolve mapped drive letter recognition issues. IMPROVED: Unicode handling for more accurate searching, matching, and display of international file and folder names. UPDATED: Modernized the installer.
4.0.0	This is a major update. In addition to bug fixes, code-refactoring, and new features, there have been several hundred additions/changes/fixes/improvements in the underlying framework and components used in FolderClone. Portions of this release are akin to renovating the crucial wires and pipes in your home, they may not be visually apparent but are vital to ensuring everything works seamlessly and efficiently for many years to come. ADDED: Added keyboard shortcuts for some of the File Menu options (New Task, Rename, Run, Delete) ADDED: Update Notification window created to notify users of new releases ADDED: Added "Check for Updates' functionality to the Help menu. ADDED: Added specific error message for paths that exceed the maximum length. ADDED: Added AllowNumbersOnly property to custom InputBox window to restrict input to numbers only when needed. ADDED: You can now open and save files in deeply nested folders with paths longer than 260 characters. ADDED: Added mandatory 'DELETE' confirmation for mass deletions (100+ items) when the file operations list is not reviewed. ADDED: Added installer warning when selecting a new installation path during upgrades. ADDED: Application icon now shown in Windows' Installed Apps list. ADDED: Added ability to test network credentials used for folder authentication. ADDED: Added a fallback regular expression engine (PCRE2) to prepare for deprecation of MS Regular Expression Library IMPROVED: Improved stability and compatibility for Windows 10 and Windows 11. IMPROVED: The application will now appear crisp and clear on high-resolution displays (e.g., 4K monitors), no longer appearing blurry. IMPROVED: Reorganized & cleaned up the code responsible for scheduling the next clone task date & time. IMPROVED: Many timer-based calculations based on Windows GetTickCount API were upgraded to 64-bit version on OS that support this. IMPROVED: Improved handling of multiple quoted constants in a user's short date format IMPROVED: Refactor date handling in Clone Scheduling code IMPROVED: Improved date/time handling in several date/time functions by removing string/date conversions where possible IMPROVED: Improved the reliability of automated tasks scheduled to run on the first or last day of the month. IMPROVED: Increased UI responsiveness when processing a large number of file and folder exclusion rules. IMPROVED: Improved the visual design of the HTML folder comparison report for better readability. IMPROVED: Improved stability by fixing a crash that could occur when generating HTML folder comparison reports with a very large number of file differences. IMPROVED: Massive speed optimization of the HTML folder comparison report generation IMPROVED: Improved performance of the HTML folder comparison report generation when using the 'Compare by Content' method. IMPROVED: Made numerous under-the-hood improvements to enhance the stability, reliability, and maintainability of the core synchronization engine. IMPROVED: Improved the accuracy of error messages for invalid or inaccessible folders. IMPROVED: Improved accuracy of error reporting when files cannot be accessed or found. IMPROVED: Standardized and improved the clarity of error messages for invalid folder paths. IMPROVED: Improved the internal stability and reliability of folder path management. IMPROVED: Improved performance and stability when dealing with large lists of files in folders. IMPROVED: Improved the internal reliability of subfolder management. IMPROVED: Improved the reliability of the folder comparison process. IMPROVED: Improved reliability of routine which filters long lists of files and folders. IMPROVED: Ensured task status is always displayed correctly in the main list. IMPROVED: Improved error messages when a folder cannot be accessed during a copy, move, or delete operation. IMPROVED: Improved the accuracy of error messages displayed in the folder properties diagnostic tool. IMPROVED: Improved the reliability of the activity and error logging system. IMPROVED: Improved performance when viewing the log history for a specific task. IMPROVED: Improved the reliability of error detection when viewing the log. IMPROVED: Improved error handling to automatically abort a task when a critical error occurs, such as a full disk or network disconnection. IMPROVED: Improved and expanded on File Attribute reading and writing IMPROVED: Improved network drive mapping to intelligently find and use an available drive letter IMPROVED: Email Notification Settings window now supports Unicode text IMPROVED: Improved custom Input Box window code and all places in code which use it. IMPROVED: Confirm Changes window - Improved performance when browsing through many pages of file operations. IMPROVED: Confirm Changes window - You can now select multiple files at once to Remove or Keep using the context menu or buttons. IMPROVED: New Task Wizard - several user interface changes for better DPI support IMPROVED: Added validation for network folder authentication IMPROVED: Moved network folder authentication details to a separate dialog to declutter and simplify the Task Properties "Folders" tab. IMPROVED: All windows checked against current Windows UI guidelines IMPROVED: Added a new critical warning when you select an entire drive as the target, to help prevent accidental data loss. IMPROVED: Added confirmation warning when turning on global file deletion, to protect against unintended data loss. IMPROVED: Confirm Sync Actions window now shows delete operations first with red highlighting for safer review. IMPROVED: Added a Cancel button to the Confirm Sync Actions window for explicit cancelation of a task. IMPROVED: Changed terminology on Confirm Sync Actions window to Exclude/Include rather than Remove/Keep for improved clarity. IMPROVED: Improved installer with a unique application ID for seamless upgrades, preventing duplicate entries in Apps & features. IMPROVED: Improved installer to automatically default to your existing FolderClone installation path during upgrades for a more seamless experience. IMPROVED: Improved Unicode text handling with updates to multiple internal modules (array, encoding, whitespace, text conversions) IMPROVED: Network connection errors now display more helpful descriptions. IMPROVED: Changed mapped drive letter selection logic for faster network connection attempts. IMPROVED: Network connections are now faster and more reliable, with automatic retry for temporary network interruptions. IMPROVED: Improved file and folder existence checks IMPROVED: Improved the reading and saving of options & settings in multiple ways IMPROVED: Improved UNC path detection IMPROVED: Improved file reading, writing, and appending operations for greater reliability, better error handling, and consistent behavior (especially with large files and different text encodings). IMPROVED: Simplified and unified text encoding and decoding for better reliability and consistency. IMPROVED: Significantly improved the reliability of FastCopy. IMPROVED: Added much better error logging and clearer messages when FastCopy problems occur. IMPROVED: Improved handling of file dates, times, and error cases during FastCopy. IMPROVED: Improved reliability of moving files to the Recycle Bin in certain edge cases. IMPROVED: Improved file and folder attribute detection for very long paths and network locations. IMPROVED: Enhanced attribute detection to prevent gradual memory growth during long scans. IMPROVED: File date comparisons are now more accurate across years and Daylight Saving Time changes. IMPROVED: Timestamps are preserved more reliably when syncing or cloning folders. IMPROVED: Email address validation in Email Notifications window was rejecting valid email addresses. IMPROVED: Improved error handling in Compare Folders report generator. IMPROVED: Improved network connect/disconnect code in multiple ways to bring up to modern Windows standards FIXED: Fixed error handling in date and time conversion routines. FIXED: Frequency of "Run On Windows Startup" fails if computer is not rebooted in more than 49 days. On 64-bit OS this limitation is now removed. FIXED: Task Last and Next Run data/times were showing "12/30/1899 12:00 AM" on a newly created task FIXED: Fixed a crash in the scheduler for users with custom date and time settings. FIXED: Fixed a bug that caused custom date formats to display with incorrect separators (e.g., extra dashes). FIXED: Fixed Overflow issue in cCloneTasks.NextScheduledTask when computer was left running for many days without being restarted. FIXED: Corrected incorrect "how long has computer been running" logic and calculation. FIXED: Fixed an issue that could cause a "Subscript out of range" error during folder validation in certain synchronization scenarios. FIXED: Copy/Move/Delete routines were not skipping Junctions but should have been. FIXED: Fixed an issue that could cause folder lists to appear in an incorrect order. FIXED: Pressing Del key during task rename no longer tries to delete the task. FIXED: Fixed an issue where file sizes 4 GB and larger were incorrect (off-by-one). FIXED: 64-bit Windows files/folders now correctly access native system files on both 32-bit and 64-bit PCs FIXED: Fixed a rare issue that could sometimes cause incomplete copies with FastCopy. FIXED: Fixed a rare issue where some files or folders might not be fully detected during a scan. FIXED: Fixed date/time precision issue where milliseconds were not being considered. FIXED: Date/time conversions now correctly handle Daylight Saving Time in both directions. FIXED: Setting file timestamps (Created, Modified, Accessed) now uses proper DST-aware logic. FIXED: Long file paths were failing attribute retrieval which caused wrong results in several places (such as file existence checks). FIXED: Validation of Base64 strings was incorrect and has been fixed. UPDATED: Updated vbRichClient framework (Used primarily for internal data structures, memory management, and performance optimizations) (See here for a detailed list: https://www.folderclone.com/v4_release_notes/rc6.txt) UPDATED: Updated VBCCR library (Used for most non-grid/list controls) (See here for a detailed list: https://www.folderclone.com/v4_release_notes/vbccr181.txt) UPDATED: Updated iGrid control (Used for most grid/list controls) (See here for a detailed list: https://www.folderclone.com/v4_release_notes/igrid175.txt) UPDATED: Updated TaskDialogIndirect class from v1.0 to v1.3. (Used for Windows Message Boxes)
3.0.4	IMPROVED: Replaced Asc() function with AscU() in JoinTwoPathComponents() routine for proper handling of surrogate pair characters. FIXED: Fixed Subscript out of Range error in cFileOperationsList.ValidateRemoveFolderOps() IMPROVED: Tested, fixed, and optimized file/folder specification parsing routines for Unicode handling IMPROVED: Added EV Code Sign certificate to executable and installer
3.0.3	IMPROVED: Changed Error Indicator wording in application and documentation   ADDED: Added ability to save a task's history on Task Properties window, History tab   ADDED: Added App Password information to help documentation for Gmail users using 2 Step Verification   FIXED: "Error in error handler" when testing email notification settings   FIXED: Resolved issue using Office365 as outgoing SMTP Server for Email Notifications   FIXED: Error #5 in modDateTime.SystemTimeToVBDate   FIXED: Error #91 when previewing new task in New Task Wizard   IMPROVED: Now disabling Remove button on Confirm Changes window when in Preview mode
3.0.2	IMPROVED: Auto-sized width of list on Confirmation window to fit longest line CHANGED: Updated BlueSnap BuyNow link structure IMPROVED: Added Unicode support to application path variable IMPROVED: Standardized code flow in all error handling routines FIXED: Corrected some grammar/spelling mistakes in app and Help documentation IMPROVED: Improved window and grid column settings save/read operations FIXED: Added missing system file Msstdfmt.dll to install
3.0.0	FIXED: Fixed root folder detection of UNC path IMPROVED: Replaced most file/folder selection trees in the program with a new FolderView control IMPROVED: Enhanced Common File Type functionality by including common folders NEW: Added folder validation to the New Task Wizard IMPROVED: Modified File/Folder Analysis tool to report folders that cause enumeration to abort. FIXED: Folder validation on Task Properties window was not considering by task level override options. [PRO ONLY] NEW: Restore window now supports selection from among multiple Target folders NEW: "Restore" added to common toolbar on main window IMPROVED: Sped up file name pattern matching for file type inclusion/exclusion. IMPROVED: Optimized core file/folder indexing algorithm IMPROVED: Regular Copy now calls the CopyFileEx file system routine. This preserves extended attributes, OLE structured storage, NTFS data streams, and file attributes. IMPROVED: Regular Copy now shows much more detailed/accurate percentage completion NEW: Main window status bar tooltip now shows exact folder being analyzed and being copied NEW: Added a new Copy Method FastCopy.  This lightning fast copy method uses unbuffered raw binary data streams. NEW: Added options to Ignore Temporary files and folders NEW: Added authentication ability for network shares that require username/passwords to log in. [PRO ONLY] NEW: Added ability to create a Desktop shortcut for a task.  When clicked on, the task in FC is run. NEW: Added Restore functionality to Task Properties window IMPROVED: Expanded the Task Properties window by adding other task properties/information/functionality. IMPROVED: Names of days of week on Scheduling tab now appear in the default language of the user's computer system. UPDATED: Updated 3rd party DLL SmartUI2.OCX IMPROVED: Greater ability to handle long paths IMPROVED: HexDump creation has been sped up and enhanced FIXED: On 64 bit OS, the Windows\System32 folder is being redirected to Windows\SysWOW64 by the Windows file system. So any scans of this folder produce the wrong results. The redirection has been turned off. CHANGED: User with administrator privileges will be shown a UAC elevation prompt when launching FolderClone.  This is done to allow administrator level rights to the file system when using the program.  If user is not an administrator, no prompt will be shown. FIXED: Resolved hash collision situations during folder path indexing IMPROVED: Various speed enhancements IMPROVED: File existence check method has been recoded to be faster and less demanding on the file system IMPROVED: Upgraded third party FolderView control with 2012 FIXED: Mapped network drives now appear in the Browse for Folders window. IMPROVED: Removed recursion where used to speed up processing and lower memory usage IMPROVED: Added better error handling to cSBSDrive class. FIXED: Drive and folder sizes larger than 838.86TB are now supported without Overflow errors arising. IMPROVED: Added error description information to folder validation routine. IMPROVED: Now recognizes both Directory Junction Points and Volume Mount Points. NEW: Clone log file has been renamed from clone.log to clonev3.log due to new formatting IMPROVED:  Expanded error handling in FastCopy routine to properly report non API errors NEW: Added "SSL Required" property to Email Notification settings. FIXED: Port property can now be changed for Email Notification settings. FIXED: Safe Copy Error with copying Target file to TEMP folder now mentions the target rather than source file specification IMPROVED: Updated Version Stamp routine to handle troublesome version stamps (wide version) IMPROVED: If already running and user tries to launch again, the main window for running version is shown. IMPROVED: Changed hash used in folder indexing to address possibility of Overflow error UPDATED: Updated third party control, SmartUI.ocx, used for some of the controls in the program UPDATED: Updated third party control, wodSMTP used for email notifications IMPROVED: Improved email notification SSL and authentication handling CHANGED: Added entries for DPI awareness and GDI to manifest file REMOVED: Removed some files from installer which are installed with Windows FIXED: Fixed all user interface issues which happened on higher DPI setting (manifest file change) IMPROVED: Changed how folder names are stored to increased speed, accuracy, and memory consumption IMPROVED: Changed file content byte comparison method to improve speed CHANGED: Updated user interface elements to a more modern style IMPROVED: Several changes made to address "(Sub)Folder is Nothing" type errors in log. IMPROVED: Centralized information logging code to remove redundancy ADDED: Added logging for folder enumeration errors ADDED: Added logging for file/folder attribute retrieval errors CHANGED: Replaced timer control with vbRC5 software timer (CloneScheduler) CHANGED: Replaced CCRP timer with vbRC5 software timer (SysTray animation) REMOVED: Removed references to and installation of runtime support files no longer required FIXED: Compare Folders report crash has been fixed. IMPROVED: Vastly sped up pagination on Confirm Changes window. UPDATED: All windows have been updated to a more modern appearance. IMPROVED: Able to access >2GB memory limit imposed on 32 bit apps by Windows. (More memory is available to the program for larger tasks). ADDED: Unicode support added where possible (Functionality based on Shell API does not support) CHANGED: Replaced Timosoft third third party edit and list controls with VBCCR versions FIXED: Restored Drag and Drop to source and target folders on Task Properties window IMPROVED: Include/Exclude folders & files are now retained when Source folder changes in Task Properties IMPROVED: Include/Exclude folders & files are retained when duplicating a task (Reverse Direction) IMPROVED: File masks in Common File Types list are now alphabetically sorted ADDED: Added support for additional email clients: eMClient, Mailbird, and Postbox UPDATED: Updated data store location information for all email clients already supported ADDED: Added IsTemporary to Analyze Folder/File troubleshooting window output. ADDED: Added extended attributes to Analyze Folder/File troubleshooting window output. ADDED: Added MD5 hash to Analyze Folder/File troubleshooting window output. FIXED: Creation of nested folder paths in UNC notation was not working correctly. ADDED: Turned off File System Redirection on all Copy/Move/Delete/Rename operations CHANGED: All error logs are now in Unicode encoding CHANGED: Changed password encoding scheme AND MUCH MORE
2.1.1	IMPROVED: Added line numbers to error messages FIXED: Removed resource string calls UPDATED: Latest SmartUI third party library
2.1.0	File existence check error handling on unexpected Windows API errors was returning the incorrect error number and description Fixed - Empty sub folders were not being deleted when file exclusion masks were used Fixed - Content comparison has been fixed and sped up Fixed - fast copy of HUGE (>4GB) files Fixed - Overflow error in CRC32 calculation Fixed - Binary comparison results incorrect then differences are towards end of file Fixed - Manifest file permission level changed to 'asInvoker' to allow auto-startup with Windows Fixed - Added better error handling to modAPIReadWriteFile.ReadStringFromFile to handle 'Out of Memory' error in when clone.log file grew very large (hundreds of megabytes) Fixed - Compare Folders now uses the task level comparison method [PRO Only] Changed - Prepare for Plimus.com to Bluesnap.com changeover
2.0.5	Fixed bug where selected files/folders were not showing checkmark on Select Files window
2.0.4	Numerous changes and fixes to the File/Folder Analysis tool Corrected problem when dialog window is open, FC not in the Alt-Tab list Include/Exclude File Mask lists are now sorted Added ability to filter Log entries by Task Sped up load time of Log contents Custom file masks field now allows for multiple semi-comma delimited file masks on one line Fixed bug where Differences Report was failing in the case of multiple target folders Added Target folder information to Confirm Changes details in the case of multiple target folders Added Common File Types functionality to Select Files window Sped up loading of file types in folder list Corrected problem when Select File Types window was closed before list was done loading Updated several OCX/DLLs with the latest Visual Basic 6.0 Service Pack 6 Runtime Extended Files Added a New Task Wizard to walk user thru the creation of a new task Removed the Microsoft Scripting Library v5.6 installation from our install Added some error details to the error notification email [PRO ONLY] Added Post Task Actions (Shutdown/Logoff Windows, Reboot/Poweroff Computer) [PRO ONLY]
2.0.3	Changed how Log data is saved to disk.  This should correct various issues having to do Unicode data and with large amounts of data being written to the Log. Added the ability to change SMTP Port for email notifications Improved Added a secondary folder permission checking method to ensure valid result Added additional error handling for folder permission errors
2.0.2	Modified folder enumeration routine to allow paths longer than 260 characters in length to be scanned Modified folder enumeration routine to allow UNICODE path names Improved folder enumeration routine performance by 200-300%!. Fixed bug where an excluded folder's contents were being deleted from the Target folder Fixed bug where folders whose names began with a dot character were not being processed Fixed bug where Daylight Savings Time (DST) differences were not being ignored when DST ended
2.0.1	Added option to turn off the Folder permission check before clone. Resolved some "Object is Nothing' type errors in the cSBSFolder class Fixed GetParentFolderPath() problem with UNC paths. Switched from ANSI to Unicode version of GetFileAttributes API function in the FolderExists routine. Fixed defect where Ignore System/Hidden files and Last Modified Date filter was causing other files to be missed. Fixed defect in Confirm Changes window with wrong file operations being listed on wrong pages of display. (Happens only with over 10k file operations and Exclusions.) Changed the number of file operations that are displayed at one time on the Confirm Changes windows to 5000 Fixed defect where a task prematurely aborted when the user did not have permission to read from a subfolder Numerous performance enhancements
2.0.0	Resolved shutdown crash Changed various graphics to more modern Vista style Added Task Name to Folder Differences report Changed location where registration information is written to and read from for Vista compatibility Removed 'Run FolderClone' option at end of install on MS Vista. When launched from installer, it runs as Admin Start Time of tasks is now randomized rather than always defaulting to 12 PM Last Run and Next Run date/time information has been added to Task Properties window Added a new scheduling option: Run Once Daily When Computer is Idle for 'x' minutes Optimized and minimized memory usage requirements Corrected thread handle leak Confirmation window now loads only 10,000 file operations at a time Added functionality to Confirmation Window: Open File/Folder and View File Differences Added functionality to test if a folder is a Junction Point. Junction Points will not be cloned Fixed minor problems with scheduler Resolved WinXP registration issue Resolved Object error on startup Resolved missing System Tray icon on Windows Explorer crash Various other changes for Vista readiness Resolved email notification problem when server requires authentication (Pro Only) Added new feature: View File Differences (Pro Only) Added new feature: Copy Only Source Files Newer Than (Pro Only)