Feature Request: One way file transfer?

Feature
1

I’m not really sure if this is what the feature should be called but I’ll lay it out and see what everyone thinks.

I am looking for a Receive Only folder. This would be under Advance -> Folder Type -> Receive Only. The current options are “Send Only” and “Send & Receive”

Explanation: I am trying to set up a one way file drop service with somebody. On my device I have 2 folders: -From {Person} (send & receive, I want ‘receive only’) -To {Person} (send only) On their device they have the same: -From {Me} (send & receive, I want ‘receive only’) -To {Me} (send only)

What I’m looking for would let me do:

  1. They drop a file in their “To {Me}” folder.
  2. It gets synced to me.
  3. They delete the file on their end (or it gets delete when sent).
  4. The file stays present on my end.

I guess this basically works like email but with no size cap and a direct block style file transfer.

Do you think that this would be possible to implement? I do understand that this might not be much of a priority and that writing code takes up a lot of time.

Currently what happens is:

  1. The put a file in their “To {Me}” folder
  2. The file gets synced.
  3. I have to copy the file out of my “From {Person}” folder or it gets deleted when they delete it on their end.
  4. They can now delete the file.
  5. I can now delete the copy of the file in my “From {Person}” folder.

Thanks for your wonderful work so far! Marlen

2

Lucky you, it’s coming in 0.14.50. You can try the release candidate today.

2 Likes
3

I don’t think this will help, as he wants deletes from the other side not to propagate back. There is already an advanced ignore deletes option, yet the folder will forever be out of sync.

Alternative would be to setup versioning.

2 Likes
4

Well that’s awesome :smiley:

5

I think the “ignore deletes” option would be too intrusive for me.

There are several options for setup versioning … which one would you suggest?

6

Please check https://docs.syncthing.net/users/versioning.html for more information

1 Like
7

Why is it too intrusive? Either you want the files to be deleted on the receiving end, when you delete them on the side of the sender or you want to keep them.

8

I will have to examine this further and see if it will work for me … though as a consideration … I’m setting this up with someone who isn’t very comfortable with advanced options (with lots of warning labels). I’d very much prefer not having to go that route.

I would like it to still produce valid “All files are synced” output, a comment from Audrius Butkevicius led me to believe that it will produce output that suggests my folder is forever out of sync.

I want the a Send Only folder connected to a Recieve Only folder with “all files synced” to represent:

  1. Does the sending end have any files I don’t have.
  2. If it does download them to my end.
  3. (Toggleable non-default option) Delete then from the Senders end when I have said files.

NOT

  1. If the sender has 0 files and I have 10
  2. Remove all my files.

I’m looking for a full one way file drop/transfer, send sync only. Think Encrypted, Piece by Piece, No Size Limit and 1-1 or 1-many Email.

I realize that this might be outside the “normal” scope of the Synthing project. If so that’s ok too :slight_smile:

1 Like
9

+1 Also interested in this feature!

10

Maybe implementing a regular interval file mover script that moves files out of the (to me) folder helps. I’m doing so with Tasker on my phone. That way, the other doesn’t have to remind me taking out the file from the two way sync folder and saves space on their phones.

1 Like