harmonizing folders on different volumes

[Mr Downtown]

Over the years I've been sloppy about where I file photos. Some are on the SSD and some are on an external HD. How can I harmonize them without having to look at the contents of every folder?

To elucidate: I have a folder SSD:=Pictures:Chicago:Chicago History:Union Station. I have an identically named folder on the HD. How can I get the photos of Union Station that are not yet on the HD to end up in the HD folder? I don't want to replace one Union Station folder with the other because the one on SSD might not have all the photos, and vice versa.

[ka jowct]

There are folder synchronizing apps and backup software that can do this, but I haven't tried any of them recently. You'd want to do a test sync or two. Google "OS X folder synchronizing apps" and you'll get some ideas.

[yeoman]

If you know your way around Carbon Copy Cloner it will do exactly what you want, down to a folder level as you describe.

[Marc Anthony]

Hi. I've written an Applescript that will probably do what you want for reasonably small amounts of files. Files are strictly copied by missing names into the root level of the opposing folder; there is no accommodation for syncing files with disparate modification dates or putting files into appropriate subfolders.

set FirstFolder to choose folder

set secondfolder to choose folder



tell application 
Finder
	duplicate ((FirstFolder's entire contents)'s files whose name is not in (get (secondfolder's entire contents's files)'s name)) to secondfolder

	duplicate ((secondfolder's entire contents)'s files whose name is not in (get (FirstFolder's entire contents's files)'s name)) to FirstFolder

end tell