Treat symlinks "as is", do not copy the files they point to

#1

Currently when there is a symbolic link in my drive folder to a folder outside of drive, insync resolves the symlink and actually uploads the files it points to to the clound. I know this is a feature that many users like, but I would like symlinks to be treated as links and not to sync the files they point to. Is it possible? My system is currently setup in such a way that symlinks in my drive folder point to huge files with which I work, but which I do not want to sync. Is it possible to prevent insync from resolving symlinks and just upload them as links? I don’t care that they will not function in the cloud.

EDIT: I saw that there’s an ignore list. How can I specify it to ignore symlinks?

1 Like
#2

As of now there is no way to treat a symlink only as a link. Also, as of now the ignore list cannot ignore symlinks as a whole, but if you wish to ignore a certain folder that’s symlink-d to Insync, you will have to type in the folder name itself.

Let me know if you have any other questions :smile:

Ignore list doesn't apply
#3

I am in the same boat with venpopoz: I have been using Google Drive to upload Final Cut Pro X “libraries” which are, in effect, specialized folders. Rather than storing large media files in the FCPX libraries I elect to have them stored elsewhere and pointed to by symlinks in the library folder system. FCPX also generates .mov files from my much smaller camera originals, and I don’t need to back those ups, as I can always regenerate them if I have the originals (which I do back up).

As it is, then, InSync is backing up my originals, both in their assigned storage folders and in the FCPX library files in place of the symlinks there, and it’s backing up the FCPX-generated .mov files because they’re also referenced in the library files.

So it would be nice to be able to say “In this particular kind of file/folder system, treat symlinks as pointers.”

If anyone can suggest another way around this, please let me know. I don’t want to fill my FCPX libraries with giant media files, original or rendered, and I want to back it all up separately. Thanks!

#4

very much me, too.

I want to have one master copy of files included by other projects (e.g., a data file), and then link them into my current directory. when I modify one copy, I want the change to be reflected everywhere. moreover, symlinks often serve as aliases. this is not uncommon behavior. under linux, about 25% of the files in /usr/bin/ are symlinks. latex relies heavily on them, too.

could this not be handled with a master file, itself synced, that contains a list of all files that should remain symlinks, for example? (and/or perhaps a master switch that gives power users the option to always keep symlinks as such?)