SmartMark
Duplicate File Detective supports a concept known as SmartMark, allowing users to mark duplicate files using specific patterns. Marked duplicate files are then eligible for additional processing (e.g. moving, deleting, or zipping).
To use the SmartMark facility, click the SmartMark button in the application Ribbon Bar. A pop-up menu will appear, providing access to the following groups of duplicate file marking options.
Mark by Position
Marks files based upon their position within each duplicate group: Mark All But First in Each Group, Mark All But Last in Each Group, or mark (and unmark) just the First or Last file in each group. Position reflects the current report sort order, making these options a powerful companion to sorting.
Mark by Path
- Mark Matching File Paths - Marks files whose paths match a mask you provide (wildcards and regular expressions supported - see filename masks).
- Mark All Files Outside Master Path(s) - Marks every duplicate file that does not reside within a master search path. This is the quickest way to preserve a "golden" copy of your data: promote the authoritative location to master status, then mark everything outside it for processing. Files within duplicate groups that contain no master-path file are skipped (and counted in the SmartMark notice - see below).
- Mark All In Search Path / UnMark All In Search Path - Marks or unmarks all duplicate files residing within a search path you select.
Mark by Age
Marks the oldest or newest file in each group, judged by your choice of file modified, created, or accessed date. Additional options mark all files older (by modified date) than an hour, day, week, month, or year.
Mark by Size
Marks the largest or smallest file in each group, or all files at or above a size threshold: 1 KB or Larger, 1 MB or Larger, 10 MB or Larger, 100 MB or Larger, 500 MB or Larger, or 1 GB or Larger.
Mark by Name (or Path) Length
Marks the file with the longest or shortest name in each group, or the longest or shortest full path in each group - useful for eliminating copies buried in deeply nested folders.
Mark by Music Tag
Marks the file with the shortest duration or lowest bit rate in each group - useful for keeping the highest-quality copy of each song. Requires music tag data (see Comparison Options).
Mark by Image Metadata
Marks the file with the oldest date taken, newest date taken, or lowest resolution in each group - useful for keeping the best copy of each photo. Requires image metadata (see Comparison Options).
Additional SmartMark Menu Items
- Navigate to Next / Previous Marked Duplicate (Ctrl+Alt+N / Ctrl+Alt+P) - Moves the report selection between marked files.
- Navigate to Duplicate Group - Jumps to the next group with all files marked (Ctrl+Shift+N) or with no files marked (Ctrl+Shift+U).
- Ensure One Unmarked File per Duplicate Group - When toggled on, every SmartMark operation leaves at least one unmarked file in each duplicate group, guarding against accidentally marking an entire group for deletion.
SmartMark Notices
After a SmartMark operation, if any qualifying files could not be marked, a Smart Marking Notice reports how many files were marked and how many were skipped. Files are skipped when their qualifying attributes (size, date, etc.) are unavailable or identical to other files in the same group, when they are protected, or (when marking by master path) when their duplicate group contains no master-path file. The notice can be suppressed via its "Don't show me this notice again" option.
Things to Know
- SmartMark operations are cumulative - each operation retains the markings of any previous operations. To start over, use the Clear All Markers button in the ribbon bar.
- SmartMark respects the active view filter - when a results filter is engaged, SmartMark operations apply only to the files currently visible in the report; files hidden by the filter are never altered.
- Additional SmartMark features are available by right-clicking duplicate files in the report, and folder-level marking is available in the Duplicate Folders pane.
- Some SmartMark functions may not be applicable to certain duplicate file groups. For example, if all the files within a duplicate group have the same date / time stamp, the "oldest" and "newest" options will have no effect on that group (such files count toward the skipped total in the SmartMark notice).
See also: