Streamline Your Backups Using Johnshope FTP & Folder Sync

Automate Your Work: Johnshope FTP & Folder Sync Guide Manually moving files between local folders and remote servers wastes valuable time. 📌 Assumption: This guide focuses on configuring automated, one-way backups from a local Windows PC folder to a remote FTP server using Johnshope FolderMatch, a leading file synchronization utility. Here is how to automate your workflow in four simple steps. 1. Set Up Your Connections

Before scheduling automation, you must define where your files live. Open FolderMatch on your Windows machine. Select Local Folder for your source panel. Browse to your target development or data folder. Click the Remote/FTP option for your destination panel. Enter your FTP server address, username, and password. Test the connection to ensure access permissions are valid. 2. Define the Synchronization Rules

To prevent data loss, you must tell the software exactly how to handle file differences. Choose the One-Way Mirror synchronization type. Set the rule to overwrite older files on the destination.

Enable the Include Subfolders option to capture your entire directory tree.

Configure the file filter to exclude temporary files (like .tmp or .bak). 3. Script the Sync Process

FolderMatch allows you to run synchronization tasks via the command line, which is the key to automation.

Save your configured folder pair as a Session File (e.g., backup_task.fms). Open Notepad to create a text file.

Write the command line string pointing to the FolderMatch executable and your session file.

Save this text file with a .bat extension (e.g., run_sync.bat).

Test the batch file manually to confirm it runs without requiring user clicks. 4. Schedule via Windows Task Scheduler

With your script working, you can offload the execution to Windows. Open the Windows Task Scheduler from your Start Menu. Click Create Basic Task and name it “Daily FTP Sync.”

Set the trigger to Daily and choose a time outside of your peak working hours. Set the action to Start a Program. Browse and select your run_sync.bat file.

Check the option to “Run whether user is logged on or not” for server environments.

Your files will now sync automatically in the background, keeping your remote server updated without a single manual click. To help tailor this automation guide, please let me know:

Are you using FolderMatch specifically, or another Johnshope utility?