include and exclude file

[Matt McCutchen]

On Sat, 2006-04-15 at 02:58 -0400, Marc Collin wrote:
> would like to backup kmail and kwalet in my include file i do:
> 
> .kde/share/apps/kmail/
> .kde/share/apps/kwallet/

This is a very common problem that people encounter with includes.  If
you exclude .kde, rsync won't even go inside, so it won't notice
that .kde/share/apps/kmail is included.

There are three solutions.  I give example filter files that contain
both includes (+) and excludes (-).  You pass a filter file filters.txt
to rsync using the option: --filter=". filters.txt"

(1) Show rsync the way to your kmail and kwallet directories by
including the directories along the path.  Advantage: It works.
Disadvantage: the include/exclude files are annoying to write, although
I think there's a script somewhere that writes them for you.

Variant 1 (at each level, tell rsync not to stray from the path):

+ .kde/
- .*
+ .kde/share/
- .kde/*
+ .kde/share/apps/
- .kde/share/*
+ .kde/share/apps/kmail/
+ .kde/share/apps/kwallet/
- .kde/share/apps/*

Variant 2 (exclude everything and then re-include subtrees):

+ .kde/
+ .kde/share/
+ .kde/share/apps/
+ .kde/share/apps/kmail/***
+ .kde/share/apps/kwallet/***
- .**

(2) Include all directories, but only include files under the
directories you want.  Then prune empty directories.  Advantage: the
include/exclude files are really easy to write.  Disadvantages: rsync
traverses the whole tree, and if there happen to be empty directories in
the areas you want transferred, they will be skipped.

Filter file:
+ */
+ .kde/share/apps/kmail/***
+ .kde/share/apps/kwallet/***
- .**

Give rsync the option --prune-empty-dirs.

(3) My favorite technique.  Sneak under the exclude rule by giving rsync
extra source arguments with --relative.  Advantage: works, and you
rarely need any include rules.  Disadvantage: somewhat tricky.

Filter file:
- .*

Use a command like this:
rsync --relative $BDIR/./ $BDIR/./.kde/share/apps/kmail/
$BDIR/./.kde/share/apps/kwallet/ $BACKUPDIR

More information about this technique:
http://lists.samba.org/archive/rsync/2006-February/014761.html

Good luck.

-- 
Matt McCutchen
hashproduct at verizon.net
http://hashproduct.metaesthetics.net/