Select and so delete empty folders

[steveculshaw]

Is there some way to select just empty folders ?

I've synchronised a directory tree and there are a lot of empty folders

Checked on the various "select" options on the menu, but I can't see anything relating to folders ?

[Michael Bulgrien]

No, it is not possible to select just empty folders. Beyond Compare is a file-based utility. It is really designed to select files, not folders.

[steveculshaw]

I'm don't really agree, BC will quite happily create new folders, even if empty

Also, I saw a posting about a script which used the command ...
select empty.folders
so it looks to be possible "under the hood"

[Zoë]

There isn't a "select" type command, but you can do it by combining snapshots with the sync command.

1) Save a snapshot of the folder you want to clean up (Tools->Save Snapshot). Uncheck all of the checkboxes. The snapshot should be saved with everything except the empty folders.
2) Load the snapshot across from the folder.
3) Use the Actions->Synchronize->Mirror * commands to mirror from the snapshot to the live folder. As long as nothing else has changed, the only thing the sync will do is delete the empty folders.

[steveculshaw]

Thanks Craig

I sorted using the script I mentioned in previous reply

[Aaron]

Hello Steve,

So everything is working well for you now? Or did you need any help setting this up as a script? We do have a snapshot command in our Scripting Reference section of the help file. I would strongly suggest testing script, especially script with a mirror command, with test files or already backed up files. A mirror command can delete files/folders it finds, and since script is automated there is no preview before it takes this action. Deletes, Moves, copies are often not undo-able.

[steveculshaw]

Aaron,

thanks for the follow-up response

I've chicken'ed out of trying the mirror approach

Went with the script using select empty.folders as that did the trick