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Checksum (CRC) improvements: highlight errors, update file

Posted: 2012-08-28, 09:16 UTC
by WalkerBoh
I really like the checksum function, it helps verifying data transfers via network or usb a lot. But I'd love to see a few improvements to the feature:

1) when verifying lots of files, it es almost impossible to find the line with the actual error, if there is one. There should be a filter to hide all files successfully verified.

2) If you just prepared a checksum file for a directory structure but have to add some files, the WHOLE checksum file has to be generated again. I'd like to suggest an "update" feature, adding new files and removing missing files without having to re-calculate ALL checksums.

Posted: 2012-08-30, 13:15 UTC
by ghisler(Author)
1) You can use the up/down arrow buttons to jump to the next/previous error.

2) That's an interesting idea, but there is no way for TC to detect changes except for recalculating the checksum...

Posted: 2012-09-01, 21:41 UTC
by sqa_wizard
2) That's an interesting idea, but there is no way for TC to detect changes except for recalculating the checksum...
I think a trivial update will do it.

Imagine a folder with some hundred software installation files.
Once the checksum is created, some new files are added (e.g. help files, users manual ...)

Currently you have to
- rerun the checksum creation for some hundred files again
or
- figure out which files are added, create separate checksums and patch the MD5 file

... the same goes for deleted/renamed files.

The smart way would be an Update Mode:

Detect existing entries at MD5 file and
- skip files with already existing entries
- create new entries just for new files
- remove entries of missing files

Posted: 2012-09-02, 13:48 UTC
by Horst.Epp
sqa_wizard wrote:
2) That's an interesting idea, but there is no way for TC to detect changes except for recalculating the checksum...
I think a trivial update will do it.
...
The smart way would be an Update Mode:

Detect existing entries at MD5 file and
- skip files with already existing entries
- create new entries just for new files
- remove entries of missing files
Very bad solution as you will not detect that some files have been changed
since the md5 file was created !

Posted: 2012-09-02, 20:42 UTC
by sqa_wizard
you will not detect that some files have been changed ...
Sure, but an update mode should be an option, usable if I add/delete/rename a file right after the checksum has been created and I am sure nothing else has been changed.

Posted: 2012-09-02, 21:49 UTC
by wanderer
Horst.Epp wrote:Very bad solution as you will not detect that some files have been changed since the md5 file was created !
It's up to the user to either handle it correctly or create a mess, as with many other things. I too think such an option would be useful.
WalkerBoh wrote:1) when verifying lots of files, it es almost impossible to find the line with the actual error, if there is one. There should be a filter to hide all files successfully verified.
Since the entries are added to a plain listbox, i can imagine this won't be easy. It might be better to have an option to NOT add the OK entries to the listbox at all.

Posted: 2012-09-03, 08:17 UTC
by WalkerBoh
ghisler(Author) wrote:1) You can use the up/down arrow buttons to jump to the next/previous error.
Thanks for the info, due to this (hidden) feature you can consider my suggestion obsolete. Works great with the arrow keys! There are two tiny buttons on the left hand side of the CRC-window, too! I totally missed that.
ghisler(Author) wrote:2) That's an interesting idea, but there is no way for TC to detect changes except for recalculating the checksum...
What I meant was merely a per-file-based solution only checking for added or removed files. Usecase: I only ADD files to a directory. Recalculating the checksums will not only take longer, but also overwrites the old checksums, so I cannot check if files have been changed which should not have been changed.