[Req] Improvement in work with directory junctions on NTFS.

[Flint]

Suppose we have a junction on some very large directory and have "Calculate space... before copying/deleting" option in TC turned on. Then on trying to remove this junction we will have to wait for very long time before TC counts the size of all the contents inside that large directory. But this is unnecessary! Removing junction is a very fast operation and it does not depend on how much data are stored inside it. So I suggest to turn off this counting on removing junctions.

[Flint]

Well, I have to move the topic up, because the problem is still not solved, and moreover, the problem has its continuation.

If we create a link on the folder into its subfolder, then we simply cannot remove this link without turning the option "Calculate space... before copying/deleting" off! TC begins to calculate space, goes file by file, folder by folder, goes to the link, then - into it and continues to count inside the same folder, goes into the link again and so on. He will stop this process when the length of the path will reach 260 characters, but this will take VERY long time.

[Flint]

Sorry for moving up the topic without any particular additional reason, but the problem makes working with junctions VERY inconvenient.
Please, Christian, can you make anything about it? Even in any future version... Just knowing that the problem will be solved will make my life encouraging.

[ghisler(Author)]

I will try to find a workaround.

[Flint]

Thank you! Now I'm waiting hopefully!

[zweistein]

I'm joining you in hoping! I dislike that TC descends down junctions whenever calculating directory space. Not only does it slow down, the resulting sizes are way overestimated.

It's suprising because one of the nice features of TC is that it shows junctions with a different icon than ordinary folders, so it knows about them. But perhaps the space calculation is delegated to windows?

[Flint]

zweistein
Hm... I was talking about some other feature: calculating directory space before deleting some directory - and from TC version 6.52 junctions are handled correctly in this case.
But if I understand you correclty, you're talking about counting space with Ctrl+L (or smth similar) - this is the different situation! And I'm not sure that TC must not count junctions contents here... Maybe, an option?

[zweistein]

Sorry I didn't make that clear... I meant both before deleting and on request. But come to think of it, when you copy a directory tree (to a different partition at the very least), you do want the whole contents accounted for... Now I understand why Christian talked about a workaround.

[ghisler(Author)]

In my opinion, it needs to count the space of junctions too, because when copying the directory with the junction, files within the refrerenced directory will be copied too! Therefore they are relevant for the needed disk space on the target.

[Balderstrom]

In my opinion, it needs to count the space of junctions too, because when copying the directory with the junction, files within the refrerenced directory will be copied too! Therefore they are relevant for the needed disk space on the target.

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2. Problems with Junctions, behaviour as follows: 

					Explorer & TotalCMD
1/ Cut & Paste	Moves Junction.
2/ Copy&Paste	 Copies Junction. *

					Explorer					TotalCMD
1/ Drag/Move	Moves Junction.		Creates Folder, MOVES all contents of Junction to new folder.
2/ Drag/Copy	Copies Junction. *	Creates Folder, Copies all contents of Junction to new folder.

(*) Attempts to copy all the files over themself.  Very annoying.

While annoying how explorer & TC handle Copying of Junctions -- there is no need to even attempt copying files over themself.
TC could correct this behaviour within itself
On the other hand TotalCMD is doing some very questionable things when dragging Junctions...
Inherently changing what it is moving/copying. Drag/Move worst of all.

To me a junction is a pointer, if you Drag Copy/Paste a shortcut to an .exe, it doesn't move that .exe.
Neither should TotalCMD move the files referenced from a Junction, the junction should move, and retain what it points to.

In fact, it would be nice to have an option for Archives, to not traverse junctions. But thats probably asking too much

Does no one else have an opinion on this or even Christian? The way TC is handling Junctions seems very wrong to me, and doesn't even match how windows natively treats them.