I was not aware that rsync also runs on Windows (my application is supposed to transparently work on Windows, Linux and the usual Unix favours), but I will have a look at the links which you provided. Thanks a lot.

-- 
Ronald Fischer <ynnor@mm.st>

Thanks, I'll have a look at it.

-- 
Ronald Fischer <ynnor@mm.st>

Cookbook section 9.7. Processing All Files in a Directory Recursively;-)

Your code can set $File::Find::prune to true to tell find not to descend into the directory just seen (unless bydepth was specified!) Check http://perldoc.perl.org/File/Find.html for details.

There are many interesting options to tailor the behavior of find.

Your code can set $File::Find::prune

Thanks! I missed the part about prune when I looked at the File::Find perldoc! Didn't read careful enough.

-- 
Ronald Fischer <ynnor@mm.st>

On windows, I'd use xcopy /exclude:fileOfThingsToExclude src dst.

Eg. put \tmp\ & .svn\ on separate lines in fileOfThingsToExclude and tmp dirs off the root of any drive, and .svn\ dirs anywhere in a directory tree will be skipped.

Mostly because it will copy acls (or not as you need), and a bunch of other useful options. But also, because it's faster than pretty much anything else.

On windows, I'd use xcopy /exclude:fileOfThingsToExclude src dst

Yes, but when I do this from perl, my program would not be portable to other platforms anymore.

-- 
Ronald Fischer <ynnor@mm.st>

There are usually so many special cases to be dealt with when dealing with filesystems, that it doesn't make sense to try and use the same code on Win32 and *nix-like systems. So don't try:

if( $^O eq 'mswin32' ) {
     ## use xcopy
}
elsif( $^O =~ m[(linux|unix|whatever)] ) {
     ## use something else
}
else {
    ## use another something else
    ## or throw up your hands in disgust.
}
[download]

What do I mean by special cases?

1. *nix filesystems have:
   • a unified filespace;
   • soft & hard links;
   • chmod, chown, chgrp;
   • case-sensitivity;
   • Unicode filenames?;
   • other;
2. Win32 filesystems have:
   • drives;
   • UNCs;
   • shares;
   • substs;
   • junctions;
   • streams;
   • attributes;
   • ACLs;
   • case-transparency;
   • long & short filenames;
   • Wide-character filenames;
   • other;
3. Other non-disish/non-*nixish filesystems?

   ...

Mixing all the special cases together and trying to deal with them in-line, is an exercise in frustration & complexity and is doomed to years of bugs and failures.

Make a high-level, up-front decision as to which system you are on and then load a different module or use a different subroutine and keep the logic simple(r).

---

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

"Too many [] have been sedated by an oppressive environment of political correctness and risk aversion."

Another good reference is from Chapter 9 of Intermediate perl(Practical Reference Tricks). In the section "Building recursively defined data" There is an explanation on how to gather data from a directory recursively and then store it in a complex data structure.