Use .nobackup by default, if no other exclusions set

[m3nu]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Without user action, Vorta will show .nobackup under the sources tab, suggesting that this is the default. In reality, we don't exclude anything unless the user adds his own settings in that field.

This lead to some confusion, where the functionality was expected:

My misunderstanding comes from the fact that I believed that .nobackup was automatically used as a filter, but now I think that it’s just a suggestion in the interface (which is why it’s dimmed). I added it explicitely and now it does work!

Describe the solution you'd like

1. Actually exclude folders with .nobackup file when the user doesn't change the field.
2. Change the text to make it clear that the placeholder has now effect. Maybe like this: E.g. .nobackup

[gtivey]

Hi all --- Run into this issue today when I tried to backup with a .nobackup file in an early directory in the backup process without success. After finding this post, I was able to tag the directory with an .exclude file and it worked just fine. Thanks for the post!

[m3nu]

I've changed the placeholder texts a bit. Since the .nobackup file isn't really a standard, I'm reluctant to add it as default. But the misunderstanding described above should still be avoided.

[sudwhiwdh]

But the misunderstanding described above should still be avoided.

I am actually a little irritated by the (new) placeholders texts as well.
/.DS_Store looks like a macOS-only thing. And under Linux CACHE would probably be ~/.cache. I have never heard of .nobackup by the way. Maybe we can find some cross-system examples that will give the users an idea of what it is all about?

[m3nu]

.nobackup and CACHE (or CACHEDIR.TAG) are both examples from Borg or Borgmatic. Not making stuff up here.

How about **/.cache and .nobackup as examples?

[Hofer-Julian]

How about **/.cache and .nobackup as examples?

Yeah, that would probably be better.

[sudwhiwdh]

.nobackup is also macOS only, right?
Is **/.cache the macOS equivalent of ~/.cache on my Linux system?

How about if the Vorta shows the appropriate examples depending on my existing system?

Supplementary question: There is always talk of "patterns". I wonder if this only refers to hidden system files. Or whether it is simply about folders and files. Then perhaps there would be no need for examples if the language were more understandable.

I also don't quite understand the split screen solution in this context. Déjà Dup Backups offers a more intuitive and clearer view as a UI here in my perspective. Would this also be an idea of how Vorta could handle the exclusion of folders and files?

[m3nu]

macOS uses file attributes and folder lists, not .nobackup. It's not a standard from what I know, but I saw it used in Borg issues and in the Borgmatic docs, as already linked here.

**/.cache just means to exclude the folder in all subfolders. See the official borg docs for details. The shell expansion ~ is equivalent on Linux and macOS (as are most other things 🤓)

Hope this clarifies it. If you have better placeholders, please let me know by tomorrow, so I can merge the next PR. Thanks!

[sudwhiwdh]

My last comment was probably posted too early. I completed it.

I had noticed your comparisons with the documentaries of Borg and Borgmatic. But I wonder if it doesn't take a lot of technical knowledge to understand these options. And whether it needs examples that are closer to everyday life. Hence my reference to Déjà Dup Backups.

[m3nu]

The issue with your Deja Dup comparison is that one can only add folders, not expressions that apply to many files and folders. So the current field may be confusing to some, but offers more power and reflects the functionality provided by Borg. I use it to e.g. exclude all video files across many project folders.

Instead of .nobackup, we could also use .gitignore, which is very familiar. Or both.

[sudwhiwdh]

Thanks for the clarity!

Then I think it would be good if there were examples for folders/files as well as for patterns. Then you can see the whole range of Borg. How do you feel about that? Or is it not Borg's idea that at this point folders should also be excluded?

Exactly, .gitignore would be understandable, at least in the programming world. This would be system independent as an example. So 👍 instead of .nobackup. And since it is identical, I would also suggest ~/.cache. Then we might need an example of a pattern or perhaps a clearer example of a folder that would work by default on both systems. Like Photos or Trash? I am not familiar with macOS. Perhaps no more than one example per use case.

It's also a question of Vorta's target user group, isn't it?

[sudwhiwdh]

Still not clear to me then: Do we need the split screen in Vorta at this point?
Or could there be just one field in which I can exclude all that Borg offers me?

[m3nu]

The two bottom fields do different things and cant be combined.

For further discussion on exclusion patters, please see here: #399