Settings -> Advanced -> "Don't download files already in share".
Yeah - it doesn't seem to work for me :D (though even if it did, what I think it is supposed to do doesn't seem quite 'enough' to me). Anyway, here's what I did:
- Went to someones share who was using TTH's..
- Downloaded a whole directory (not sure if that's important)
- *tapped foot for a bit*
- Copied the directory into my share.
- Refreshed, waited for all the files to get hashed in console..
- Went and dl'd the same directory again from the same user..
It queued up all the files and started dl'ing them again (even though I have selected not to). I waited for a few files to finish before removing them from the que. Nothing odd seems to show up in the download log or system log (ie - looks like a normal non-duplicate download).
This could be some type of corner case and the feature may be working properly in some other cases - but I can't seem to find any logs to show me it has spotted any duplicate downloads (or files - see next reply).
FYI - I'm using 0.691. Oh - and the option in this version at least is under downloads->queue/other queue options.
Ok - now aside from the feature not appearing to work for me - my main point is that the two options I think it can do are not really ideal. (again - assuming, can't seem to test it). One mode forces the duplicate to DL, the other seems to just drop the file.
The problem I'm trying to address may come across best with an example scenario or two. Say I've downloaded an MP3 'album' that's in my share - and I got it from someone that assembled it from various individual files they got from emule - from different rips. Or perhaps I've got an audiobook folder that I got from a torrent and it had no sfv/par.
I browse some ultra-organized share and go "ah-ha! here's a much better original version with a sfv, nfo, album covers and all!" or at least all apparently the same bit-rate :). I queue it up.
Now the problem occurs - a few of these files are duplicates. If DC++ is forcing them to DL, obviously I'm wasting other people's and my BW/time/etc..
If they don't DL - then I just have missing files in the directory that I may not notice (audiobooks can have hundreds of mp3s in one directory).
This has been happening an a lot to me. I've been having to go stare at TTH's and manually try to compare them. That was my clue I wanted software to do something - these piles of transistors are better at comparing a random string of characters than I am...
What I'm thinking now is that I'd really like to have a log file dedicated to duplicates. I'd still like some way to optionally copy a duplicate from the share as well (perhaps if 'search for alternative download locations' is checked it would copy the file? My own share is a valid 'alternative location' after all ;) -- But a log I can easily look at to find out about duplicate downloads and what happened with them seems more important. IE - No matter if the log shows it was copied, or dropped, or a DL forced, it means I need to go look at the directories involved and figure out what is going on manually..
Thanks for reading this long rambling email if you go this far! :)
-3j