LapLink MN-LGD011-XX-US Creating an Xchange Agent, Previewing an Xchange Agent, Beyond the basics

Creating an Xchange Agent

Open a LapLink connection—by modem, network, or any other means—to the computer with which you want to exchange files.

Then use the Xchange Agent wizard to create your own Xchange Agent:

•From the hierarchy of folders displayed for each com- puter, choose the pair of folders—one folder on each computer—you want to synchronize. Choose as many pairs as you want.

•Name your Xchange Agent file and save it.

•Preview the agent you just created, making sure that you set it up as intended.

Then run the agent to make the files in each pair of folders identical.

NOTE Xchange Agent automatically copies the newer versions of all the files regardless of which computer they are on. Files that have no match are copied onto the com- puter that lacks them.

Previewing an Xchange Agent

To prevent unintended consequences, you can preview an agent before synchronizing. The preview screen shows pairs of folders and files, with arrows to indicate the direction in which files will be copied when the agent is run.

In a preview, you can customize the agent by excluding pairs of files (and entire folders) from the current synchroni- zation, leaving the files as they are on each computer.

. . . Using Xchange Agent—Overview

TIP By default, agents are previewed before being run. To bypass preview, click Properties on the File menu and click an option on the Run Options tab. For more informa- tion see page 129.

Running an Xchange Agent

There are several ways to run an Xchange Agent:

•Double-click its shortcut icon on the desktop.

•Schedule the agent to run unattended.

•Start LapLink and run the agent.

•Double-click the agent file in Windows Explorer.

CAUTION Xchange Agent exchanges files between fold- ers. It does not merge the contents of files. To merge data- bases and other shared files, use the program in which the files were created.

Beyond the basics

Xchange Agent offers various options for customizing each synchronization. For example, you can:

•Change the direction of copy: instead of a two-way exchange of files, copy files in one direction only, from one computer to the other.

•Include or exclude (filter) files according to type or name.

•Include or exclude subfolders within synchronized fold- ers.

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