Merge folders in Lion (as it was announced)??

I, too, would like to know this. I have the German language setting as well, so maybe its just an oversight in the localization? Hard to believe, though.

SAME THING HERE IN UK ...

Copy the folder (cmd+c) and paste (cmd +v) to the new location.

help need merge, or return the skip option! This needs a fix. Biggest issue I have.

It works with drag and drop, too. You just have to hold down the alt/Option key in order to *copy* by drag and drop. It does not work with *move*, just copy. Annoying implementation, since you have to turn around and delete the original to effect the move using this method. Glad they finally started merging, but (again) annoying implementation...

No it doesn't.

Depending on the content of your equally named folders that you're trying to merge, it will sometimes offer the "Keep both" option (when no file inside one folder has the same name in the other folder), or it will only offer "Stop", "Replace".

Now it gets funny: I have two folders named "Neuer Ordner" in different places. In one I have a text file "Ohne Titel.rtf" and in the other folder I have two text documents named "Ohne Titel.rtf" and "Ohne Titel 2.rtf". Trying to merge them, I suddenly get a new dialog with a different, and rather strange, choice.

This middle button says "Serial letter" or "Form letter" (not sure what the English term is). Which makes absolutely no sense. And this happens only in one direction, i.e. copying "Neuer Ordner" (1) from one place to the other, but not the other "Neuer Ordner" (2) to where the first is. Then it, again, only shows "Replace" and "Stop". What gives?

But wait, there's more!

When the dialog from the screenshot above is open, but still unanswered, and you try to copy "Neuer Ordner" (1) to the location of "Neuer Ordner" (2) it will just go ahead and create a new folder named "Neuer Ordner 2" next to "Neuer Ordner". No asking questions. Essentially the same behavior as if you where copying a file or folder from its location into the same location, basically creating a duplicate. --- only this time its "duplicating" into a new location.

If you were wondering what happened when I hit "Serienbrief" (Serial letter): Well, it overwrote the conflicting "Ohne Titel 2.rtf" in the target folder. No sign of a "serial letter" anywhere.

All of this is just annoying, confusing, and definitely not helping in any way. I wanted a solution that is non-destructive and made me stop worrying about losing data when merging folders. Instead I get a solution that tries to convince me, that "everything will be alright" when in reality it won't be. In fact, the way it was before Lion was even better, because you only had to know that merging is not available and "Replace" actually meant "Replace and delete the old stuff!".

Wow. That is crazy. I had a very simple test case, and it worked OK. Not that your examples aren't pretty basic tasks. I’m with you on the "better before Lion." This should be File Management 101 in any operating system...

I'm wondering if the "Serial Letter" and the "Form Letter" are "translations" of "Version Document" i.e. anincremental name change keeping BOTH documents but editing the name to create one with an addition to that name to show it is same, but different in its versioning? I dunno. **** poor implementation - I was hoping for a lot more "wiz bang" on this one. Not impressed.

No, not at all. I just tested it again. The file at the target folder will be overwritten, they will not be merged and no new version is added to the document.

I made two test documents "test.rtf" in different folders of the same name. One contained some red colored text. The other some blue text. When I tried the trick with just the one document in each folder, I could get neither "Keep both" nor "Serial Letter", it asked me to replace or stop no matter which folder I tried to copy to the other folders location. Copy direction didn't matter.

However, as soon as I added a second document to one of the folders, I could get the same message with the "Serial Letter" dialog. But again, only in the one direction, not the other.

I agree, this has to be one of the most lacking areas of Mac OS X. They got this useful comparison dialog when there's something in conflict when you sync your contacts with Google, MobileMe, iTunes, Adressbook, iSync.... Why not something really userfriendly for conflicting file and folder names? Put the user in command, but make it simple! Or at least they should've stayed true to "no merging, no uncertainty".

Hi all – I thought I had an answer, but realized I was merely addressing the "Group as Folder" feature. I apologize for the wasted space! If a host knows how to delete, feel free. Thanks 🙂

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Hello BenelliFurtado,

I had the same question as you, and if I'm not mistaken, I also think I have the answer to what you were looking for.

When you would like to combine ("merge") two folders:

1. Select both/multiple folders, and then
2. "Right click" the selection.
3. In the context menu at the very top is an option for "New Folder with Selection" – choose this.
4. Name your new Folder

This can also be done with files, giving you the same, "New Folder with Selection".

(see images below)

Message was edited by: calebweeks

No, this is not merging. This is just grouping. And yes, this works like advertised.

But to merge folders means: You have folders of the same name in different locations. You then move one of them to the place where the other resides. Before Lion you would've been asked if you want to replace the folder thats already there at the target path, or to abort this move (or copy).

Now in Lion you are supposed to be asked whether or not you want to merge the contents of both folders into the existing folder at the target path.

So if you had a folder named "Pictures" at one place with photos 0001.jpg to 0910.jpg. And another folder also named "Pictures" with photos say 0949.jpg to 0969.jpg. Then you move one of them to where the other already sits. In Lion this should ask you to merge them, and result in a folder with ALL this photos inside. The problem being, that it doesn't work very well. It stumbles over files that are of the same name inside each of the equally named folders. So even equally named files or folders one step down the folder hierarchy break the merge functionality. And another problem: You can't utilize merging when you just want to move folders to another place. You have to copy. And this is nuts, when there are MANY files.

Edit: Sorry, read apology too late 😝

I just spent an hour on the phone with apple. I explained how in Lion, without the Skip option copying (command+C or option+dragging) a group of files where some are new and some are filename conflicts - it wont paste the new files in if replacing the duplicate files is not choosen.

This must be a problem since when you move files, it does move the new files whilethen giving you the option box to deal with the duplicates.

They confirmed it on their end, I asked for an official ticket to be submitted.

- James

Good work, James.

Just wanted to add my frustration with this as well !

You can'ts simply add only the files not found in the target folder... the only option is to stop the whole process or replace everything !

so stupid.