Cool test program you wrote there
I ran the test with the 100 large 18MB files (1.8 GB) and my results were:
'COPY' operation: 1.21 second
'COPY MEM operation: 2.02 seconds
'MOVE' operation: 0.02 second
'MOVE MEM' operation: 2.05 seconds
To get the 'MOVE MEM' operation to work, I just ported the copy function and added a delete command after the copy operation. I also changed the virtual button line, the updated code is as follows:
+ Code SnippetIf GetVirtualButtonPressed(MoveMemBUT) then MoveMemFiles() // line 50
Function MoveMemFiles()
ThisFolder = OpenRawFolder(SourceDIR$)
TheseFiles = GetRawFolderNumFiles(ThisFolder)
Start# = Timer()
For x = 0 to TheseFiles
ThisFile$ = GetRawFolderFileName(ThisFolder,x)
If ThisFile$ <> ""
CreateMemblockFromFile(1,"raw:"+SourceDIR$+"\" + ThisFile$)
CreateFileFromMemblock("raw:"+DestDIR$+"\" + ThisFile$,1)
DeleteMemblock(1)
DeleteFile("raw:"+SourceDIR$+"\" + ThisFile$)
EndIf
next x
CloseRawFolder(ThisFolder)
Elapsed$ = STR(Timer()-Start#,2)
Repeat
Print( STR(TheseFiles) + " files copied.")
Print(Elapsed$)
Sync()
Until GetPointerPressed()
EndFunction
As for results, this is with my main development system, which is pretty powerful. I suspect the ability to read/write data to/from memory has a lot to do with overall performance, which the laptop may be somewhat slow with (the Windows operations may also be somewhat slow also at around ~20 seconds total, but probably within expected results for such a device). Plus, if you're trying to move/copy 3 GB of data with only 5 GB free on an SSD, that could be a significant limiting factor... not to mention very hard on an SSD when it needs some room to load spread (cell balancing). I'd free up maybe at least 1/3 of the storage on your SSD, then try it again. If you still get similar results, see if you get better results maybe on a different system with better performance (particularly memory).
Either way, those results seem to confirm that FileExplore's copy operation is similar to internal memblock copying. Move has a distinct advantage (likely as well with Windows) with your system, likely attributable to method. But memblock copying/moving is still pretty quick, even on possibly slower machines, relative to Windows. Image files on their own should do pretty well, even larger ones copied in fairly large sets.
Edit: Running the test again with a wide variety of files (types, sizes, names, etc) and over 2800 files, the results are 2.79 seconds for FE's copy method, 0.47 second for FE's move method, 2.4 seconds for 'Copy Mem', and 1.79 for 'Move Mem'. However, I suspect some caching was involved in the latter, so I wouldn't put too much weight in the improved time for secondary operations. But overall, still really fast with more files and a wider variety of file types (including faster than native Windows copy and move operations, although move was fairly close). Windows copy operation was nearly 10 seconds, move was quicker and closer to the copy operations of the other tests.