Site Definition synchronization for large local project directories

Answer

Adobe Dreamweaver does not enforce a hard maximum number of files per Site Definition. Synchronization latency starts to become noticeable when the local site folder contains roughly 5,000–10,000 files, depending on disk speed, CPU, and remote‑server responsiveness. There is no built‑in setting to bound the directory depth during the synchronization scan; the IDE walks the entire tree recursively each time.

Confirmed facts

• Dreamweaver scans the full local directory tree to build its internal file list before comparing timestamps with the remote server.
• The .dwsync.xml cache grows linearly with file count and can slow parsing on mechanical drives or network‑mounted roots.
• Cloaking (Site → Cloak) excludes folders from Put/Get/Synchronize actions, but the initial scan still walks cloaked directories unless they are removed from the site root.
• The UI blocks during the scan; deep trees (>~10‑12 levels) combined with high file counts often trigger “Not Responding” states on Windows/macOS.
• Remote‑server timeout is set in Site Setup → Servers → Advanced → Timeout (default 30 s); increasing it only prevents connection drops during long LIST commands, it does not reduce scan time.
• The only supported way to bound the working set is to split the monolithic site into multiple Site Definitions, each with its own local root and independent .dwsync.xml cache.

Recommended steps for this case

1. Assess the current file count and average depth of your local project.
2. If the count approaches or exceeds ~5,000 files, consider splitting the site into logical sub‑sites (e.g., by component, module, or language) and create a separate Site Definition for each.
3. For each new Site Definition, set the local root to the corresponding sub‑folder and verify that relative links/library references still work (update them if necessary).
4. If splitting is not immediately feasible, enable cloaking for large, rarely‑changed asset folders to reduce the amount of data transferred after the scan, accepting that the scan itself will still traverse those folders.
5. Ensure the local site folder resides on an SSD or fast storage to minimize scan latency; on HDDs the practical limit shifts lower.
6. Optionally raise the FTP/SFTP timeout if you observe LIST‑command failures after the scan completes, but remember this does not affect scan duration.

Missing diagnostic detail

To refine the recommendation, please confirm whether your local site folder is stored on an SSD or a mechanical HDD, as storage type directly influences the scan time threshold at which latency becomes prohibitive.