[rdiff-backup-users] include/exclude options

[Duke]

Am I the only one who finds the include/exclude options a little
confusing?

Why is the behaviour between --include/exclude so much different from
--include/exclude-filelist?

The following command worked great:

rdiff-backup --include /root --include /var/log --exclude '**' /
mobius::/var/rsync/backup/spacebox

but as soon as I try and specify all that stuff in files, everything
changes.

What I'd like to do is specify in a file all the directories whose
contents I'd like backed up (and certain sub-directories from that list
which I'd not like backed up.)  I'd also like to specify a list of files
I don't want backed up (such as mp3s, and various video formats.)  Just
a simple file which I can easily maintain - adding and removing things
as necessary.

I don't understand how the above command worked so well, yet when I
specify a list of directories in a file and use the following command:

rdiff-backup --include-filelist rdiff-backup.in --exclude '**' /
mobius::/var/rsync/backup/spacebox

Only the directories I specified (and not their contents) are backed up.

I have the same problem when trying to use rsync - the whole
include/exclude system just seems very unintuitive.  I'm even having a
difficult time following the docs :P  What am I missing?

Thanks,

    -- Matt.