diff --git a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/sync.xml b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/sync.xml
index 36fbe88b5..67602b136 100644
--- a/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/sync.xml
+++ b/src/etc/testcases/taskdefs/sync.xml
@@ -61,4 +61,18 @@
       <fileset dir="${src}" excludes="**/d"/>
     </sync>
   </target>
+
+  <target name="copynoremove" depends="setup">
+    <mkdir dir="${src}/a/b/c"/>
+    <touch file="${src}/a/b/c/d"/>
+    <mkdir dir="${dest}/e"/>
+    <touch file="${dest}/e/f"/>
+    <sync todir="${dest}">
+      <fileset dir="${src}"/>
+      <deletefromtarget>
+        <exclude name="e/f"/>
+      </deletefromtarget>
+    </sync>
+  </target>
+
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
index 7ae98a7f4..039421ad8 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/DirectoryScanner.java
@@ -584,13 +584,7 @@ public class DirectoryScanner
         } else {
             this.includes = new String[includes.length];
             for (int i = 0; i < includes.length; i++) {
-                String pattern;
-                pattern = includes[i].replace('/', File.separatorChar).replace(
-                        '\\', File.separatorChar);
-                if (pattern.endsWith(File.separator)) {
-                    pattern += "**";
-                }
-                this.includes[i] = pattern;
+                this.includes[i] = normalizePattern(includes[i]);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -614,17 +608,60 @@ public class DirectoryScanner
         } else {
             this.excludes = new String[excludes.length];
             for (int i = 0; i < excludes.length; i++) {
-                String pattern;
-                pattern = excludes[i].replace('/', File.separatorChar).replace(
-                        '\\', File.separatorChar);
-                if (pattern.endsWith(File.separator)) {
-                    pattern += "**";
+                this.excludes[i] = normalizePattern(excludes[i]);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Adds to the list of exclude patterns to use. All '/' and '\'
+     * characters are replaced by <code>File.separatorChar</code>, so
+     * the separator used need not match
+     * <code>File.separatorChar</code>.
+     * <p>
+     * When a pattern ends with a '/' or '\', "**" is appended.
+     *
+     * @param excludes A list of exclude patterns.
+     *                 May be <code>null</code>, in which case the
+     *                 exclude patterns don't get changed at all.
+     *
+     * @since Ant 1.7
+     */
+    public void addExcludes(String[] excludes) {
+        if (excludes != null) {
+            if (this.excludes != null) {
+                String[] tmp = new String[excludes.length 
+                                          + this.excludes.length];
+                System.arraycopy(this.excludes, 0, tmp, 0, 
+                                 this.excludes.length);
+                for (int i = 0; i < excludes.length; i++) {
+                    tmp[this.excludes.length + i] = 
+                        normalizePattern(excludes[i]);
                 }
-                this.excludes[i] = pattern;
+                this.excludes = tmp;
+            } else {
+                setExcludes(excludes);
             }
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * All '/' and '\' characters are replaced by
+     * <code>File.separatorChar</code>, so the separator used need not
+     * match <code>File.separatorChar</code>.
+     *
+     * <p> When a pattern ends with a '/' or '\', "**" is appended.
+     *
+     * @since Ant 1.7
+     */
+    private static String normalizePattern(String p) {
+        String pattern = p.replace('/', File.separatorChar)
+            .replace('\\', File.separatorChar);
+        if (pattern.endsWith(File.separator)) {
+            pattern += "**";
+        }
+        return pattern;
+    }
 
     /**
      * Sets the selectors that will select the filelist.
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
index 45b6acdd0..f3ecf01b1 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Sync.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildException;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.DirectoryScanner;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Project;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Task;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.types.AbstractFileSet;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.FileSet;
 
 /**
@@ -55,6 +56,9 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
     // Same as regular <copy> task... see at end-of-file!
     private MyCopy myCopy;
 
+    // Similar to a fileset, but doesn't allow dir attribute to be set
+    private SyncTarget syncTarget;
+
     // Override Task#init
     /**
      * @see Task#init()
@@ -152,13 +156,21 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
      */
     private int[] removeOrphanFiles(Set nonOrphans, File toDir) {
         int[] removedCount = new int[] {0, 0};
-        DirectoryScanner ds = new DirectoryScanner();
-        ds.setBasedir(toDir);
         String[] excls =
             (String[]) nonOrphans.toArray(new String[nonOrphans.size() + 1]);
         // want to keep toDir itself
         excls[nonOrphans.size()] = "";
-        ds.setExcludes(excls);
+
+        DirectoryScanner ds = null;
+        if (syncTarget != null) {
+            syncTarget.setTargetDir(toDir);
+            ds = syncTarget.getDirectoryScanner(getProject());
+        } else {
+            ds = new DirectoryScanner();
+            ds.setBasedir(toDir);
+        }
+        ds.addExcludes(excls);
+
         ds.scan();
         String[] files = ds.getIncludedFiles();
         for (int i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
@@ -288,6 +300,23 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
         myCopy.setGranularity(granularity);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A container for patterns and selectors that can be used to
+     * specify files that should be kept in the target even if they
+     * are not present in any source directory.
+     *
+     * <p>You must not invoke this method more than once.</p>
+     *
+     * @since Ant 1.7
+     */
+    public void addDeleteFromTarget(SyncTarget s) {
+        if (syncTarget != null) {
+            throw new BuildException("you must not specify multiple "
+                                     + "deletefromtaget elements.");
+        }
+        syncTarget = s;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Subclass Copy in order to access it's file/dir maps.
      */
@@ -336,6 +365,31 @@ public class Sync extends Task {
 
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Inner class used to hold exclude patterns and selectors to save
+     * stuff that happens to live in the target directory but should
+     * not get removed.
+     *
+     * @since Ant 1.7
+     */
+    public static class SyncTarget extends AbstractFileSet {
+
+        public SyncTarget() {
+            super();
+            setDefaultexcludes(false);
+        }
+
+        public void setDir(File dir) throws BuildException {
+            throw new BuildException("synctarget doesn't support the dir "
+                                     + "attribute");
+        }
+
+        private void setTargetDir(File dir) throws BuildException {
+            super.setDir(dir);
+        }
+
+    }
+
     /**
      * Pseudo-assert method.
      */
diff --git a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/SyncTest.java b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/SyncTest.java
index 7f6fd80a1..a42ce87d2 100644
--- a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/SyncTest.java
+++ b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/SyncTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright  2004 The Apache Software Foundation
+ * Copyright 2004-2005 The Apache Software Foundation
  *
  *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -83,6 +83,15 @@ public class SyncTest extends BuildFileTest {
         assertDebuglogContaining("Removed 2 dangling directories from");
     }
 
+    public void testCopyNoRemove() {
+        executeTarget("copynoremove");
+        String d = getProject().getProperty("dest") + "/a/b/c/d";
+        assertFileIsPresent(d);
+        String f = getProject().getProperty("dest") + "/e/f";
+        assertFileIsPresent(f);
+        assertTrue(getFullLog().indexOf("Removing orphan file:") == -1);
+    }
+
     public void assertFileIsPresent(String f) {
         assertTrue("Expected file " + f,
                    getProject().resolveFile(f).exists());