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Android File Director tasks

In this section:

Icons and menu options

Function Description
Sort - Order the files and folders in any of your File Director folders. Tap to sort your files by name or date in ascending or descending order.

Search - Find specific files and/or folders in any of your File Director folders.
Tap and enter your search criteria - the results are refined as you enter text.

Searches are conducted from the current folder downward. So to search all folders, go to the root of map point and search from there.
Edit - Make files and folders selectable so they can be downloaded, copied, moved or deleted.
Tap to select the required files and/or folders and tap the required actions.
Share - Share one or more files with recipients, identified by their email address.

Download - Save files and/or folders from the server to your device.

Tap the edit icon, select the required files or folders, and tap the download icon.
The selected files and/or folders are downloaded to your device's SD card and added to your Download and Recent folders.
Print - Sends compatible files to a printer. To use this feature, an Android printer app must be installed.
Open a file in the File Director app and tap the print icon.
Delete - Remove saved or recent files from your device or delete them from your server. Tap the edit icon, select the required files, and tap the delete icon.

Deleting files or folders from your Home folder or shared map points deletes them from the server.
If you delete files or folders from your Saved or Recent files they are removed from your device but can be downloaded again.

File Director policy

Using File Director's policy settings, an organization can restrict who has access to File Director and what actions they can perform. For example, access can be restricted by platform, IP address, and Organizational Unit (OU).

Administrators can also apply policy settings to prevent users uploading files, printing, and copying data from mobile devices.

If you have any queries about your organization's policy settings, contact your IT Support department.

Uploads and downloads

Android downloads

Download single files, multiple files or entire folders from the server to your device.

  1. Navigate to the folder that contains the file(s) you want to download and tap the edit icon.
  2. Select one or more files and folders to download.

  3. Tap the download icon.

    The selected files and folders are downloaded to the File Director folder on your device's SD card and are available from the History and Saved folders in your app.

Files downloaded using the File Director app are saved on your SD card in a file named File Director. The contents of this file mirrors your File Director folder. For example, if you download a file from your Home folder, a folder called Home that contains the file will be created in your File Director folder. When you log out from File Director, all downloaded files are removed from your device.

Restrictions on downloaded files may also be in place to ensure the security of corporate data. Policies can be applied to remove downloaded files from your device if:

  • You are not directly viewing them
  • You have exceeded the number of permitted unsuccessful login attempts
  • You have not logged in for a defined number of days

Your organization can use any combination of the above.

Upload files via the File Director app

In order to select files for upload the File Director app requires permission to access your phone storage.

1.In the File Director app, navigate to the folder location where you want to upload your file to.
Note, you cannot upload files to read-only folders.

2.Click the ellipses in the top right of the app and tap Upload Here.

3.Navigate to the folder or file(s) you want to upload.

•To upload an entire folder, tap the checkbox next to the folder

•To upload a specific file, tap the checkbox next the file (s) required.

The selected files are uploaded to the target location.

Upload files via Android apps

Compatible files can be uploaded from any file browser or app that has one of the following functions:

  • Share
  • Share via
  • Export
  • Send file

The feature works for any compatible file but does not work for links.

The process below uses the example of using a File Manager application (available from many apps)

  1. On your Android device, open your preferred File Manager application and select the file you want to upload.

    Note, you can upload only one file at a time.

  2. Tap the share icon.
  3. On the Share screen, tap File Director.
  4. In the Add to File director dialog, rename the file if required.

  5. Select where, in your File Director folder, you want to save the file.

    If you want to create a new folder for the file, click the icon in the file explorer and enter a name.

  6. Tap Add.

    The file uploads to the server and is available on your other File Director devices and the web client.

Share files

In order to share files the File Director app requires permission to access your phone Contacts.

Multiple files

  1. In the folder you want to download files from, tap the menu icon.
  2. Tap Select from the menu.
  3. Select the files you want to share.
  4. Tap the share icon.
  5. Enter the email addresses of the users you want to share the file(s) with. Tap the return key to add another email address.

  6. Enter a name for the share.
    This step is optional but it helps you and any recipients identify the shared file(s). If you do not enter a name, the share is automatically named Shared Files. This could lead to confusion with multiple shares having the same name. Share names cannot include the % character.

  7. Tap Share.

The server sends an email to the specified address(es) containing a link to the current version of the file(s) at that time.

Single files

  1. Swipe left on the file you want to download and tap More.
  2. Tap Share.
  3. Enter the email addresses of the users you want to share the file(s) with. Tap return to add another email address.

  4. Enter a name for the share.

    This is optional but it helps you and any recipients identify shares in the web console. If you do not enter a name, the share is automatically name Shared Files. This could lead to confusion with multiple shares having the same name. Share names cannot include the % character.

  5. Tap Share.

The server sends an email to the specified address(es) containing a link to the current version of the file(s) at that time.

Copy and move files

Multiple files and folders can be selected and copied to another location in File Director.

1. Locate the folder which contains the files or folders you want to copy and tap the edit icon.

2. Select the files and/or folders you want to copy - multiple files and folders can be selected.

3. Tap the menu icon, then tap Copy.

4. Navigate to the folder you want to transfer the file to and tap Move or Copy.
Note, if the Move option is not enabled, the originating folder might be read-only.

The files are moved or copied to the selected location.

Single files can also be moved or copied from the swipe menu. Select Move/Copy, navigate to the required folder, and select whether you want to move or copy the file.

Remove files from Android devices

Using the File Director app you can remove files and folders from your device and delete them from the server.

Remove downloaded files

Locate the files you want to delete.

1. Select the Downloaded local storage area.
Note, if you delete files from your Recent files list, they are deleted from the server.

2. Tap the edit icon.

3. Select one or more files and folders to remove.
When you remove a folder, every file in that folder will be deleted from your device.

4. Tap the delete icon.

The selected files are removed from your device.

Note, to remove your history files, follow the process above, selecting History in step 1.

Remove all downloaded or recent files

1. Tap General.

2. Tap Clear Saved Files or Clear Recent History Files.

• When you clear downloaded files, all downloaded DataNow files are removed from your device - they are still available to download from the server.

• When you clear recent files, your recent file list is emptied but any saved files remain on your device.

Manually remove downloaded files

On your device, use file explorer to locate the File Director folder on your SD card. Delete the required files as you would any other file on your device.

Deleting files from the server using the Android app

This method permanently deletes files from the server. They are not available to download to any of your devices, desktops or the web client.

1. Navigate to the location of the files you want to delete and tap the edit icon.
Note, if you delete files from your Recent files list, they are deleted from the server.

2. Select the files or folders you want to delete.

3. Tap the delete icon.

The selected files are removed from your device and the server.

Related Topics

Getting started - File Director Android app

Android - compatible file types