Browsing

The file browsers of the main window allow you to navigate the local and remote file systems.  Double click on a folder to see its contents.  Click the    button to see the enclosing (parent) folder.

You may also type a pathname in the "Local Path" or "Remote Path" fields.  After editing a path, pressing return in the text area to list or refresh the contents of the browser path.  You may also click the    button to refresh the listing.  If you do not press return or click    after typing a new path, then your next file transfer may use the old path.

Hidden and invisible files will not be shown unless you enable the Show Hidden setting.  Use the  Filter button to search for names matching a pattern, such as *.pdf for PDF files.

Local Browsing

The local browser displays files in your local computer's filesystem.  Each file will display its icon, as it would appear on your local desktop.

The    button allows you to navigate to a new local folder using a system dialog.

If you drag-and-drop files or folders onto ExpeDat Desktop, they will be displayed in the local browser.

The local path always uses local path delimiters: backslash for Windows and forward slash for everyone else.

You can navigate to alternate volumes on your local system by using the "Browse" button, or by using a volume specifier (such as "D:\" for Windows or "/Volumes/harddrive/" for Mac).  Your access to local folders may be limited by current login privileges.

The amount of free space available at the current path is displayed below the Local Browser.  This is the amount reported by the local operating system and may vary depending on user quotas.

For macOS, the icons of symbolic links will be marked with a small arrow in the lower left corner.  If the link is valid, the size and modification date of the target will be shown.  If the link is broken, the modified field will contain "*Broken Link*".  See Sending Files, Getting Files, and Copying Folders for information about link handling.  Windows does not support POSIX symbolic links.

Double clicking on a local symbolic link which points to a folder will change the browser path to that of the target folder, including the target's canonical parent path.

Remote Browsing

The remote browser displays files in a remote server's filesystem.  Each file will display a icon based on the file's name.

To browse remote files, enter the server's name, port number, and your username and password if necessary.  If you already know the pathname of a remote folder, you may type that in the "Remote Folder" field.  Pressing Return in any one of these fields or clicking the    button will query the named server and attempt to retrieve a file listing.

The remote path always uses forward slashes for delimiters, regardless of what platform the server is running on.  Local paths use whatever format is appropriate for the local operating system.

Once the list of remote files has been displayed, you may browse subfolders by double clicking on them.

If you wish to save a location so you can return to it later or communicate it to another ExpeDat Desktop user, click the button.  This will generate an expedat:// URL, display it in the message box, and copy it to the system clipboard.  You can then save or send this URL and return to this location by clicking it or pasting it into the Server field.

The amount of free space available at the current path is displayed below the Remote Browser.  This is the amount reported by the server operating system and may vary depending on user quotas.  If the server does not allow uploads at this path, it may report "0" bytes available or "Read Only".  If an error occurs while trying to list this path, that error will be displayed below the Remote Browser.

Relative paths (those not beginning with a forward slash) will list folders relative to your home folder on the server.  To access an absolute path, type the full pathname beginning with a forward slash.  Note that the server administrator may choose to deny access to absolute paths.

If the server is a Windows machine and you are allowed to access absolute paths, you may specify an alternate volume using the following syntax in the Remote Path field (note the use of forward slashes):

D:/dirname/subdirname/

If the server is a non-Windows system, the icons of symbolic links will be marked with a small arrow in the lower left corner.  If the link is valid, the size and modification date of the target will be shown.  If the link is broken, the modified field will contain "*Broken Link*".  See Sending Files, Getting Files, and Copying Folders for information about link handling.  Both the macOS and Windows versions of ExpeDat Desktop will show information about remote symbolic links.