Overview
Since v9.9.9 Explorer is no longer limited to the root of a file connection. For supported file-based connections you can browse folders, create and rename folders, delete empty folders, create and edit text files, rename files, and upload, download, and delete files inside any folder — all without leaving Explorer.
The directory configured in the connection is the Explorer root: everything happens below it, and Explorer never browses above it. The root is whatever the connection is configured to point at — not necessarily the bucket, storage account, or server root.
This article covers file and folder management. For the Explorer basics, see Etlworks Explorer Overview and User Interface; for viewing and exporting data, see Exploring Data in Etlworks Explorer.
Supported connections
Folder navigation and file/folder management are available for these file-based connection types:
- Server Storage, CDC Offset and History, CDC Events
- FTP, FTPS, Box FTPS, SFTP, SFTP2
- SMB Share, WebDAV
- Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint
- Amazon S3 (legacy and SDK), Google Storage, Azure Storage (legacy and SDK)
Individual behavior can depend on what the remote provider supports. The Dynamic connection (legacy) type is not supported, and the functionality does not apply to HTTP/API, database, queue, mail, or other non-file connection types. Explorer shows only the connections you are authorized to access, and controls that a connection (or the selected Integration Agent) does not support are disabled automatically.
Navigate folders
- Expand a supported file connection in the Connections panel.
- Folders are listed first, followed by files that match the connection's file mask. Expand a folder to see its children; you can expand multiple levels.
- Select a folder to see its direct files in the Info pane on the right.
View Data, Raw Data, download, upload, delete, metadata discovery, and the other supported actions work the same in nested folders as they do at the connection root.
Filter folder contents
Every expanded folder has its own filter, just like a connection node. Filtering is client-side: it matches the folder's direct, already-loaded children only — it does not search the entire storage recursively. Filters on different folders are independent, and clearing a filter restores the folder's loaded children.
Create a folder
- Select the connection (for the root) or the folder that should contain the new folder.
- Click Create Folder in the toolbar, or right-click and choose Create Folder.
- Enter one folder name and confirm.
Expected result: the folder is created under the selected location, and Explorer refreshes that location. If creation fails, your current location stays selected.
Empty names, names containing path separators or .., names that conflict with an existing file or folder, and names the provider does not allow are rejected.
Rename a folder
- Right-click the folder and choose Rename Folder.
- Enter the new name and click Rename.
Only the name changes: the folder stays under the same parent, and everything inside it stays inside it. A name that conflicts with an existing file or folder is rejected. The configured connection root cannot be renamed.
Delete an empty folder
- Right-click the folder and choose Delete Empty Folder.
- Confirm with Delete.
A folder can be deleted only when it contains no files anywhere below it. Explorer checks the complete folder tree on the server — including nested folders you never expanded in the UI — and rejects the deletion if any file exists. Empty nested folders are removed as part of deleting the selected empty tree.
To delete a folder that contains files, delete or move the files first. Explorer does not delete files recursively by deleting their folder, and the configured connection root cannot be deleted.
Create a file
- Select the target connection or folder.
- Click New File.
- Enter the file name.
- Explorer opens an empty, editable Raw Data tab. The file does not exist in storage yet.
- Enter the content and click Save to create the file. Cancel closes the draft without creating anything.
This is an editor-based workflow for text files — Explorer does not generate binary files.
View and edit a file
- Open the file's Raw Data. It opens in read-only mode.
- Click Edit to switch to editor mode.
- Modify the content.
- Click Save to overwrite the file, or Cancel to leave editor mode without saving.
Code Tools are hidden by default in this Explorer editor, and the toggle is remembered separately from the regular Code Editor preference.
Rename a file
- Right-click the file and choose Rename File.
- Enter the new name and click Rename.
The file keeps its folder — renaming never moves it. Names that conflict with an existing file or folder are rejected. If the file is open in a Raw Data tab, the tab follows the renamed file.
Upload files into a folder
The selected connection or folder determines the upload destination: select a nested folder and click Upload Files (U) to upload into that folder. The result lists which files succeeded and which failed, and successfully uploaded files appear in the selected folder immediately — no manual refresh needed. Existing upload size limits and authorization still apply.
Uploads take the selected files only; Explorer does not upload entire local folder trees.
Download and delete files
Download and delete work at the connection root and inside any nested folder:
- Use the download action or Delete File on an individual file.
- In a folder's Info pane, select multiple files with the checkboxes and delete the selection.
- Select All Visible Files selects the direct visible files of the currently selected node — not every file in every expanded folder.
Copy a file or folder path
Right-click a file or folder and choose Copy Path to Clipboard (this action is context-menu only). The copied path is relative to the connection's configured Explorer root and includes the intermediate folders — it does not include the physical local root, bucket URL, account URL, or server details. Paste it into connection and flow file-path fields.
View file data without assigning a format
Raw Data can open a file even when the connection has no format assigned — Explorer temporarily treats the file as text. This does not save or assign a format to the connection.
A format is still required when Explorer must parse the file into fields: structured View Data, field metadata, and SQL against the file all need one.
View the execution log
When enabled by an administrator, Explorer can show the full log of the temporary request it runs to retrieve View Data:
- For a successful result, the dataset toolbar includes a Log action.
- For a failed request, the error shows a View full log button.
The log belongs to that specific Explorer request — Explorer does not create a saved flow. Availability depends on system and tenant configuration (Record View Data logs for HTTP connections is on by default; Record View Data logs for all connections and Record View Data logs on Integration Agents are off by default; tenants can override). Existing connection authorization is enforced.
Use Explorer with an Integration Agent
The same file and folder operations are available when Explorer works through a compatible Integration Agent 9.9.9 and newer. The host checks the selected agent's capabilities: compatible agents expose folder navigation and the supported mutation operations, while older agents fall back to the legacy root-level Explorer behavior with the unsupported controls disabled automatically. If an unsupported operation is attempted, the error states the currently required agent version.
Permissions and limitations
- You see only the connections you are authorized to access. Read operations use the existing connection authorization; create, edit, upload, rename, and delete require the applicable write/execute permissions.
- Explorer cannot browse above the configured connection directory. Invalid paths and attempts to escape the root are rejected.
- Folders cannot be moved or copied, the connection root cannot be renamed or deleted, folders containing files cannot be deleted, and whole local folder trees cannot be uploaded.
- Provider capabilities differ — a specific operation can be unavailable on a specific connection type.