:tangerine: Design Bites : 📁 The Imported Files App

887×256 14.6 KB

Design Bite posts cover a feature, question or topic for the Folio UX/UI. We encourage you to give constructive feedback on what we present, so we can adapt the system if necessary, to make sure it will work for you in practice

# Today’s menu: The Imported Files App
The ‘Imported Files’ app concept allows you to import and use files inside FOLIO. This makes it easy to upload, save and import files in different apps in the FOLIO user interface folder.

1440×900 79 KB

Imported Files is one of the apps available in the universal navigation on the top of the screen represented by a folder icon. The app opens up as an overlay to the current view. Tapping the ‘Imported Files’ title brings you to a full view that takes over the screen.

Inside the app you are able to view your own or other people’s files by tapping ‘My own’ or ‘Everyone’.

#Uploading a file
Whether you need to upload spreadsheet data to be added in the record system or have
employees pictures imported,tapping the➕ button opens up a dialogue box that browses through your device and allows you to upload your file. Alternatively, you can also drag and drop files directly from your system into the Folio interface.

#Viewing Files
Imported Files allows you to filter viewing preferences from all files to certain file formats such as csv or jpg.
Next to each folder there’s a lock icon🔒 on the right that indicates the privacy setting of a given folder, tapping on the icon allows you to switch folder access to everyone.

The ‘More options’ icon, placed next to the lock icon, opens a small menu allowing you to share the file with certain colleagues and gives them access to view your file.

#Search
The search box allows you to search for your desired file within the same overlay. The list on your left shows the relevant file formats while the right one lists the matching results for the query.

<img src="/s3/original/1X/83c78c8190e39db528c1ee8c7bdb586850fe046f.jpg" width=“438” hHeadinge# ****ight=“241”>

#Miniature filesystem

‘Imported Files’ is essentially a miniature file system within FOLIO. Meaning, it allows you to navigate all your uploaded files. Tapping one of the folders in the list allows you to view its content.

As we want to make Folio a system that works well in the real world, feel free to leave a comment and share useful things you have learned. Tell us how we can improve.

Can you elaborate on a few typical use cases?

Hi @julianladisch - I don’t think Aleksandra Ozga is on the team anymore, but maybe @filipjakobsen or @Ann-Marie can help out here

Thanks for your question, @julianladisch!

Building FOLIO on web technologies provides us with a lot of great opportunities, however it also presents some hindrances. One of these is the interaction between the desktop OS and the FOLIO interface: Because FOLIO is essentially running in a browser, if we do not have an interface that receives the file, then dropping a file onto FOLIO (like you can do on many other programs to import or to open the file) will simply open up that file inside the browser, and take you away from the context you were in, in FOLIO.

The Files app would help control some of these behaviours, as well as serve as a place to store files you import or export. Every time you export a set of records as a CSV file, e.g., the idea is for the Files app to store a copy of that file for you, so you can always quickly download the file again, without the system having to generate the same file again. It’s also a way to share your exported or imported files with colleagues.

Whenever you have to upload a file to FOLIO, you have to navigate to that file in your operating system, and if the browser then doesn’t complete the upload, or you accidentally cancel it, or you have to recurringly use the file for various records, the time and energy you spend on navigating between the operating system and the interface can be significant.

Essentially, the Files app is meant as a way to provide a solid GUI for all FOLIO apps that removes the hurdles of using a productivity tool based on web technologies.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if this was not sufficient

Thanks!