.../application/files/incoming

But you'll still have to use the concrete5 file manager to import them, because it does all sorts of clever and spooky things with what it finds.

Is /incoming the location before or after the import? I imported a file there via Concrete5 yesterday, and although I can see the file in file manager, the /incoming directory is empty.

Is the file manager in Concrete5 able to deal with directories and subdirectories? I read in the documentation that for some reasons they do not like heirarchies. I'm worried about uploading several thousand files and having them listed flatly with 15 or so per screen.

I'm a tad concerned about some of the other "spooky" things that are done. If the documentation was clearer about what was going on, I could experiment a little.

/incoming is the location before c5 imports it.

Once imported using the File Manager, it probably gets stored in one of the numerical directories under application/files. Exactly where shouldn't matter to you, because only c5 needs to find it, and its database tells it how to do so. (If you're cutting your own code and need to access it directly, you can use the c5 API to get at it.)

The 'spooky' things include recording it in the database, assigning attributes to it, optionally resizing it if it's an image, and optionally creating thumbnails for it if it's an image.

I've never tried dumping a directory in incoming. If you try it, don't start with 1000 images!

Okay, I did manage to move a directory into the incoming/ directory. Sadly, Concrete5's file manager was unable to open it or take files from it. Apparently it only can deal with single files. I saw what you mean by the numbered subdirectories. I imported a file and looked for it.

I was not kidding about the thousands of files, but they're not images. Mostly just one page PDFs.

I was worried about having to perform multiple clicks to set up all the links I'll need, hoping that there would be easy-to-use tools. It looks like now I'll have to type individual paths for each and every file, and working with a flat file manager containing those thousands of files.

At least I'm further than I was. Baby steps.

It may be possible to import all files of a single directory in one go, and assign then to a directory in the File Manager in one go. (Dunno, haven't tried it.) The concept of directories is quite new in the c5 File Manager, so may be missing some obvious features.

To that end, your requirement to be able to place a directory structure into incoming, and have c5 import the whole structure into equivalent directories in its File Manager, makes a lot of sense. Could I urge you to suggest this as an enhancement at
https://github.com/concrete5/concrete5...

Yes, I tried it. And no, file manage doesn't understand it.

I love your comment about "directories" being a "new concept" for c5 file manager, considering the concept of directories had been around since the early days of DOS and UNIX. My RadioShack 286 had directories back in the 1980s. Thanks for the chuckle.

I don't know what "github" is, but I'll check it out.

Thanks. Cheers!

Directories are new to c5 because it previously had (and still has) file 'sets'. These are more powerful and flexible than directories because any one file can be included in multiple sets. However, many people wanted a simpler and more limited alternative, which was why directories were recently introduced.

I read about sets and I can see where they might be useful in many sites. I foresee no need for them and since my desktop only understands directories, it would be so much simpler if C5 had the same understanding. In the meanwhile, I'll figure out work-arounds.

Thanks for the info.

Cheers!