Folders, uploading and navigation

The file manager screen

The file manager page has a header with the page title File manager (Файлов мениджър), the name of the company or project, and the tabs. Below it is an action bar, the folder tree on the left and the content of the open folder on the right.

1. The tabs Files (Файлове), BoQ documents (КСС документи) or Letterheads (Шапки), and Trash (Кошче) switch between the ordinary file tree, the system documents and the deleted items.
2. The breadcrumb shows where you are; click any level to go back up.
3. The search field Search files… (Търси файлове…) filters the open folder or searches every folder.
4. The switch List (Списък) / Grid (Мрежа) changes between a table and thumbnails.
5. The buttons New (Нов), Upload folder (Качи папка) and Upload file (Качи файл) add content to the open folder.
6. The Folders (Папки) tree shows every folder you can see; drag its right edge to resize it.
7. The storage meter at the bottom of the tree shows how much of the company's storage is used.

Tabs

The folder tree and the breadcrumb

The Folders (Папки) panel on the left of the file manager lists the folders as a tree. Click a folder to open it, click the arrow next to it to expand or collapse its subfolders. Use Collapse tree (Свий дървото) and Expand tree (Разгъни дървото) to hide or show the whole panel, or double-click the grip between the tree and the list. The tree shows only folders you can see. If someone shares a single file deep inside a folder structure with you, you see the parent folders needed to reach it, but not the other unshared content in them.

The breadcrumb above the list starts with the company or project name and lists every parent folder. A number prefix written as "00 · " at the start of a folder name is hidden in the breadcrumb, so "01 · Drawings" reads as "Drawings". Numbering folders this way keeps them in your preferred order in the list.

List and grid view

In List (Списък) view the file manager shows a table. By default it shows the columns Name (Име), Version (Версия), Size (Размер) and Modified (Променен). The Columns (Колони) menu, the small icon next to the view switch, adds Description (Описание), Indicators (Индикатори), Markups (Маркирания) and Updated by (Обновен от). Click a column header to sort by it. In Grid (Мрежа) view every file appears as a card with a thumbnail.

Opening a file

A single click on a file in the file manager opens it. What opens depends on the file type:

A click on a folder opens it. Press Enter on a focused row to open it from the keyboard.

The item menu

Right-click a file or folder in the file manager, or click the ⋯ button at the end of its row, to open its menu. Right-click on empty space opens a menu with New folder (Нова папка), the new-document types, Upload (Качване) and Upload folder (Качи папка).

1. Quick preview (Бърз преглед) shows the file in a window without leaving the folder.
2. Open (Отвори) opens the file in the editor or viewer.
3. Download (Изтегли) saves the current version to your computer.
4. Edit details (Редактирай детайли) changes the name and the description.
5. Move (Премести) and Copy to… (Копирай в…) put the file in another folder.
6. Version History (История на версиите), Share (Споделяне) and Details (Детайли) open the versions, the sharing dialog and the details panel.
7. Delete (Изтрий) moves the file to the Trash; it appears only if you have Edit access to the file.

The details panel

Choose Details (Детайли) in the item menu to open the details panel on the right of the file manager. It shows a preview, Size (Размер), Updated (Обновен), Author (Автор), the number of Versions (Версии), when the file was last edited, and the description. For a processed 3D model it also shows counts of model elements and markups.

How to create a folder

1. Open the folder in which the new folder should go, or stay at the top level.
2. Click New (Нов) in the action bar and choose New folder (Нова папка). You can also right-click empty space in the list or use the new-folder button in the Folders panel.
3. The dialog New folder (Нова папка) shows Creating in: {folder} (Създаване в: {folder}). Type the Folder name (Име на папката), for example "05 · Correspondence".
4. Click Create (Създай). The message Folder created · "{name}" confirms it.

A folder created at the top level is private to you until you share it. A folder created inside a shared folder gets the sharing of its parent automatically. To create a folder inside another folder you need Edit access to that folder.

How to create a new blank document

You can create a document directly in the file manager, without uploading anything.

1. Open the target folder and click New (Нов).
2. Choose the type: Word document (Word документ), Excel workbook (Excel таблица), Markdown document (Markdown документ), Text file (Текстов файл) or CSV table (CSV таблица).
3. In the dialog, for example New Word document (Нов Word документ), type the File name (Име на файла). The default is "Untitled" (Без име).
4. Confirm. The message Created "{name}" appears and the document opens in the editor.

If the name is already taken in that folder, the new file gets a numbered name such as "Report (1).docx". If creation fails you see Could not create the file.

1. The New (Нов) button in the action bar opens the menu.
2. New folder (Нова папка) creates a folder in the open folder.
3. The document types Word document, Excel workbook, Markdown document, Text file and CSV table create a blank document.
4. Process all models (Обработи всички модели) appears when you can process 3D/CAD models in this folder.

How to upload files

1. Open the folder where the files should go.
2. Click Upload file (Качи файл). The dialog shows Uploading to: {folder} (Качване в: {folder}).
3. Drag files into the area Drop files here or click to choose (Плъзнете файлове тук или кликнете), or click it to pick files on your computer. You can choose several files at once.
4. Click Upload (Качване). Each file shows {name} uploaded successfully when it is stored.

The quicker way is to drag files from your computer straight onto the file list. The list shows Drop files here (Пуснете файловете тук) and Uploading to: {folder} while you drag.

When a file with the same name already exists in the folder, the new file is uploaded under a numbered name and you see {original name} uploaded as "{new name}", for example "Plan (1).pdf". Nothing is overwritten. To replace a file and keep its history, upload a new version instead; see Versions.

A new file uploaded into a shared folder is visible at once to everyone the folder is shared with, and they get a notification such as {name} uploaded 3 files to "{folder}". A file uploaded at the top level stays private to you until you share it. When you upload 3D/CAD models, BuildColab asks whether to process them; see 3D/BIM models and processing credits.

How to upload a whole folder

Upload a folder from your computer when you move an existing archive into BuildColab. The file manager recreates its subfolders exactly.

1. Open the folder that should receive the uploaded folder.
2. Click Upload folder (Качи папка) and choose a folder on your computer, or drag a folder from your computer onto the file list.
3. The Upload (Качване) panel opens in the corner and shows Preparing folders… (Подготвяне на папките…) while it creates the folder structure.
4. If some files have the same name as a file already in their folder, the dialog Some files already exist (Някои файлове вече съществуват) asks what to do. Choose one option and click Continue (Продължи), or click Cancel upload (Откажи качването).
5. Follow the progress: Uploading {done} of {total}. When it finishes the panel shows a summary such as 12 uploaded · 2 skipped · 1 failed.
6. If some files failed, click Retry failed ({count}) (Опитай отново неуспешните). Click Close (Затвори) when you are done.

In the Upload panel each file has a status: Waiting (Изчаква), Uploading (Качва се), Uploaded (Качен), New version (Нова версия), Skipped (Пропуснат) or Failed (Неуспешен). Cancel remaining (Откажи останалите) stops the files that have not started yet; files already uploaded stay. Hide details and Show details collapse and expand the list. For very large folders BuildColab cannot check every name in advance; it then tells you that a file whose name is taken gets a numbered name, so nothing is overwritten.

1. The line Uploading to: {folder} shows the target folder.
2. The drop area Drop files here or click to choose accepts files dragged from your computer or opens the file picker.
3. The hint lists typical types: PDF, DWG, RVT, IFC, XLSX, DOCX and images.
4. The Upload (Качване) button starts the upload.

How to rename a file or folder and add a description

1. Right-click the item and choose Edit details (Редактирай детайли).
2. Change the Name (Име). For a file you can leave out the extension: if the new name has no extension, the old one is kept.
3. Optionally type a Description (Описание), placeholder Short description (optional). It can be up to 2,000 characters and is searched by the file manager search.
4. Click Save (Запази). You see Successfully renamed the file to "{name}" or Description saved.

AI-created HTML pages (artifacts) must keep their .html extension.

How to move files and folders

1. Right-click the item and choose Move (Премести), or select several files and click Move ({count}) in the selection bar.
2. In the dialog Choose a destination folder (Изберете целева папка), find the folder in the tree or search for it.
3. Click Move here (Премести тук). The message Moved to "{folder}" confirms it. If only part could be moved you see Moved: {moved}, not moved: {failed}.

You can also drag a file or folder onto a folder in the list or in the Folders tree. Drop it on Move to the root level (Премести на главно ниво) to move it to the top level.

How to copy files and folders

1. Right-click the item and choose Copy to… (Копирай в…), or select several files and click Copy ({count}).
2. Choose the destination folder and click Copy here (Копирай тук).
3. The message Copied to "{folder}" confirms it; a partial result shows {copied} copied, {failed} not copied.

A copied folder includes everything inside it that you can read. A copy is a new file with its own history and takes the sharing of the destination folder, not of the original. A copy placed in the same folder gets a distinct name. Copies count against the storage quota. A copy of a 3D/CAD model that was already processed is viewable at once, without new credits.

How to download files

• One file: right-click it and choose Download (Изтегли). The current version is downloaded.
• Several files: select their checkboxes and click Download ({count}) in the selection bar. Up to 50 files and 750 MB are packed into one ZIP (Downloaded {count} files as a ZIP). A larger selection shows Selection too large to ZIP — downloading {count} files individually.
• An older version: open Version History and use the download button of that version. See Versions.

How to select several files

Select the checkbox at the start of each file row in the file manager. Hold Shift and click to select a range. The action bar is replaced by the selection bar.

1. The counter {count} selected (избрани) shows how many files are selected.
2. Download (Изтегляне) downloads the selection, as a ZIP when it fits.
3. Move (Премести) and Copy to… (Копирай в…) open the destination dialog.
4. Delete (Изтрий) moves the files to the Trash; it appears only if you can delete all of them.
5. Clear (Изчисти) removes the selection.

On a phone

On a narrow screen the file manager shows compact rows. The folder tree becomes a drawer behind the Folders (Папки) button, and the add actions sit behind the Add (Добави) button. In the selection bar, the actions that do not fit are under More actions (Още действия).

Messages you may see

Common questions

Related

• File manager
• Viewing and editing documents
• Versions
• Sharing, comments and mentions
• Trash and restoring