Working with the File Manager

In this page:

 

Viewing Available Files

There are a few ways you can access the file manager while editing.

You can access the file manager in the following ways:

File browser link highlighted on user page

Figure 1. The file browser link on the user page. See full-size image.

 

Uploading a File

Once you have the file browser open, the first step in uploading a file is selecting the directory you wish to upload to. This is done by selecting the desired folder to upload to in the Navigation pane (see Figure 2).

The navigation pane highlighted in the folder browser
Figure 2. The navigation pane. View full-sized image.

Once you've chosen the directory you want the file in click on the Upload button on the top bar of the file browser, click on Choose File and choose the file from your system, and finally click on the Upload button in the pop-up dialog (see Figure 3). 

Upload pop-up is displayed with arrows pointing to the file selector and upload button

Figure 3. Locations of fields for uploading files. See full-sized image.

 

Deleting Files

First, locate the file you wish to delete and select it so that it is highlighted in the file browser. Click the Delete icon. Your browser will prompt you to confirm the deletion. If you click OK your file will be deleted. See Figure 4.

Remember, deleting files is permanent.

Note: Deleting a file will not remove any links pointing to the file. Links to a file should be removed prior to deleting the file unless you are simply replacing the file.

Delete button in IMCE

Figure 4. The delete button location. Clicking this will delete the highlighted item (drupal_square.png in this example). View full-sized image.

 

Replacing Files

  1. Identify the file you wish to replace; Take note of the exact file name and folder location.
  2. Rename your new file to the exact filename as found in step 1.
  3. Delete the existing file from the file manager.
  4. Upload the new file with the same name as in step 1.

 

Adding Subdirectories

  1. Select the directory in which you wish to create the new directory the same way you choose the location to upload a file (see Figure 2).
  2. Next, open the directory dialog by clicking on the Directory button. See Figure 5 for the location of this button.
  3. Enter the name of the directory you wish to create. See Figure 6 for an example of this and the following step.
  4. Press the Add button.
The directory button in the file manager

Figure 5. The subdirectory management button. View full-sized image.

A subdirectory being added

Figure 6. A demonstration of a subdirectory named mysubdirectory being added to the shared directory. View full-sized image.

 

Removing Subdirectories

To remove a subdirectory follow these steps:

  1. Locate the directory containing the directory you want to remove in the Navigation pane. See Figure 2.
  2. Click on the Directory button. See Figure 5.
  3. Choose the sub-directory you want to delete from the dropdown menu (or type in the directory name). See Figure 7.
  4. Click the Remove button. See Figure 8.
  5. The browser will prompt you to confirm deletion of the directory. Clicking OK will remove the subdirectory and all files in it.

Reminder: All deletion in Drupal is permanent. Be careful when deleting directories, as all files and directories within the deleted directory will be lost.

A directory being selected from the subdirectory dropdown
Figure 7. mysubdirectory being selected from the dropdown of subdirectories in the shared folder. View full-sized image.
Location of the remove button with a directory selected

Figure 8. mysubdirectory has been selected and the Remove button is being clicked. View full-sized image.

 

Resizing Images

  1. Select the image you wish to resize.
  2. Click the Resize button. See Figure 9.
  3. Enter a new desired height or width. Clicking into the remaining empty field will automatically calculate the remaining dimension. See Figure 10.
  4. If you want to overwrite the existing image, uncheck the "Create a new image" checkbox. Otherwise, leave this checked to create a new image file.
    • For example, if you have a file called my_file.png and have the box checked, when you finalize the resize a new file called my_file_0.png will appear in the directory. This is useful if you want a smaller version of the same image to use as a thumbnail to link to the larger image. This was the method used for many of the images in this guide.
  5. Click the Resize button in the pop-up dialog. See Figure 11 for the location of this button.
The location of the resize button
Figure 9. The location of the resize button. View full-sized image.
Screenshot to demonstrate the automatic calculation of a dimension
Figure 10. A new width of 200 has been entered. Clicking on the height will calculate the appropriately scaled height value. View full-sized image.
The location of the Resize confirmation button

Figure 11. The Resize button. Clicking this button will complete the resize and either generate a new image or overwrite the current one depending on the status of the "Create a new image" checkbox. View full-sized image.

 

Best Practices for Resizing in the File Manager

  • Never increase the size of an image.
  • Try to upload correctly sized images and not rely on the image resizing.
  • Image editing software may produce a better result for rescaling images. If you have access to more powerful image software and are familiar with the capabilities use it for resizing.