Browser-based errors while uploading folders to GoldFynch on Windows


When uploading files to GoldFynch from Windows operating systems, there are a few restrictions imposed by the Windows API on web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge.


Note that the default methods of uploading files to GoldFynch are always available:

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox

  • Files with path names longer than 260 characters (including their path directory) can cause this; their names get truncated and often result in errored, zero-byte files
  • Uploading deeply-nested directory structures can potentially corrupt user data. Hence uploading of folders from both platforms has been disabled

Unfortunately, these interaction are beyond the control of GoldFynch, but luckily there are a number of simple ways to work around the issue.


To work around the issue of long file names:

  • Rename the files or relocate them from the directory you originally uploaded them from to one in which the overall path name is reduced in length
E.g.: move a file with a 200-character-long name in C:\Users\Admin\Documents\Scanned Documents\June 2018 Scans\Cullen Report\ (73 characters, 273 total) to C:\Users\Admin\Documents\Cullen Report\ (39 characters, 239 in total)
  • Use Microsoft Edge for uploads - for the general use of GoldFynch we recommend using Google Chrome, but when you specifically need to upload files with long file names, use Microsoft Edge as it has no trouble uploading very long or deeply-nested files
  • Zip the files beforehand using a shorter name (learn how to quickly do so here), and upload the zipped file instead of individual files. It's worth noting that some zipping programs do their own filename shortening, so it is still recommended to move files to a lower-level directory before zipping the files (so that the names inside the zip file will be shorter)


To upload folders:

  • Zipping your files before uploading them (here's how to do so) is the best way to upload folders. GoldFynch will automatically extract the zip files when they are uploaded to your case, and this will also preserve the folder structure if there are any sub-folders.

Microsoft Edge


Microsoft Edge features an additional way of uploading files - an 'Upload a Directory' button. But it currently has an error which causes the folder structure of uploaded folders to be lost during the process (causing all files inside sub-folders to be extracted to the main folder's location.) If you wish to upload folders and maintain their folder structure, again, make sure to zip the outer folder before upload.


NOTE: 

  • We recommend using Google Chrome (or if not, Mozilla Firefox) while using GoldFynch (and following the work-arounds listed above where conflicts occur during upload) as some of the features of GoldFynch are not supported by Edge
  • Make sure that you don't move, rename or delete any of the files or folders on your system while the upload is taking place as it will cause the upload to error out
  • Regardless of the browser used, though we do not recommend doing so, after the zip file is successfully extracted you may want to delete the container file as it will no longer be needed by GoldFynch. Learn how to here.