File transfer

With Polpo Desk you can send files and folders to the remote computer and fetch files and folders from it. Transfers run over the same end-to-end encrypted (WebRTC DTLS-SRTP) connection as the rest of the session.

You can open the file manager in two ways:

• During a session: click the File transfer (upload/download) button (folder icon with an up arrow) on the session toolbar.
• By connecting for files only: on the home page, choose File Transfer as the Connection Type before connecting. With this type the remote screen isn't shown; the file manager opens as soon as the connection is made.

File transfer isn't available in View Only sessions. The remote user can also turn file transfer off completely in their client (see "Turned off by the remote user" below).

The file manager

The file manager has two panes:

• This computer (operator): your own computer (on the left).
• Remote device: the computer you're connected to (on the right).

Both panes open on the Desktop folder. At the top of each pane there are these buttons and a path box:

• Parent folder: goes up one level. Going up once more from the top shows the computer list (a Desktop shortcut and the drives, e.g. C:\).
• Desktop: goes back to the Desktop folder.
• Refresh: refreshes the list.
• New folder: creates a folder in the open folder (type a name when asked for the New folder name: and confirm).

The lists have Name, Modified and Size columns. Click a column header to sort by it, click again to reverse the order; folders always stay on top. Folders with thousands of files still list smoothly because the list arrives in pages. Hidden and system files on the remote side aren't listed.

Selecting and opening

• Click an item to select it; use Ctrl+click and Shift+click to select several, and Ctrl+A to select all.
• Double-click a folder to open it.
• Double-click a file to transfer it to the other side: a remote file is downloaded to the folder open in the left pane, and your own file is uploaded to the folder open in the right pane.

Close the window with the ✕ in the top-right corner; the session stays open.

Right-click menu and shortcuts

Right-click items to see these commands:

• Rename: the name is edited right in the list. Type the new name; Enter saves, Esc cancels.
• Delete: you're asked to confirm. Items go to the Recycle Bin when possible; in locations without a Recycle Bin (e.g. some network drives) they're deleted permanently.
• Properties: shows the type, location, size in bytes, for folders the number of files and folders they contain, the created / modified / accessed dates and the attributes (read-only, hidden, archive). For very large folders, counting stops after a few seconds and the result is marked as partial.

Send files or folders to the remote computer

1. In the Remote device pane, open the folder where the files should be saved.
2. Choose what to send:
   • In the desktop console: select files or folders in the This computer (operator) list on the left, then double-click, or right-click and choose Upload to remote.
   • In the web console in a browser: there is no left pane in this version. Drag and drop files onto the area on the left, or click Choose File and Upload and select one or more files. The hint in that area (Uploads to the … folder on the remote side.) shows the target folder.
3. The progress card in the bottom-right corner shows Sending and the amount transferred. When the file has been written on the other side, it says Delivered to the other side ✓.

Existing files are never overwritten. If the target folder already contains a file with the same name, the new file is saved with a number added, for example report (1).pdf; the progress card shows the name it was saved under, for example Saved as: report (1).pdf.

If you don't choose a folder

In the web console, you can also click Choose File and Upload while the remote pane shows the computer list (the hint then shows (choose a folder)). The file is then saved on the remote computer in the Polpo Desk Alınan Dosyalar folder on the desktop of the Windows user who is signed in; the folder is created automatically if it doesn't exist. Dragging and dropping, and sending from the left pane, still require an open folder; otherwise you see Open the target folder on the remote side first.

Download files or folders from the remote computer

1. In the desktop console, open the folder where the files should be saved in the left pane (if no folder is open, you see First open the destination folder in the left panel.).
2. In the Remote device pane, select files or folders, then double-click, or right-click and choose Download.
3. The progress card shows Receiving and the amount transferred; once the file is saved in the left pane's folder, it says Saved ✓.

In the web console in a browser, downloaded files go to the browser's download folder.

Folder transfer

Whole folders, including their sub-folders, can be downloaded and uploaded in one go. A single progress card shows which file is being transferred (e.g. 3/120 files).

• A folder transfer includes at most 20,000 files and 5,000 sub-folders. If the folder is larger, you see The folder is very large; transferring the first … files.
• Hidden and system files and folder links (junctions) are skipped.
• Transfers run one after another in a queue.
• The remote user sees a single notification for a received folder, not one per file.

Version requirements

• Rename, delete, properties and folder transfer on the remote side need Polpo Desk Windows client 0.9.108 or later. With older clients, only file download and upload are available; the menu says that Polpo Desk on the other side must be updated.
• The same actions on your own computer (the left pane) need the Windows operator app 0.9.79 or later.

File permissions

Files on the remote computer are accessed with the rights of the Windows user who is signed in on that computer, not as SYSTEM. This means:

• You can't see folders that the user can't see.
• Files can't be written to places where the user has no write permission (e.g. C:\Program Files); in that case you see Couldn't write to the remote folder: access denied. Choose a user folder such as Desktop, Documents or Downloads instead.
• If nobody is signed in to the computer (e.g. it's at the sign-in screen), you see No user is signed in on the remote computer — files can't be accessed.

Turned off by the remote user

The remote user can turn off Allow file transfer on the client's Settings → General tab. While it's off, browsing, downloading, uploading and the other file actions are refused, and files can't be copied and pasted through the clipboard either. The console shows The remote user has turned off file transfer (in the file manager, for example, Couldn't open folder: The remote user has turned off file transfer). Ask the remote user to turn the setting back on; the change takes effect immediately. See Client security settings.

Troubleshooting

• If a transfer shows Failed ✕, read the message; most often the cause is missing write permission, the file being in use by another program, or file transfer being turned off on the remote side.
• If transfers are very slow, check your connection; see Slow connection and lag.

If you connect from your phone, you can also upload and download files from the Files section in the mobile console's session menu.