Browsing Remote Files

Browsing Remote Files

After connecting to a cloud storage service, FTP server, or OAuth provider, MatchLogic presents a remote file browser that lets you navigate directories and select the file you want to import. The file browser works the same way regardless of which connector you used to connect.

Remote file browser showing a directory listing with folders and CSV/Excel files

Navigating the File Browser

The remote file browser displays the contents of your connected storage as a directory listing. Each item shows its name, type (folder or file), and file size where available.

  • Click a folder to open it and view its contents. The browser navigates into the folder and updates the listing.
  • Use the breadcrumb trail at the top of the browser to see your current location in the directory tree. Click any segment in the breadcrumb to jump back to that level.
  • Click the Back button to return to the parent folder.

Selecting a File

Files in supported formats (CSV, XLSX, XLS) are displayed with selectable icons. To import a file:

  1. Navigate to the folder containing your file.
  2. Click on the file you want to import. It will be highlighted to indicate selection.
  3. Click Select or Next to proceed with the import.

Files in unsupported formats are shown in the listing but cannot be selected. This helps you orient yourself within the directory structure without confusion about which files are importable.

File browser with a CSV file selected and highlighted, showing the Select button

What You See in the Browser

The file browser typically shows the following information for each item:

  • Icon — A folder icon for directories, or a file type icon for files (distinct icons for CSV and Excel).
  • Name — The file or folder name as it appears in the storage service.
  • Size — The file size (displayed for files, not for folders).
  • Last Modified — The date the file was last changed, if the storage provider supplies this information.

Tip

If you have many files in a single folder, look for the file name carefully. The browser displays all items in the current directory. Future versions may include search and filter capabilities within the file browser.

Connector-Specific Notes

  • Amazon S3 — The browser shows the contents of the bucket you specified. S3 uses a flat namespace with prefix-based "folders," and MatchLogic presents these as a familiar directory tree.
  • Azure Blob Storage — Similar to S3, Azure Blob uses virtual directories. The browser presents blob prefixes as navigable folders within your container.
  • FTP / SFTP — The browser starts at the root directory (or the user's home directory, depending on server configuration). Navigate to the location of your data files.
  • OAuth Providers — Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive each have their own folder structures. Shared files and folders may appear alongside your own files, depending on the provider.

Important

If the file browser appears empty or shows an error, verify that your credentials have permission to list the contents of the storage location. For S3, this requires s3:ListBucket permission. For Azure, the account key must have list access to the container.

After Selecting a File

Once you select a file, the import workflow proceeds to the same column mapping step used for local file uploads. See #column-mapping for details on configuring columns before import.