The Folder node
A Folder node is a File Explorer on the canvas, with thumbnails. It updates by itself when files change on disk. Add one with the Folder chip, from the node picker, or by dropping a folder from File Explorer. An empty Folder node offers quick access to drives, your usual folders, Browse the computer… and the Recycle Bin.
The path bar
Back, Forward, Up, the path you can click piece by piece, and a button to copy the full path. Ctrl L lets you type a path.
Keyboard
With the folder selected:
| Keys | |
|---|---|
| arrows, Home, End | move the selection |
| typing a letter | jump to the first name that starts with it |
| Enter | open the folder or the file |
| Backspace | up one folder |
| Alt ← / Alt → | back / forward |
| F2 | rename |
| Del | delete (to the Recycle Bin) |
| Ctrl A | select all |
| Ctrl C / Ctrl X / Ctrl V | copy, cut, paste files (the real Windows clipboard: you can paste in File Explorer too) |
| Ctrl F | filter by name |
| Ctrl L | edit the path |
| Esc | clear the selection |
Opening files
- Images open in a viewer inside the node: ← and → go through the folder, Esc closes.
- PDFs open in a PDF node next to the folder.
- Everything else opens in its usual program, in an App node next to the folder. If that program is already in a node, Warpstead uses that one.
View, sort and filters
The View menu: sort by name or date modified, ascending or descending; group by type; folders first; Include subfolders; show hidden files. The slider sets the thumbnail size; double-click it to reset.
The sidebar
The sidebar button opens drives, your usual folders, Favorites, Network and the Recycle Bin. To add a favorite, drag a folder to the edge of the sidebar. Under Network, Connect to share… takes a path like \\server\share.
Working with files
Right-click a file for Open, Show in Explorer, Copy, Cut, Rename, Delete and Paste; with two or more PDFs selected there’s also Merge into one PDF (see PDF). The node’s own menu has Parent folder, Change folder…, Reveal in Explorer and Open terminal here. You can also create a new folder or a new file.
Drag files out of the node: onto another Folder node, onto the desktop, into a program. While you drag, the label tells you whether they’ll be moved or copied.
Properties
Select a file and the properties panel shows what Windows knows about it: size and dates, and then what fits the type. Dimensions, camera and rating for photos; pages for PDFs; words and author for Office documents; artist, album and length for music; length, frame rate and codec for video; version and publisher for programs. Tags and descriptions written by the AI are marked “AI”.
Tags with AI
Tag with AI on a file or on the whole folder asks the local AI to suggest tags and a short description; at the end it tells you how many files were tagged, skipped or failed. It needs the AI engine, see Local AI. Tags are searchable with Alt Space.
The Recycle Bin
Deleting from Warpstead sends files to the Windows Recycle Bin. You can open it from the sidebar: restore files, or empty it (that’s final, and Warpstead asks first).
Some places have no Recycle Bin: USB drives, network folders, optical discs. There, deleting is final, and Warpstead tells you before it happens.
History
History is the list of what Warpstead did to your files in this session: deleting, renaming, moving, copying, pasting, saving a PDF, deliveries, pipelines. Open it with the History chip in the QuickDock or with Ctrl Alt Z; Esc closes it.
Each line says whether it can be undone, fully or in part, and has the button to do it: Restore, Restore the name, Return to source folder, Delete the copies, Undo. An operation that stopped halfway is marked, with Retry the missing items. History also has a Recycle Bin tab.
Ctrl Z undoes changes to the canvas; History undoes changes to files. They’re separate on purpose.