Watched folders
Watched folders connect a folder on your computer to a Gallery. While the Framebird Desktop App is open, every new or changed file in that folder uploads to the Gallery on its own. Use them for your export folder, a tethering folder, or a card-reader import folder, so finished work reaches your clients without a manual upload step.
Watched folders are available only in the Framebird Desktop App. The browser cannot watch folders on your computer.
Add a watched folder
Open the Desktop app settings
Open Settings and choose Desktop app. The Watched folders section lists every folder Framebird watches for your account.
Choose a folder
Click Add folder and pick a folder on your computer or on an external drive.
Choose where files go
Under Upload to, click Select and choose a Gallery. You can also create a new Gallery from the chooser.
Decide what happens to files already in the folder
If the folder already contains files, Framebird shows how many. Turn on Upload files already in this folder to upload them now. Leave it off to upload only files that are added or changed from now on.
Start watching
Click Watch folder. Framebird starts watching right away and shows the folder’s status in the list.
How files are uploaded
- New files upload as soon as they finish copying. Framebird waits until a file stops changing, so half-written exports or partially copied files are not uploaded.
- Changed files upload again as new Media next to the earlier version. The Media already in the Gallery is not replaced.
- Subfolders go to matching Sub-Galleries inside the chosen Gallery. Framebird creates missing Sub-Galleries and reuses existing ones with the same name.
- Files added while Framebird was closed upload the next time you open the app. Framebird compares the folder with what it has already uploaded when it starts.
- Uploads run in the background and appear in the normal upload panel. Framebird does not bring its window to the front for them.
Watched folders upload the same image, RAW, and PDF files as other uploads. See Supported Filetypes. Video files are not uploaded from watched folders. Framebird also ignores hidden files and folders (names starting with a dot), system files such as .DS_Store and Thumbs.db, and NAS metadata folders such as @eaDir and #recycle.
Duplicates are skipped by content
Before a file uploads, Framebird checks whether the destination Gallery already contains the same file:
- Every processed Media in Framebird stores a SHA-256 fingerprint of its original file, which is unique to the file’s exact content.
- The Desktop App calculates the same fingerprint on your computer for any file whose size matches Media in the destination Gallery. Files of a different size cannot be identical, so they are not read twice.
- When the fingerprints match, the file is skipped because its content is already in the Gallery.
This means:
- A renamed copy of a photo that is already in the Gallery is skipped.
- A re-exported or edited file with the same name and size but different content still uploads, because its fingerprint differs.
- Media that is still processing has no fingerprint yet, so Framebird compares its name and size instead.
Duplicates are checked against the destination Gallery (or the matching Sub-Gallery for files in subfolders). The same photo in a different Gallery does not count as a duplicate.
The same content check applies to every upload from the Desktop App. For drag and drop and the file picker, Framebird asks what to do with duplicates instead of skipping them. Resumed uploads skip them. Uploads in the browser compare file names and sizes, because the browser cannot fingerprint large files efficiently.
Folder status
Each watched folder shows its current state:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Up to date | Every file in the folder has been uploaded. The row also shows when the last upload finished. |
| Uploading n files | Framebird is uploading files from this folder right now. |
| Paused | You paused the folder. New files are not uploaded until you resume it. |
| Not found | The folder or its drive is unavailable. Framebird checks again regularly and continues when it is back. |
| Upload failed | Some files could not be uploaded, for example because the connection dropped. Framebird retries shortly. |
| Can’t access folder | Framebird is not allowed to read the folder. Fix the permission, then pause and resume the folder. |
Pause, resume, or stop watching
- Pause stops uploading new files from a folder. Uploads that already started finish normally.
- Resume starts watching again and uploads anything that was added or changed while the folder was paused.
- Show in Finder opens the folder on your computer.
- Stop watching removes the folder from the list. Media that was already uploaded stays in the Gallery.
External drives and connection problems
If a watched folder is on an external drive or network share that disconnects, the folder shows Not found. Reconnect the drive and Framebird picks up where it left off, including files added in the meantime.
If your internet connection drops, failed uploads are retried after 1, 5, and then every 15 minutes, and immediately when the file changes again. If you cancel an upload in the upload panel, Framebird does not retry it until the file changes or you restart the app.
What watched folders never do
Watched folders only upload. Deleting, moving, or renaming a file on your computer never deletes or changes Media in Framebird. Media added to the Gallery in the browser is never downloaded into your folder.
Watched folders belong to your Framebird account on this computer. If you sign out or switch accounts, Framebird stops watching until you sign back in to the account that added them.
Troubleshooting
- Files are not uploading: make sure the Desktop App is open and signed in, and check that the folder is not Paused.
- A folder shows Not found: reconnect the drive, or restore the folder at its original location. To use a new location, stop watching the old folder and add the new one.
- A folder shows Can’t access folder: allow Framebird to read the folder in your macOS privacy settings, then pause and resume it.
- A file was not uploaded: check that its type is supported and that the same content is not already in the Gallery.
- The same photo appears twice: a changed file uploads as new Media. Delete the version you no longer need in Framebird.