Files App - Create Folder "On My iPad"

Hi Jen E. The basic concept of iOS is that apps manage files of specific types. This is different from a computer operating system, where files just exist and are accessed by programs. The GoodReader app in the App Store is a wonderful app for managing pdfs. It creates its own directory structure (not visible to Files) and can sync/backup to many types of server, both on the LAN and in the cloud. See link: http://goodreader.com/index.html.

@ Diana.McCall

"There is no graceful way to group all items for a project in a folder, as you would on a PC, because the apps cannot access files in the "wild". This is a fundamental shortcoming of an iPad as a computer replacement."

Are you sure about this?

Seems like they can access the files in custom folders on iCloud Drive just fine, can't they? Wouldn't that be considered "in the wild"?

As long as every file is attached to a particular app, I don't understand why it wouldn't be possible to "organize" them into your own custom folders.

Actually I've just created a sub-folder in the "Acrobate Reader" folder of the "On my iPad" section, and in it I saved a file which opens with Notability and not with Acrobate reader and it does open with Notability.

Maybe I missed something here, but I feel like it wouldn't be impossible to create the custom folder functionality on the "On my iPad" section, but maybe we are incited to use the iCloud Drive instead?

Exactly. You can be like a cuckoo and stash folders in the private storage of other apps. GarageBand seems to be a popular choice. In principle, those apps might be confused to find this corrupted data in their storage, but you can access it through the Files app. Apple has decided not to include local storage in the Files app. Clearly, it would not be impossible to implement it. But you cannot do it at this time. Incidentally, you can use other file manager apps, like FileExplorer or Documents 6, to locally store files of different types in folders you create. And FileExplorer is accessible from Files. So that's a solution to managing random data without hiding it in an app like Acrobat.

But they are selling this as an "iPad Pro which can replace your laptop"

Where exactly do Apple say that you can replace your laptop with the iPad, I have searched for it and been unable to locate an instance. Perhaps you can link to it for me.

@ WestVanPete

What kind of files exactly do you need to organize in folders? (docs, pdfs, images, videos?)

Personally, I've just tried using the "Adobe Acrobat Folder" as the main folder and created all my customized folders to organize my files in that folder. In a sense, I use the Acrobat Folder as I would like to use the "On my iPad" folder directly, but it works ok, I just have to do one more click everytime (on Adobe Acrobat Folder).

Have you tried something like that?

Just to clarify, I use mostly documents, texts and images. I haven't tried with music or videos files yet since I don't keep any on my iPad. But some of my documents in the Acrobat folder do open with other apps than Acrobat and it works fine.

It is a lot more than just merely iCloud Drive. I have my OneDrive, Box, Dropbox and Google Drive all in the files app.

But regardless of this new app, iOS is a sandboxed operating system and file system. It also has been. The sandbox structure is central to iOS‘s security model and was built into it from the very beginning. Each app, and each apps files and file space are isolated from each other.

The files app does not change the fundamental sandboxed design of iOS at all. It merely provides a single or central place to access online storage or app’s file space without having to find and launch the individual apps that then allow access to those files.

Hi there,

I also agree with the feeling of the posts claiming for the possibility to enable the creation of folders ...in the same app folder, through iTunes if no other way, at least.

I was struggling as you to create a set of sub-folders in one app's repository, the Reactable Rotor (music loop player thought) that comes OOTB with a set of folders with samples of each different demo session. Frustrating to realize that this simple and logical action is

After reading all the opinions and answers from the support I understand that despite an excellent media player, the file system is not really usable in the way any other folder system is thought.

I agree that it is a pity this aim to mark a difference, that at last is a frustrating behavior.

sentences as -...apps cannot access files in the "wild"; or -...the idea of an open filesystem would contradict 10 years of iOS history reveals a very little effort of adaption of users' claims in this matter.

Yep, it is frustrating to realize that these logical actions are not only disregarded but deprecated. Hard to understand all the cumbersome process to backup locally in a PC the content in a iOS (move/upload files to the cloud to download them later to PC through). Impossibility to create a logical folder structure as everybody claims here, with the personal projects ...because they are the "wild"!? Come on... Not possible do ease this kind of actions, even to our own risk because 10 years of history of ... incredible; at each new version of iOS or macOS there are many SW editors that get affected because of your new constantly changing rules; and we only have to realize about how many updates of iOS we get in a short period and the short period of any device gets outdated.

Really disapointed aobut the cumbersome process I had to follow with a company iPhone too just to extract the pictures to an external device... and saying that the trending behavior is to upload everything to the cloud might be OK for simple users that their most is to get followers in Instagram or FB.. but sure this is not the whole of us. People also take photos with a camera, extract the memory card and inserts it in another device to backup, edit and share them. Indeed I was expecting something not so idiot proof and more flexible to customize.

If the matter is about scripts, executable files and things like that I 100% agree.

But if we are talking about pictures, video records or sound records uploaded to a virtual folder in the cloud I do not find a security relief to allow us to plug the iOS to any device and get our files or allow us to create a sub-folders structure to prevent a tangle of files in a single user repository.

Treating all users as simpletons by definition might not be the best choice for the good sake of the product.

WestVanPete wrote:

They WOULD NOT have to relax security for this functionality.

Off course they would, sandboxing is the reason that Apps can not read or write to the file system generally. It is a fundamental part of IOS's security.

Please tell me how you think the system would work without it?

@ Michael Black

About the iOS File System

The iOS file system is geared toward apps running on their own. To keep the system simple, users of iOS devices do not have direct access to the file system and apps are expected to follow this convention.

I read "to keep the system simple" but I don't see "to keep the system more secure" ?

And in my opinion, thinking that things are in a particular way that is set in stone and can never be changed, is a recipe for stagnation and lack of creativity.

Surely they can devise ways to give us what we want (i.e. being able to organize our files in customized folders to be more productive/organized and find our stuff quicker) without undermining the system's security.

For example, define a limited number of types of files that could be organized in that way (e.g. pdfs+docs+images+music files+videos files) and have them tested by some sort of in-build security software for security before being able to put them in the Files app.

Just some random ideas, I'm not an OS expert but I'm sure anything is possible. Just have to find the rights ideas and solutions.

One if the most common ways of distributing malware is to hide malicious code in images, music files and other documents. That’s the point of sandboxing - it severely restricts the very possibility of such malicious code actually being able to do anything of value to a hacker. The minute you allow those sorts of files to cross sandbox boundaries, yes, you inherently degrade file system security. If you’ve implemented a sandbox for security, then there is no point in keeping it at all if you’re going to allow exceptions, any exceptions, to the sandbox rules. It’s no different than installing door locks in your house, but then never actually locking the doors. Pointless to begin with.

It is precisely why there are tens of thousands of Windows exploits in the wild at any given time. Windows exploits propagate in emails and various file attachments or internet downloads or files exchanged by users. Since they have effectively unrestricted access to the OS and file system, then can install themselves, run and access any other file on your Windows machine. They can also self propagate at that point.

Given what many people routinely carry around in their smart phones and tablets, I would not want Apple to do anything to degrade iOS security and open doors to malicious software that currently don’t exist. They designed iOS from the ground up to avoid such issues with this particular operating system, and they have been steadfast in keeping to that design philosophy.

Its been said many, many times, but people refuse to acknowledge it - there is no such thing as “convenient security”. You either have convenience or you have security, but those two concepts are at mutually exclusive odds with each other.

Given what many people routinely carry around in theor smart phones and tablets, I would not want Apple to do anything to degrade iOS security

Neither would I. And I would vehemently oppose all attempts to do so.