Transfer view
FTP, S3, WebDAV and Azure connections open a two-pane view – your computer on the left, the storage on the right – with drag and drop and a transfer queue.
FTP, FTPS, S3, WebDAV and Azure Blob connections have no shell. When you open one, its tab shows the transfer view instead of a terminal: your computer on the left, the remote storage on the right, and a queue for the transfers between them. You browse both sides, move files in either direction, edit text files and let AI Pilot help with the storage.
The layout
- Local (left) shows your computer. It opens in the connection's Local start directory, or in your home folder if the field is empty. In the Mac App Store version, you choose the folders for Local once in a dialog, and kaiport remembers them.
- The remote pane (right) carries the name of the connection and opens in its Remote start directory. Without one, it starts at the server's default location: the login directory on FTP, the top level on the other types. S3 and Azure without a fixed bucket or container list all buckets or containers as folders there. See Start directories.
- Between the panes sit Upload selection (arrow to the right) and Download selection (arrow to the left).
- Below the panes, the transfer queue appears as soon as you transfer something.
The rail on the right only has the AI Pilot button here. Storage tabs can't be split, and the file browser, the terminal search and Clear terminal don't apply.
Move around in both panes
Both panes work like the file browser: double-click a folder to open it, and use Parent folder, the path, Home, Refresh and the filter field. Folders come first, then files.
To select several files, ⌘Ctrl-click single rows or Shift-click a range. As soon as files are selected, an arrow button with their number appears next to the filter field of that pane.
Transfer files
Files always go into the folder the other pane currently shows.
| Direction | Ways to do it |
|---|---|
| Upload (computer → storage) | Drag files from Local onto the remote pane. Select files in Local and click Upload selection or the arrow button next to the filter field. Click Upload in the row of a local file. |
| Download (storage → computer) | Drag files from the remote pane onto Local. Select files in the remote pane and click Download selection or the arrow button next to the filter field. Click Download in the row of a remote file. |
| From Finder, Explorer or your file manager | Drop files onto the remote pane, or click Upload in the toolbar of the remote pane and choose files. |
When you drag a file that is part of the selection, all selected files come along.
Folders can't be transferred. kaiport skips them in selections and when you drag between the panes; if you drop a folder from your file manager onto the remote pane, the queue shows Folders cannot be transferred. To copy a whole folder tree, ask AI Pilot: it can create the folders and transfer the files one by one.
On FTP, the server handles one command at a time: while a large file is being transferred, opening a folder waits until the transfer is done.
The transfer queue
The queue under the panes is headed Transfers, followed by the number of transfers still running. It lists the latest transfers first, up to eight at a time, each with its name, the amount transferred so far, the total size and a progress bar. Failed transfers are marked and show the error message.
- When a transfer finishes, both panes reload, so new files show up right away. Changes AI Pilot makes refresh both panes too.
- Clear finished (the trash icon) removes finished and failed transfers from the list.
The queue belongs to the tab and is gone when you close it.
Manage files
New folder, Rename and Delete work in both panes, as in the file browser. Deleting asks for confirmation and removes folders with everything inside them.
S3 and Azure store objects, not real folders. New folder creates an empty placeholder object whose name ends with /, and renaming a folder copies every object below it and deletes the originals, which takes a while for large folders. Buckets and containers can't be created, renamed or deleted in kaiport. See Buckets and folders.
Open files in the editor
Double-click a text file or click Edit in its row to open it in the editor. This works on the remote side over FTP, S3, WebDAV and Azure, and on the left side for files on your computer. Save writes the file back the same way it came.
If a remote file turns out not to be text, kaiport downloads it into the folder shown on the left instead. The editor opens files up to 2 MB; for a larger file, the queue shows File is too large to open (max 2 MB). – transfer it instead.
With Settings → Editor → Editor set to External, files open in the application you chose. kaiport downloads remote files to a temporary copy and uploads it again every time you save. See Use an external editor.
When the connection fails
While the tab connects, the remote pane shows Connecting …. If the connection fails, it shows Connection failed with the error message and, when kaiport recognizes the problem, up to three Possible causes. These rule-based hints cover typical mistakes such as wrong access keys, a wrong region or a missing bucket, a blocked passive mode on FTP, a required or mismatched TLS setting, self-signed certificates, a WebDAV address that points to the web interface, or a wrong Azure key or container.
- Try again connects once more. ⌘RCtrlR does the same.
- AI diagnosis opens AI Pilot with a prepared question about the error. AI Pilot also sees the possible causes. Press Enter to send the question.
If the connection ends later, the pane shows Connection closed and Try again. To change the connection settings, edit the connection in the start window; see Storage connections.
AI Pilot in the transfer view
AI Pilot is part of kaiport Pro. Open AI Pilot with ⌘JCtrlJ or the AI Pilot button in the rail. Here it works with files instead of commands: it lists and searches folders, reads files, creates, renames and transfers them, and bundles larger changes into a plan you approve in one step. Deleting, renaming and overwriting always ask for confirmation.
Two buttons prepare a request for you:
- Folder report with the AI (the chart icon in the toolbar of the remote pane) asks for a report on the current folder with cleanup suggestions.
- Ask the AI about this file (the sparkle icon in every row, in both panes) asks AI Pilot to look at the file and explain what it does.
Both open the AI Pilot panel with the request in the input field; press Enter to send it. See AI Pilot for files and storage.