Work with Local Files

Add files from your computer to a Drylab Desktop project without uploading them, then find, preview and open them, and the results Drylab saves next to them.

In Drylab Desktop, your files stay on your computer. When you add a file, Drylab places it in your project folder instead of uploading it, and every result Drylab produces is saved as a normal file in that same folder.

Where your files live

Each Drylab Desktop project is a folder on your computer. Drylab uses two folders inside it:

Folder	What goes in it
`Project Files`	Files you add from the app, for example with drag and drop.
`History`	One folder per chat, holding its notebook (`note.ipynb`), figures, tables and scripts.

Files you already keep elsewhere in the project folder stay where they are, and Drylab can use them directly. For how to open and switch projects, see Use the Desktop App.

Drag and drop files into a chat

The fastest way to bring data in is to drag it from Finder, File Explorer or your file manager.

Open a chat, or start a new one.
Select one or more files on your computer.
Drag them onto the chat box. When it shows "Drop files to attach", let go.

Drylab adds the files to Project Files and attaches them to your next message. Nothing is uploaded.

Same drive: the file is usually added instantly, without using extra disk space. You see a message such as "Added 1 file to sandbox". The original and the file in Project Files are then the same file on disk: edits to one usually show in the other, and deleting one keeps the other.
Another drive (a USB drive, an external disk): Drylab copies the file into the project, with a message such as "Copied 2 files to project". Large files take a moment.
Same name: if Project Files already has a file with that name, the new one is saved as name_1.csv, name_2.csv and so on. Nothing is overwritten.
Questions from Drylab: when Drylab asks you for a file during an analysis, you can drop it onto the question card too. Its Upload files to project button changes to "Drop files here" when you drag files over it.

Drag and drop works with files only. To add a whole folder, copy it into the project folder with your file manager. It shows up in the File tree on its own.

Choose the right way to add files

Way to add files	Where the file goes	Uploaded?
Drag files onto the chat box	`Project Files` in your project folder	No
File tree: right-click, Upload new File	The folder you right-clicked (or the folder that holds the file you right-clicked)	No
Copy files into the project folder with your file manager	Wherever you put them	No
Chat box + menu: Upload file or Upload folder	Your Drylab Vault in the cloud	Yes

Best practice

For large, unpublished or sensitive data, use drag and drop, the File tree, or your file manager. Your data never leaves your computer. Use the + menu only when you want a copy in your cloud Vault, for example to use it from the web app.

The File tree

The File section of the left sidebar shows everything in your project folder. It updates on its own when files change on disk, so files you copy in with your file manager, and results Drylab saves, appear without a refresh.

Right-click a file, a folder or the empty space below the tree:

Option	What it does
Create new Folder	Adds a folder. Type the name and press `Enter`, or `Esc` to cancel.
Upload new File	Opens a file picker and adds one file to this folder, without uploading it. Right-click a file to add next to it, or the empty space to add to the top of the project.
Attach to Chat Box	Adds the file or folder to your next message.
Open in Your Explorer	Shows the item in Finder, File Explorer or your file manager.

You can also:

Hover over a file and click the paperclip (Attach to chat) to attach it, or the star to add it to Favorites.
Drag a file or folder from the tree onto the chat box to attach it.
Click a file to preview it (see Preview and open files).

To rename, move or delete files, use Finder, File Explorer or your file manager. The tree follows your changes.

Mention local files in a message

Type @ in the chat box and start typing a file or folder name. Drylab searches your whole project folder; pick a result to attach it.

Drylab works on the real files in your project folder: it reads your data from there and saves its results there. To use a file that lives outside the project, add it first with drag and drop or Upload new File.

For more on mentions, see Mention Files.

Preview and open files

Click a file in the File tree or in a chat's files panel to preview it inside Drylab. Supported files include images (including TIFF), tables (.csv, .tsv, .xlsx, .xls), text and code, notebooks, PDF, Word and PowerPoint documents, sequences (.fasta, .gb), genomics tracks (.bam, .vcf, .bed), molecular structures, phylogenetic trees and reference files (.bib, .ris).

Large files in a chat's files panel: files over 10 MB don't open there. You see "Cannot open ..." with the file size. Use Show in folder and open the file in another app.
Other file types: opened from the File tree, they show a View in Explorer button that opens the file's location. In a chat's files panel, Drylab tells you the type isn't supported for preview.
Markdown files (.md) opened in a chat can be edited: click Edit, make your changes and click Save. The file on your computer is updated.

In the Desktop App, buttons that would download a file show it on your computer instead, because the file is already there:

Where	Button	What it does
A chat's files panel	Show in folder	Opens the file's location.
The notebook	Show in folder	Opens the chat's `note.ipynb` in its folder.
A file path in Drylab's answer	Open in file explorer (on hover)	Opens the file's location.

Chat folders on your computer

Each chat's results live in its own folder under History, so some chat actions also change files on disk:

Rename a chat: its folder under History is renamed to the new name.
Delete a chat: tick Also delete the session's files to remove its folder from your computer too. Leave it unticked to keep the files.
Fork a chat: the files you pick, plus the notebook, are copied into the new chat's folder ("Files will be copied locally on your machine").
Share a chat: only the files you select are uploaded, so the people you share with can open them. See Share.

Folders to avoid

Pick a project folder on your computer's own disk.

Cloud-synced folders (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox): the app warns "Cloud Storage Folder Detected", because syncing can slow analyses down and cause file errors while they run. Click Select a Different Folder and choose a local folder, or Continue Anyway if you accept the risk.
Windows: folders on a network share or in a Linux (WSL) location such as \\wsl.localhost\... can't be used ("Folder Location Not Supported"). Copy the folder to a drive such as C:\Users\<you>\Documents\ and open it from there.

Best practices

One folder per study. Keep each experiment in its own project folder so its chats and results stay together.
Keep raw data in Project Files (or a subfolder such as Project Files/raw) and leave History to Drylab.
Work from the same drive. Files on the same drive as the project are usually added instantly; files from another drive are copied.
Don't edit a file while an analysis uses it. Wait for the run to finish before you change or move its input files.
Ask for clear file names. Mention the exact files in your prompt ("Using counts.csv and metadata.csv in Project Files, ...") and ask Drylab to save results under names you'll recognize.
Back up the project folder like any other research data. It holds your data, notebooks and results.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What to do
Nothing happens when you drop a file	Drop the files right on the chat box. In an open chat, drops are ignored while Drylab is answering or while a file from the + menu is uploading. Wait until it finishes, then drop the file again.
Dropping a folder does nothing	Folders can't be dropped. Copy the folder into your project folder with your file manager.
"Cannot open ..." with "over the 10 MB preview limit"	The file is too large to preview in the chat's files panel. Click Show in folder and open it in another app. Drylab can still analyze it.
"Cloud Storage Folder Detected"	Choose a folder that isn't synced to the cloud, or continue if you accept slower runs.
A file you added isn't in the File tree	Look in `Project Files` (or the folder you right-clicked). If you added it with the + menu, it went to your Vault instead.

For other problems, see Troubleshooting the Desktop App.

Work with Local Files

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