3.2   Library Folders

Outside of EagleFiler, for example when you are browsing in the Finder, each EagleFiler library appears as a library folder with the following structure:

• The .eflibrary file is the way that you open the library in EagleFiler. It also holds various information about the contents of the library, such as indexes that EagleFiler uses for searching, as well as tags and other metadata that you’ve added.
• The Files folder contains all the files and folders that have been imported into the library. The folder hierarchy within the Files folder matches that within EagleFiler, so you can easily browse and search the contents of your library from outside of EagleFiler.
• The Notes folder contains one RTF file for each record that has a note. You can edit a record’s notes using the Info inspector. The notes are searchable within EagleFiler and also from Spotlight.
• One way to import files into the library is to move or save them into To Import folder. You can do this even if EagleFiler is not currently running. When EagleFiler completes the import, the files are in the Files folder and no longer appear in the To Import folder. You may wish to drag the To Import folder to your Dock or to the Finder’s sidebar so that it’s easy to find.
• If a file in the To Import folder cannot be imported, EagleFiler moves it to the Unable to Import folder. If there have not been any such errors, this folder will not exist.
• The Smart Folders folder contains a .plist file for each smart folder in the library. You can copy a smart folder from one library to another by copying the associated .plist file. (Make sure that the libraries aren’t open in EagleFiler when you do this.)

The contents of the library folder are managed by EagleFiler. What this means is that the files and folders are fully accessible to other applications, but there are some limits to the kinds of changes you can make to the library from outside of EagleFiler.

You can:

• view and search the contents of the library folder using the Finder, Spotlight, and other applications.
• open files using other applications.
• edit files using other applications and save your changes (without changing the filename).
• add files to the To Import folder.
• change the Finder label, Spotlight comments, and extended attributes of files in the library folder.
• edit folder and file icons using the Finder’s Get Info window.
• store the library folder on a shared volume.

So long as you don’t do it while the library is open in EagleFiler, you can:

• move or rename the library folder.
• rename the .eflibrary file.
• backup and restore the entire library folder.

You should not:

• open the library in more than one copy of EagleFiler at a time.
• move, rename, or delete files inside the Files or Notes folders.
• modify the .eflibrary file.
• move or rename the library folder’s ancestor folders while the library is open in EagleFiler.
• edit the contents of mailbox files.
• store a library inside another library’s folder.
• tag files from outside of EagleFiler.

These restrictions ensure that the contents of the library folder stay in sync with the .eflibrary, so that EagleFiler knows where all the files are. If necessary, you can create new files inside the Files or Notes folders, but in most situations this is not very useful because EagleFiler will ignore files that were neither created in EagleFiler nor imported.

A common question is about file synchronization software:

• It’s fine to use software that copies folders quickly by only copying the files that have changed. An example of this is SuperDuper’s Smart Update feature. Such software works great with EagleFiler because it copies data in only one direction at a time. You end up with the same result as if you’d done a regular copy, but it doesn’t take as long. If you use ChronoSync, be sure to uncheck Prune folders and Ignore invisibles.
• You should not use software that synchronizes or merges by copying data in both directions at once. This is equivalent to adding/moving/renaming/deleting files, and so it would cause the Files and Notes folders to get out of sync with the .eflibrary file.