Directory

This component helps you import files from a chosen folder into your Nappai automation workflow. It’s like a file picker on steroids, allowing you to select specific file types and control how many subfolders it searches.

Relationship with File Systems

This component directly interacts with your computer’s file system to locate and load files. It uses standard file paths to access folders and files.

Inputs

Path: Select the folder containing the files you want to load. Nappai provides a convenient folder browser to help you choose.
Types: Specify the types of files to load (e.g., .txt, .csv, .pdf). Leave this blank to load all file types. Use commas to separate multiple types (e.g., .txt,.csv).
Depth: Determines how many levels of subfolders to search. A value of 0 searches only the selected folder. A value of 1 searches the selected folder and one level of subfolders, and so on.
Max Concurrency (Advanced): Controls how many files are loaded simultaneously. Higher values might be faster but could use more computer resources. The default is 2.
Load Hidden (Advanced): If checked, the component will also load files that are hidden from normal view.
Recursive (Advanced): If checked, the component will search all subfolders within the selected folder, regardless of the Depth setting.
Silent Errors (Advanced): If checked, any errors encountered during file loading will be ignored. Otherwise, Nappai will report errors.
Use Multithreading (Advanced): If checked, the component will load files in parallel, potentially speeding up the process.

Outputs

The component produces a list of the data loaded from the selected files. This data can then be used by other components in your Nappai workflow for further processing (e.g., analysis, categorization, or storage). The format of the output data depends on the type of files loaded.

Usage Example

Imagine you have a folder with several .csv files containing sales data. You can use the “Directory” component to load all these files. You would set the Path to the folder, the Types to .csv, and the Depth to 0 (to only load files directly in the selected folder). The output “Data” will then contain the contents of all the .csv files, ready for further processing by other Nappai components like the “Categorizer” or “Google Sheet Writer”.

Templates

[List of templates where the component is used - This section needs to be populated with actual template names if available]

Google Drive File Manager: Use this to select files directly from your Google Drive.
S3 Writer: Use this to save the loaded data to an Amazon S3 bucket.
Google Sheet Writer: Use this to write the loaded data to a Google Sheet.
Categorizer: Use this to categorize the data loaded from the files.
Extract Data: Use this to extract specific information from the loaded data.

Tips and Best Practices

Start with a small test folder to ensure the component is working correctly before processing large amounts of data.
Carefully select the file types to avoid loading unnecessary files.
Adjust the “Max Concurrency” setting based on your computer’s performance. Too high a value might slow things down.
Use the advanced settings cautiously. Understanding their implications is crucial before enabling them.

Security Considerations

Only load files from trusted sources. Loading files from untrusted locations could pose a security risk.
Be mindful of the data you are loading and ensure it complies with any relevant data privacy regulations.