Add Files to an Archive

You can add files to a new, empty archive or to an archive that already contains files. Add files either by dragging and dropping them into an archive open in Smartcrypt, or you can select files to add in the Smartcrypt Add Files dialog.

The Add Files dialog offers two ways to specify files to add. You can:

• Select files directly from the folders where they reside on your system

• Specify a list of files: Use a list if you want to add files from several different folders or if you often want to select the same set of files to add to an archive. By saving a list of these files, you can just add them from the list instead of selecting them again each time.

To access the Add Files dialog, Choose Add Files from the Actions group, or click Add on the Quick Access toolbar.

Adding Files with the Add Files Dialog

Basically, adding files with the Add Files dialog is as simple as picking files and folders to add and choosing OK.

Note: This dialog will look different depending on your version of Windows.

To add files with the Add Files dialog:

1.  Use the buttons in the left pane and the controls in the Select files group to navigate to a folder that contains files you want to add.

2.  Select files to add from the displayed file listing.

• Shift+click and Ctrl+click to select multiple files. Click a folder to select all its files. Double-click a folder to open it and display its files.
• You can edit file names and patterns. See Edit File Names and Patterns to learn how.
• Names of currently selected files and folders appear in the File name field. Names in the field are overwritten each time you add to or change the set of selected files. The field is cleared if you open a different folder. To add files from multiple folders, use a list.

Note: For a more powerful way to include only certain kinds of files, use filters.

3.  Optionally, to add the names of the files in the File name field to a list, choose Add to List.

4.  Choose OK to add all selected files from the File name field and the Files to compress list.

Note: If you have filters turned on, any filters you have set are applied to this list of selected files. Only files that pass the filters are actually added.

You can set filters in the Compression filters drop-down menu.

If any check boxes in the dialog are checked—for example, to turn on encryption or signing—the related features are applied to the files added.

5.  Confirm whether you want to keep a copy of the original files with the Move files drop-down menu:

Note: If you have a folder selected in the archive, files are added to that folder in the archive. Otherwise, files are added in the root, or outermost, level of the archive.

If the archive is new and has not been named, the Save Archive As dialog opens so that you can name and save the archive. See here for information on how to save an archive.

Edit File Names and Patterns

You can edit the names and patterns in the File name field. For example, if you just want all the .txt files but not the other files in myfolder, you can change myfolder\*.* to myfolder\*.txt.

You can also enter a file name pattern by itself— for example, *.txt or my03??.doc. A file name pattern picks out all files whose names match the pattern.

So, for example, *.txt matches all files (in the folders searched) whose names end in .txt. Pattern *.htm? matches all files that end in .htm or .html (along with any other file with a four-letter extension beginning with .htm).

An advantage of using file name patterns, particularly if you are building a list to use again, is that patterns pick out all files that match. So even if new .txt files are added to a folder after you create your list, the pattern *.txt will match them the next time you use your list.

Compression Filter Dropdown

The Compression filter drop-down menu offers choices for applying filters to the set of selected files:

Access Filter Properties from the General page of Compression options.

Check Box Settings and Other Options

Other settings you have made in Compression options are applied automatically. For example, you can set options to control whether files already in the archive are updated, replaced, or supplemented:

• Freshening and updating files: On the General page of Compression options, you can use the Add mode drop-down menu to apply the following rules to files selected for your archive:

  • Add only files that are newer versions of files already in the archive

  • Add only files that are newer versions or are not in the archive at all

  • Add files regardless of whether versions of the files already exist in the archive

• Overwriting existing files: On the General page of Compression options, the Overwrite drop-down menu offers  options when you add a file that already exists in the archive.

Related Topics

Add Files with Drag and Drop

Add Files from a List

Encrypting Files

Encrypt Files When You Add Them to an Archive

Attach a Comment to an Archive

Compressing and Extracting from Archives

Options for Compressing and Adding Files

Filter Files by Date, Age, or Size

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