Select Files With Glob Include and Exclude Filters in Blober
· 4 min read · Updated
In Blober you choose the scope by browsing, before you write any rule. You don't need to know the exact path.
In Source Configuration, click Browse Files and Folders. You can select:
- A single file
- Several files from different locations
- One folder
- Several folders
- An entire storage root when supported
Use Add More Files and Folders to add to the selection. Each selected item is listed in the workflow and can be removed on its own.
A narrow selection is faster to scan and easier to check. If the files you need are all inside Client-Projects/2026, select that folder and leave the unrelated ten-year archive around it out of the workflow.
Advanced Filters (Optional) appears when the source selection contains a folder. The filters apply to the files Blober finds as it scans that folder.
A file you select directly needs no filter, because you already chose it. A folder can hold anything, so the filters decide which of its files qualify.
The controls are File Types, Created Date Range, File Size, Include Subdirectories, and the two Glob Filters fields, Include Pattern and Exclude Pattern.
A file has to pass every active filter. A .mov file can match the extension choice and still be left out because it is older than the date range or sits inside an excluded proxy folder.
A glob is a path pattern:
*matches characters within one path level.**matches recursively across directory levels.?matches one character.{jpg,png,webp}matches one of the listed alternatives.
Blober matches glob rules case-insensitively against both the file's full decoded path and its filename.
Examples:
*.jpg
matches a JPEG filename.
**/*.jpg
matches JPEG files recursively at any depth.
**/*.{jpg,jpeg,png,webp}
matches several image extensions recursively.
**/proxies/**
matches everything beneath any folder named proxies.
The Include Pattern picks the files to consider, and the Exclude Pattern removes files from that set.
For original video files without proxies:
Include Pattern: **/*.{mp4,mov,mxf}
Exclude Pattern: **/{proxy,proxies,cache,temp}/**
Blober checks the exclude pattern first, so a file that matches it stays out even when it also matches the include pattern.
Type exclusions in the Exclude Pattern field without a leading !.
The Include Subdirectories checkbox controls whether the scan descends into nested folders.
Turn it off when only the files directly inside the selected folder matter. Leave it on for project trees, archives and buckets where matches may sit several levels deep.
The checkbox and {file_dir} work on different sides of the transfer:
- On the source, Include Subdirectories controls which nested files are found.
- On the destination,
{file_dir}controls whether their relative nested path appears in a custom destination template.
So a workflow can search every level and still flatten the destination, or search every level and keep all of it.
Selected folder: Agency
Include: **/*.{mp4,mov,jpg,png}
Exclude: **/{draft,drafts,proxy,proxies,temp}/**
Selected folder: Business
Include: **/*.{pdf,doc,docx,xls,xlsx}
Exclude: **/{cache,temp,autosave}/**
Selected folder: Projects
Include: **/*
Exclude: **/node_modules/**
The exclude field takes one glob expression. To exclude several folders whose names follow a convention, list the names in braces:
**/{node_modules,dist,build,coverage}/**
Use the built-in Raw Photos extension choices or include:
**/*.{cr2,nef,arw,dng,raw}
Then pair the filter with this template:
raw/{file_created_date}/{file_dir}/{filename}
Glob filters are selection rules that a workflow applies each time it scans a known scope. They do not build a permanent search index.
For object storage, that means there is no separate catalog to keep in sync and no full-text or media-analysis service to set up. The rules work from the names and paths that are already there, and the matching files can be copied into a destination layout that is easier to browse next time.
If your folder and file names already carry signals such as Final, RAW, 2026, or Client-A, a glob can select on them.
After source and destination are complete, Preview & Summary displays:
- Active extension, date, size, and glob filters
- Matching item count and known total size
- Example source paths
- Expected destination paths
Read it as the result of your filter. If files you expected are missing, simplify the include pattern. If unwanted files are still there, tighten the exclude pattern or select a narrower folder.
A visual selection plus a short pattern is easier to verify than one glob that encodes every client, year, extension and exception. Prefer:
Select: Clients/Acme/2026
Include: **/*.{pdf,xlsx}
Exclude: **/drafts/**
over a long expression that starts at the account root. The safest scope is usually the smallest one you can still read at a glance.
What does a double asterisk mean in a glob pattern?
It matches across directory levels, so **/*.jpg finds JPEG files at any depth. A single * only matches characters within one path level.
Are Blober's glob filters case-sensitive? No. Blober matches them case-insensitively against both the file's full path and its filename.
What happens when a file matches both the include and the exclude pattern? It is left out. The exclude pattern is checked first and wins.
Do I need a ! in front of an exclude pattern?
No. Type a normal glob, such as **/node_modules/**, in the Exclude Pattern field.