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Organize Cloud Files by Type and Extension

Organize cloud files by type and extension during transfer with Blober

Two Ways File Type Matters

Section titled "Two Ways File Type Matters"

When users say "organize by type," they may mean either:

  1. Transfer only certain types.
  2. Transfer many types but place each in a type-specific destination.

Blober supports both operations without inspecting file contents.

  • File Types in Source Configuration > Advanced Filters decides which extensions qualify.
  • {file_ext} in Destination Configuration > Advanced Path Template inserts the matching file's extension into its path.

An extension is the suffix from the filename. For DSC_4821.ARW, {file_ext} is arw and {filename_no_ext} is DSC_4821.

Filtering to Specific Types

Section titled "Filtering to Specific Types"

After selecting a folder, expand Advanced Filters (Optional). Built-in groups include:

  • Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, SVG, WebP
  • Videos: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM
  • Documents: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, MD
  • Raw Photos: CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, RAW
  • Code: JS, PY, JAVA, CPP, HTML, CSS

You can combine extensions. If a required extension is not represented by a convenient category, use a glob include:

**/*.{mxf,braw,r3d}

Extension matching is case-insensitive. CLIP.MP4 and clip.mp4 qualify as the same type.

Building Type Folders

Section titled "Building Type Folders"

To transfer a mixed selection and create one folder per exact extension:

by-type/{file_ext}/{filename}

Examples:

by-type/mp4/interview.mp4
by-type/arw/DSC_4821.ARW
by-type/pdf/release-form.pdf
by-type/svg/logo.svg

This is literal extension organization. It creates both jpg and jpeg folders because those are different extensions. It also creates separate doc and docx folders.

If broader categories such as images, video, and documents are required, use separate workflows:

Workflow: Archive video
File Types: video extensions
Template: video/{file_dir}/{filename}
Workflow: Archive RAW photos
File Types: RAW extensions
Template: raw/{file_dir}/{filename}

Separate workflows are clearer than pretending {file_ext} knows that .mov and .mp4 belong to a business category called video.

Preserve Project Context

Section titled "Preserve Project Context"

A pure type split can mix unrelated clients:

{file_ext}/{filename}

For project-based work, retain the relative hierarchy:

{file_ext}/{file_dir}/{filename}

Selected folder:

Agency

Source file:

Agency/Client-A/Campaign-7/Final/hero.webp

Destination:

webp/Client-A/Campaign-7/Final/hero.webp

The selected Agency boundary is not repeated. {file_dir} begins below it.

Real Problems This Solves

Section titled "Real Problems This Solves"

Photographer

Section titled "Photographer"

One shoot folder contains RAW originals, JPEG previews, TIFF edits, and MP4 behind-the-scenes clips.

  • Archive RAW files to low-cost storage.
  • Copy JPEG/TIFF deliverables to a client share.
  • Send video to a separate editing volume.

Each workflow selects the same shoot folder but uses different extensions and destinations.

Designer

Section titled "Designer"

A project tree contains editable sources plus SVG, PNG, PDF, and WebP exports. Filter to export extensions and exclude drafts:

Include: **/*.{svg,png,pdf,webp}
Exclude: **/drafts/**
Template: deliverables/{file_ext}/{file_dir}/{filename}

Small business

Section titled "Small business"

A shared drive mixes invoices, scanned receipts, spreadsheets, and temporary office files. Create a durable document archive:

Include: **/*.{pdf,xls,xlsx,doc,docx}
Exclude: **/{temp,autosave}/**
Template: records/{file_ext}/{file_modified_date}/{filename}

Developer or IT team

Section titled "Developer or IT team"

Copy configuration and source files while excluding generated dependencies:

Exclude: **/{node_modules,dist,build,coverage}/**
Template: code-backup/{file_ext}/{file_dir}/{filename}

Limits of Extension-Based Organization

Section titled "Limits of Extension-Based Organization"

An extension is not a MIME-content inspection.

  • A renamed executable ending in .jpg still looks like a JPG to an extension rule.
  • Files without extensions produce an empty extension value.
  • Similar types can use several suffixes.
  • Sidecar files such as XMP may need explicit inclusion.

For trusted working files, extension rules are fast and understandable. For security validation or deep media classification, use a tool designed to inspect contents.

A Good First Test

Section titled "A Good First Test"

Select a small mixed folder and preview:

{file_ext}/{file_dir}/{filename}

Check:

  • Uppercase extensions normalize as expected.
  • Files without extensions have a sensible destination.
  • Duplicate filenames remain separated by {file_dir}.
  • Sidecar files are either deliberately included or excluded.

Continue with glob filtering for more exact type rules or size organization when large media and small documents need different storage.

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