Table of Contents
Setting archive properties
31. July 2026
Table of Contents
Archive properties
Go to Archives > Create archive.
Name, Group, and Path
The archive name and path fields might already be filled in depending on how you created the archive. You can change the archive name if necessary. If the path is not filled in, enter it manually or select Browse to locate the folder. When creating archives of network folders, we recommend that Windows users locate the folder in Network Neighborhood, as this ensures that Fotostation uses a UNC path to the files. This makes exporting archives and sharing configurations between multiple workstations easier, as Fotostation won’t have to rely on mounted network disks or drive letter mapping.
An archive is always assigned to a group. Archives belonging to the same group are listed under the same group header in the archives side panels, provided that group headers are enabled on the side panels’ properties page.
Archive type
Select the type of connection to the archive from the Archive type dropdown list. There are three archive types available:
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File system archive
Here, you can select a local or shared folder. You can also use a dynamic operator representing a folder, for example, %%INSMYPICTURES
In Windows, UNC paths are also supported.
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Index Manager 8.x
To connect to Index Manager archives (supported with Fotostation Client only), select Index Manager from the dropdown list and either enter the path to the archive or use the Browse button (...) to locate the server and archive to which you want to connect. To establish a connection, you need to know the server's hostname or IP address. When you enter the hostname, the connection dialog will list all archives available on that server. You might be required to authenticate with a username and password.
If your Index Manager server is configured to use a port other than the standard port (7000), you must specify the port number along with the hostname, for example: hostname:7001.
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Fotoware Veloz
A connection to Fotoware Veloz can be established by entering the URL for your Fotoware Veloz tenant. You need to authenticate via the Fotware Veloz web interface to connect directly to the “pools” on the server. For more information, see Connecting Fotostation and Fotoware Veloz.
The Index Manager and Fotoware Veloz archives are available only in the Fotostation Client.
A connection can also be made to a Fotostation archive over the Internet by choosing Fotoware from the list (Fotostation Client only). To locate the server, select the Browse button (...) and then enter the URL to the server (for example, www.servername.com - you don't have to worry about the remaining part of the URL). By default, Fotostation attempts to connect as a Guest user. Select Change Account to set your user account information for the server. A list of available archives is shown, and you can select which one you would like to connect to, as shown to the right.
Archive connections that require authentication
Connections to Index Manager, FotoWeb, and the Archive Agent require user authentication. This information is stored in Fotostation to make the archive easier to access in the future. To clear the login information for an archive (for example, to authenticate as another user), go to File > Log Out.
Tip
You can choose whether to show group headers. Even if you decide not to show group headers, we recommend always assigning archives to different groups, as this makes them easier to manage in the Archives panels.
Making a secure connection to Index Manager using SSL
If your servers are configured to use secure connections, you may be unable to connect to them over an unencrypted connection. In this case, you must enter fwps:// before the hostname to indicate that you want to use TLS. Your server URL may, for instance, look like this: fwps://indexmanagerserver.domain.net
Alternatively, you can connect to the server on its assigned TLS port to specify a secure connection. For instance, assuming port 7001 is used for TLS, the string could look like this: indexmanagerserver.domain.net:7001
Additional archive properties
Automatic refresh: Enable this option to refresh the view whenever files are added, modified, or removed from the archive.
Include subfolders: Enable this option to make Fotostation scan all subfolders within the archive’s top folder.
Tip
When browsing an archive, you can click the + icon next to the archive icon to view all subfolders. Then select one of the subfolders to display only the files within that folder.
Always apply this view type when archive is opened: Select this option and choose a view type from the dropdown list to set a default view type for the archive. Fotostation switches to this view type every time you access the archive. If this option is not selected (and therefore no default view type is set), Fotostation will apply the currently active view to the archive when it is opened.
Always apply this sort order when archive is opened: Select this option to make Fotostation sort files a certain way when accessing the archive. Choose a file sorting method using the dropdown list. If no default sorting method is chosen, Fotostation will sort the files in the archive according to the currently active sorting method.
Advanced archive properties
Set disabled actions: Select this option to disable access to certain actions when this archive is open. Then select the actions you want to disable and select OK. The actions will be grayed out and inaccessible, but not disappear completely from the Actions side panel.
Set Autosearch: Select this option to have Fotostation automatically search whenever the archive is opened. All subsequent searches are performed using the search results from the original autosearch. Click on the button to create a search query. See Advanced Search to learn how to create advanced search queries. Performing an automatic search whenever a large archive is opened can take some time. To fully utilize this feature, we recommend connecting Fotostation to an Index Manager search server, as Index Manager offers additional benefits, including synonym searching and word stemming.
File markers: Visual indicators on thumbnails and previews that help identify files that meet specific criteria. For example, an indicator can indicate whether a file has been printed or contains notes. For more information, see Configuring File Markers.
File filters: File filters control which file types Fotostation includes or excludes in the thumbnail view. The filter can be turned off completely, or you can choose between predefined filters in the dropdown menu: The Default file filter excludes executables, Windows thumbnail files, text files, and temporary files. The Basic image filter includes JPEG, TIFF, EPS, and PSD files while excluding all other file types. The Images and media files filter includes all the aforementioned image file types as well as GIF and bitmap formats, MP3 files, ASX, MOV video clips, and Windows Media audio and video formats. You may also modify the filters or create a custom filter by changing an unused filter. For more information, see the Customizing a filter section in Choosing which file types to display in archives.
Select metadata editor: Use the dropdown list to choose the default metadata editor to use when you work with files in this archive. The chosen editor will be used for all text editor functions in the archive. You can, of course, still change editors using the text editor menu, unless the system administrator has disabled this functionality. If you choose to <Use default>, Fotostation will remember the last used editor for different functions. For example, the editor used to add metadata to several files may differ from the one used to caption a single file.
Choosing an archive icon
Select the Select icon to add a custom icon to an archive or an action. Fotostation includes several icons to choose from. You can also import icons if you have purchased them from a collection, for example, or made your own using icon-creator tools. To do so, select Import, then choose the icon files you want to add to your configuration. When imported into Fotostation, the files are converted to PNG format and stored with your active configuration. Typically, Fotostation is configured per user, so your icons are stored at C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Fotoware\Fotostation\Configuration\Archive Icons.
These icons can also be used for Fotostation's Actions.
If you back up your configuration, these icon files will also be included in the backup set.
Setting archive-specific permissions
Applies to: Fotostation Pro and Client - See comparison here
Select More options... to set additional permissions related to how you browse and add files to the archive in Fotostation.
Allow subfolder browsing: By enabling this option, Fotostation displays a + symbol next to the archive. You can use this symbol to expand the subfolder structure inside the archive and browse the contents of individual subfolders. You can also right-click in the subfolder structure to create additional subfolders, rename, or delete existing subfolders.
Allow to edit metadata: Select this option to allow users to edit metadata on assets in the archive. If metadata editing is disabled globally, it may override this per-archive setting.
Allow file delete: By default, users can delete files in the archives. However, changing this option prevents users from deleting files.
A note about deleting files: Files deleted from local drives are put in the system's Recycle Bin/Trash. Files deleted from a network volume are deleted immediately.
Allow saving and dropping files in this archive: If you do not want users to be able to drop files into the archive or save files there via actions, you can disable saving files in the archive here. If your archive is Index Manager-controlled, you can specify one of the index document folders here to tell Fotostation where to store the files.
Automatically create new subfolder: When this option is checked, Fotostation creates a new, unique subfolder within the specified path whenever files are dropped into the archive. Disable this action if you do not want to create subfolders inside the specified folder.
Exclude sidecar (XMP) files from drag and drop: This archive setting prevents Fotostation from delivering any sidecar files associated with the file you're dragging and dropping. Note: This setting only affects files that you drag from the archive into other applications, such as InDesign.
Treat Wave (.wav) files as audio annotation to photo: If you've recorded audio on your digital camera, these will have the same name as the photo they belong to, but with the .wav extension. By treating these files as annotations, you can play back the recording by selecting the Play icon on the photo in the thumbnail grid.
Allow to edit image: When enabled, all image editing operations are allowed in the archive. When disabled, the following operations are unavailable to the user:
- Open file (from the context and program menus)
- Open in Photoshop
- Image menu options: Recolor, Resize, and Rotate on disk
Important: When image editing is disabled via the above setting, images can still be edited using Fotostation's Actions. To further control which actions are available in a specific archive, we recommend the Disabled actions option, described above.
Setting drag and drop properties for the archive
Applies to: Fotostation Pro and Client - See comparison here
When dragging and dropping files, whether between archives or to an external application such as Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder, Fotostation will, by default, move files within the same volume. Files dragged between volumes will be copied by default. You can use the Ctrl key (Option on the Mac) to toggle between copy and move in such operations.
However, to prevent drag-and-drop operations from moving files from their original location, you can disable file moving on a per-archive basis. Open the More options... dialog and turn off the Allow to move in Drag and Drop operations option. Fotostation will never allow users to move files when they are dragged from this archive.
By default, XMP sidecars are included in drops to the desktop or external applications. You can exclude them by turning on the Exclude sidecar (XMP) files from drag and drop option.
Note
Drag-and-drop operations between archives in Fotostation always include the sidecars, as excluding them can cause metadata to become 'detached' from the asset it belongs to.