Deleting files and folders

Delete files and folders for you or for everyone.

  • To delete a folder, you need Owner or Editor access.
  • To delete a top-level folder, you need Owner access.
  • To delete a subfolder, you need Owner or Editor access to the top-level folder.

Deleting a file

  1. From the navigation bar, click Files then locate the file that you want to delete.
  2. Select the checkbox for the file, then click Move To Trash in the action bar.

Deleting a folder

  1. From the navigation bar, click Files.
  2. In the sidebar, select the folder that you want to delete.
  3. Click the arrow next to the folder name in the action bar, then select Delete Folder.

Good to know

In HCL Connections, if you delete a folder, that folder and any folders nested within it are deleted. However, the files in those folders are NOT deleted, only removed from those folders. Unlike a desktop file system, in Connections, files are not contained in folders, rather, they are "referenced" by folders so that a single file can be organized in multiple folders. Note the following when deleting a file:
  • Different users can organize the same files in different ways that are more useful to them. This flexibility is extremely valuable and powerful in a system like Connections, which is intended for multiple users collaborating on the same files.
  • When you delete a folder, the files are removed from that specific folder but are not deleted. The files are still available in the My Files view, or if a file is owned by someone else, it is still in its original location.
Consider the following example:
  • You create a file, share it with others, and allow them to re-share the file.
  • You organize your file in a folder, and others organize that same file in different folders, organized to meet their needs.
  • You delete your folder containing your file.

You have no way of knowing who is using your file or how they have organized it. You can only see your context, not theirs. If the file was deleted when you deleted the folder, you would not know what effect that deletion had on other users. If you really want to delete the file everywhere, you can go to My Files and delete the file.