Downloading file by file
A finished project holds thousands of files in dozens of folders. Downloaded one folder at a time, the structure is lost, a subfolder is missed and two files with the same name overwrite each other.
Closeout · Export center
Export project documents as a ZIP file
At the end of a job the owner, the lender or an auditor asks for every current document in its folder, in one file. This page shows how the Export center in Fidrel packs documents, drawings and models into a single ZIP file with the folder structure kept, what limits apply by browser and, just as important, what the ZIP does not contain.
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Why closeout archives are painful
Nobody knows which file is current
When several revisions of a drawing sit side by side, the archive does not say which was last. Without a list of numbers, revisions and statuses, the only way to find out is to open each file.
Not everything belongs to every reader
The person exporting may be allowed to read less than the project holds, and a recipient should not receive more than the exporter could see. An export that ignores access either leaks or fails.
What goes into the ZIP
The export holds the current version of each file, in its folder, and you export only what you may read. Earlier versions of a drawing are not packed; they stay in the version history in the project. Files that are not in any folder go into a group named Without a folder. Because the export follows your own access, two people can export the same project and get different archives.
Documents, drawings & models
Size limits and your browser
In Chrome and Edge an archive can hold up to 3.5 GB and 20,000 files, because the browser can write it straight to disk. Other browsers build the file in memory, and an archive there is limited to 100 MB. When the export is too large, the page says an export can hold at most a given size at a time and asks you to choose fewer folders. For a big project, run several exports by folder.
From the Export center to a ZIP file
Step 1
Open the Export center
The Export center sits beside the Import center. It exports documents, drawings and models as one ZIP file with their folders kept, for sending to others or for keeping.
Step 2
Choose what to export
Under What to export, choose Everything you can read here, or Selected folders and tick the folders you want. If you pick selected folders and tick none, the page says to choose at least one folder.
Step 3
Decide on the list of files
Tick Include a list of the files (CSV) to add a spreadsheet with the columns Folder, File, Title, Number, Revision, Status and Size in bytes. It is the quickest way to check a closeout set against the drawing register.
Step 4
Press Export as ZIP
Fidrel shows how many files it has exported out of the total, and you can Cancel at any time. In Chrome and Edge the archive is written straight to a file you choose; other browsers build it in memory.
Step 5
Read what could not be included
If some files could not be read, the page lists them as not in the export. Check that list before you send the archive on, and export those files again or fetch them from the project.
Using the CSV list at closeout
The list names every file with its folder, title, number, revision, status and size. Open it in a spreadsheet and compare it with the drawing register or with the closeout checklist to see what is missing. The number and revision come from the project’s own records, so a mismatch points at a file to fix before handing over.
What the ZIP does not contain
The ZIP holds the current version of each file, so it is not a complete project record: earlier versions, RFIs, meetings and the change log are not in it. Fidrel makes no claim that the archive meets any retention requirement. Files that could not be read are left out and listed instead.
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Closeout · Export center
Frequently asked questions
Anything else on your mind? We are happy to help.
Talk to usYes. Each file goes in the folder it has in the project, and files without a folder are grouped separately.
No. It holds the current version of each file. Earlier versions stay in the version history in the project.
Yes. Choose Selected folders and tick the ones you want, or choose everything you can read.
In Chrome and Edge, up to 3.5 GB and 20,000 files. In other browsers the archive is built in memory and is limited to 100 MB, so you export in smaller parts.
One row per file with the folder, the file name, the title, the number, the revision, the status and the size in bytes.