Cannot upload empty folder via web interface

[tomtomas99911]

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Steps to reproduce

1. Use NX 13 or 14 - try to upload empty folder

Expected behaviour

Uploaded empty folder (for example for creating directory tree).

Actual behaviour

Folder is not uploaded/created.

Server configuration

Operating system:
Debian 9
Web server:
Apache 2.4
Database:
MySQL
PHP version:
7.2
Nextcloud version: (see Nextcloud admin page)
14.0.1 (13 also related)

[nextcloud-bot]

GitMate.io thinks possibly related issues are #5053 (Can't delete an empty directory from the web interface), #11366 (Upload of folders in IE via web does not work anymore), #4243 (cannot delete files in upload-only folder), #4604 (Upload via public folder fails), and #6339 (Cannot mass upload folders with files (upload share)).

[Knot3n]

Hi,

please show us some logfiles ... Nextcloud / Apache Log

[tomtomas99911]

There are no error logs in Nextcloud (lvl debug)/Apache.

[Knot3n]

Can you use another pc to test that?
Mobile phone?

[tomtomas99911]

Sure - tested on Windows 10 (Chrome, Firefox) and Ubuntu 18:04 (Chrome, Firefox too) - same problem here.

[Knot3n]

That is in case strange, do you have maybe error logs from PHP-FPM?

Can you test that with the Nextcloud Software for Windows 10

I tested it right now on my imac without problems / errors.

[tomtomas99911]

Nextcloud client on Windows 10 can create empty folder, this is related only in browser. No errors in php-fpm.

[Knot3n]

Hi,

i can reproduce this "problem".

Seems like its a "security feature".

You can simply add a .txt file into the folders to upload them, that should fix that.

[tomtomas99911]

What it means security feature please?

When it is a security feature, there will might be a info warning like this "you cannot upload empty folder..."

[tomtomas99911]

@Knot3n

[Knot3n]

@tomtomas99911 i dont really know why.

You can create over the Software Folders - over the webinterface too (with dropdown menu).

But i dont know why you cant uplaod empty folders over the webinterface (Drag & Drop).

[owncloud-lumineau]

If you drag & drop a whole tree containing empty folders, those are not taken into account. Furthermore, it is recursive so that if folder A contains only one object as empty folder B, folder B is not picked in the copy and, as a result, folder A becomes empty as well and is not copied ether.

You may try this way:

First, you build a tree on you're desktop, outside Nextcloud like this

├── folder-A
│   ├── file-A
│   ├── folder-A1
│   │   └── file-A1
│   ├── folder-A2
│   │   └── file-A2
│   ├── folder-A3
│   ├── folder-A4
│   └── folder-A5
├── folder-B
│   ├── file-B1
│   ├── folder-B1
│   │   └── file-B1
│   ├── folder-B2
│   │   └── file-B2
│   ├── folder-B3
│   ├── folder-B4
│   └── folder-B5
├── folder-C
│   ├── folder-C1
│   ├── folder-C2
│   └── folder-C3
├── folder-D
│   ├── file-D
│   ├── folder-D1
│   ├── folder-D2
│   └── folder-D3
│   ├── folder-D31
│   │   ├── folder-D311
│   │   └── folder-D312
│   └── folder-D32
└── folder-E
├── file-E1
└── file-E2

Then you may copy all these 5 folders using drag&drop:

├── dossier-A
├── dossier-B
├── dossier-C
├── dossier-D
└── dossier-E

What is done is this:

├── folder-A
│   ├── file-A
│   ├── folder-A1
│   │   └── file-A1
│   ├── folder-A2
│   │   └── file-A2
│   ├── folder-A3 --> empty: not picked
│   ├── folder-A4 --> empty: not picked
│   └── folder-A5 --> empty: not picked
├── folder-B
│   ├── file-B1
│   ├── folder-B1
│   │   └── file-B1
│   ├── folder-B2
│   │   └── file-B2
│   ├── folder-B3 --> empty: not picked
│   ├── folder-B4 --> empty: not picked
│   └── folder-B5 --> empty: not picked
├── folder-C --> empty(): not picked
│   ├── folder-C1 --> empty: not picked
│   ├── folder-C2 --> empty: not picked
│   └── folder-C3 --> empty: not picked
├── folder-D
│   ├── file-D
│   ├── folder-D1 --> empty: not picked
│   ├── folder-D2 --> empty: not picked
│   └── folder-D3 --> empty(): not picked
│   ├── folder-D31 --> empty(*): not picked
│   │   ├── folder-D311 --> empty: not picked
│   │   └── folder-D312 --> empty: not picked
│   └── folder-D32 --> empty: not picked
└── folder-E
├── file-E1
└── file-E2

(*) recursivity: becomes empty since subs are not picked

With the following final result in NC after copying is done:

├── folder-A
│   ├── file-A
│   ├── folder-A1
│   │   └── file-A1
│   └── folder-A2
│   └── file-A2
├── folder-B
│   ├── file-B1
│   ├── folder-B1
│   │   └── file-B1
│   └── folder-B2
│   └── file-B2
├── folder-D
│   └── file-D
└── folder-E
├── file-E1
└── file-E2

I have tried on NC 14.0.4 and NC 15.0.4

[tomtomas99911]

I know how to do it manually, thank you! :).

But BFU users, are accustomed to this function. If you want to upload empty folder structure (or normal forlder structure with some empty folder) you can do it on other cloud solutions (e.g. Google Drive).

And when BFU upload folder with drag&drop they are expecting that everything which is in that folder will be uploaded (including folder structure [empty or not]) especially when there is no error reported during upload.