Folder structure

The Folder Structure tab lets you organise the folders and variables in your system to reflect the way your organisation works. Orbit Connect starts you off with a default structure based on your system diagram. You can then create, rename, and remove folders, and arrange variables where they're easiest to find.

Before you start

To structure your folders:

• Your server must have Apteco software version Q3 2026 or later

• An administrator must turn on the User Defined Folder Structure feature:

  1. Select Account and Settings in the top right corner.
  2. Select Preview Features.
  3. Turn on User Defined Folder Structure.

Default folder structure

Orbit Connect creates a folder for every table in your system diagram, containing that table's variables. Folders follow the order of the diagram: from the top down, then from left to right.

To see the default structure:

1. Go to System Builds.
2. On your system, open the option menu and select Edit, or create a new system. See Defining a system.
3. Add tables to your system diagram.
4. Select the Folder Structure tab.

Organise folders and variables

You can move folders and variables one at a time or several at once.

Move a single item

Drag a folder or variable by its grab handle:

• Drop it between two items to place it there
• Drop it on a folder to move it inside that folder

You can also open the option menu on any folder or variable and select Move to choose a destination from a list.

Move several items

To move several items:

1. Hover over an item and select its tick box. Repeat for each item you want to move. The number of selected items appears in a bar at the top of the tab.

   

2. In the selection bar, select Move.

3. Choose a destination folder, then select Move.

   You can search for a destination folder, or expand folders to find a subfolder. Destinations you can't use are greyed out, such as the folders your selected items are already in.

   

Moved items appear at the top of the destination folder, and the folder expands to show them.

Undo your changes

Use the icons at the top right of the tab:

• Undo: Reverse your last change
• Redo: Reapply a change you've undone
• Reset: Return to the structure as it was before your unsaved changes

Manage folders

Create your own folders to group variables in a way that suits your users, and rename, move, or remove folders as your structure changes.

Create a folder

• To add a top-level folder, select + New Folder
• To add a folder inside another, open the folder's option menu and select Add Subfolder

New folders always appear at the top of their parent folder.

Folder names must be unique across your system.

Rename, move, or delete a folder

Open a folder's option menu to:

• Add Subfolder
• Rename the folder
• Move the folder to another location
• Delete the folder

You can only delete an empty folder, so the Delete option only appears once you've moved all the folder's contents elsewhere.

Expand or collapse folders

Open the option menu at the top right of the tab, next to + New Folder, then:

• Use Expand All to show everything in your structure
• Use Collapse All to close every folder

When your system diagram changes

If you add a table to your system diagram after you've saved your system definition, Orbit Connect adds its variables to a new folder in the default position.

If you remove a table after you've saved your system definition, its variables are removed from the folder structure, but its folder stays. Delete the empty folder yourself if you no longer need it.

Save and build

When you're happy with your folder structure:

1. Select Save.
2. Build and deploy your system to make the new structure available in Orbit. See Building a system and Deploying a system.