# 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**. > [!NOTE] > > If your server doesn't have Apteco software version Q3 2026 or later, the **User Defined Folder Structure** setting shows a message saying the feature isn't supported by the version of the FastStats components installed on your server. Contact your partner or technical administrator to upgrade them. ## 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. > [!NOTE] > > **Example** > > An Apteco CDP system starts with **Individuals**, followed by **Email Addresses**, **Mobile Numbers**, and **Landline Numbers**, with the transaction tables further down. 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. > [!NOTE] > > The **System Diagram** and **Folder Structure** tabs share one save. Selecting **Save** on either tab saves both, and **Build System** saves your changes before it builds the system. ## 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 > [!TIP] > > To scroll the window while dragging, drag the item towards the top or bottom edge. 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. > [!TIP] > > Use search to select items from across your whole system. Your selection stays in place when you change the search term, so you can search for "email", tick the items you want, then search for "mobile" and tick more before moving them all together. Search results show matching items within their folders. > [!NOTE] > > **Example use case** > > **Group contact details** > > A charity wants supporters' contact information in one place. They create a top-level folder called **Contact details**, move the **Email Addresses**, **Mobile Numbers**, **Landline Numbers**, and **Addresses** folders into it, then move **Contact details** inside **Individuals**. ### 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. > [!NOTE] > > Only folders can sit at the top level of the structure. Variables must be inside a folder. ### 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. > [!NOTE] > > If you remove a table before you first save your system definition, no folder is created for 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]().