Learning Center

Move files to and from the tablet

Get design files, maps and overlays onto the tablet, and surveys, exports and backups off it: USB cable to a Windows PC, Google Drive or email downloads, a USB stick, and where the app's file pickers look.

  • Full Automation Kit
  • Guidance Only Kit
  • Ditch Assist Lite
  • DIG™ Kit

Where The tablet's Download folder, then the app's file picker

Files go onto the tablet before a job: designs, overlay maps and elevation files. Surveys, exports and backups come off it afterwards. This page shows three ways to move them, then how to open a file in the app.

Before you start

Time: about 5 minutes.

  • The tablet is charged, and you know how to unlock it (PIN, pattern or fingerprint).
  • For a computer: a Windows computer and a USB-C cable that carries data. The cable that came with the tablet does.
  • For Drive or email: the tablet is on Wi-Fi with internet, such as farm Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot (Wi-Fi on the tablet). The control module, DIG module and Reach Wi-Fi networks have no internet.

The two folders that matter

Folder on the tabletWhat's in it
DownloadFiles you bring in: designs, overlay maps and ZIPs, KML and elevation files. Files you download in Chrome, Gmail or Drive land here too.
Documents/DitchAssistEverything the app saves: surveys, designs, jobs, benchmarks, LiDAR fields and logs. Exported files are in its exports folder. See Where the app keeps your files.

On a computer, both folders sit inside the tablet's Internal storage.

Copy with a USB cable (Windows computer)

Some of these steps happen on the tablet and some on the computer. Computer screens differ between Windows versions, so they are described in words.

  1. Plug the tablet into the computer

    Push the small USB-C end of the cable into the tablet's charging port. Push the other end into a USB port on the computer.

    Some cheap cables only charge. If the computer never shows the tablet, try another cable.

  2. Unlock the tablet

    Wake the screen and unlock it. While the tablet is locked, the computer can't see its files.

  3. Swipe down from the top edge of the tablet screen

    Put one finger on the very top edge of the screen and slide it down. The pull-down panel opens with your notifications (The pull-down panel).

  4. Tap the USB notification

    Look for the line that mentions USB. It often says the tablet is charging over USB. Tap it. A list of USB choices opens.

  5. Tap the choice for moving files

    On Samsung tablets it reads Transferring files (sometimes followed by / Android Auto). On other tablets it reads File transfer.

    If the tablet asks whether to allow access to its data, tap Allow.

  6. Open File Explorer on the computer

    Click the yellow folder icon on the taskbar along the bottom of the computer screen. Or hold down the Windows key and press E.

  7. Double-click the tablet

    In the column down the left side of File Explorer, click This PC. The tablet is listed by its name, for example Galaxy Tab A11+. Double-click it.

  8. Double-click Internal storage

    Some tablets call it Internal shared storage.

    You should see the tablet's folders, such as Android, DCIM, Documents and Download. Nothing there? Unlock the tablet again (step 2) and check step 5.

Now copy in the direction you need.

To put files on the tablet:

  1. Drag the files onto the Download folder

    Drag them from your computer and drop them on Download. A copy window shows the progress. Wait until it closes.

To take files off the tablet:

  1. Double-click Documents

  2. Double-click DitchAssist

    You should see the app's folders: surveys, designs, jobs, exports and others.

  3. Drag what you need onto the computer's desktop

    The exports folder holds exported surveys. For a full backup, go back one folder and drag the whole DitchAssist folder.

Unplug the cable once every copy has finished.

On a Mac

A Mac doesn't open an Android tablet over USB without an extra file-transfer app. Use Google Drive, email or a USB stick instead (below).

Download from Google Drive or email

Use this when the file is on a computer that isn't next to the tablet. The download needs internet; afterwards the file works offline.

  1. Send the file to yourself

    On the computer, upload the file to Google Drive. Or email it, as an attachment, to an address you can open on the tablet.

  2. Put the tablet on internet Wi-Fi

    Farm Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot, not the module Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi on the tablet).

  3. Download the file on the tablet

    From the Google Drive app:

    1. Find the file.
    2. Tap the three dots ⋮ to the right of its name.
    3. Tap Download.

    From Gmail: open the email and tap the download arrow on the attachment.

    Either way, the file lands in Download.

  4. Open it in the app

    Use the app's import button and pick the file from Downloads, as shown in Open the file in the app.

The file picker can also open Drive directly, but only while the tablet has internet. Downloading first is safer: the file then stays on the tablet.

A ZIP from the owner portal goes into Download as it is. Don't unzip it: the app reads the ZIP itself.

From the owner portal to the tablet 1: on the computer, step 6 of the owner portal, Save for Ditch Assist, saves one ZIP to the browser Downloads folder. 2: the ZIP holds the map picture (.jpg), its world file (.jgw), which places the picture on the map, and your routes (.kml). 3: copy the ZIP to the tablet, into the Download folder, by USB cable, email or Google Drive. 4: in the app, open Map Layers, tap +, then Add Image Overlay, and pick the ZIP; for the routes, unzip the .kml and use Add KML. 5: the portal map shows under your survey and grading maps. Overlays are not kept when the app restarts: add the ZIP again each session. From the portal to the tablet Save for Ditch Assist Owner portal, step 6 1 One ZIP file .jpg + .jgw + .kml 2 Copy it to the tablet Into Download 3 Add Image Overlay Map Layers, then + 4 Shows under your map Add it again after an app restart 5

From the owner portal to the tablet: Save for Ditch Assist makes one ZIP. Copy it into Download on the tablet, then add it in the app.

  1. Save for Ditch Assist. Step 6 in the owner portal, on the computer. It saves one ZIP to the browser's Downloads folder.
  2. One ZIP file. The map picture (.jpg), its world file (.jgw, which places the picture on the map) and your routes (.kml).
  3. Copy it to the tablet. By USB cable, email or Google Drive. Put it in Download and leave it there.
  4. Add Image Overlay. In the app, add the ZIP from Map Layers with Add Image Overlay (step by step). For the routes, unzip the .kml and use Add KML.
  5. Shows under your map. Overlays are not kept when the app restarts. Add the ZIP again each session.

Copy from a USB stick

No computer and no internet needed. Use a USB-C flash drive, or a normal USB stick with a USB-C adapter. These steps use the tablet's My Files app.

  1. Plug the stick into the tablet

    Into the charging port. A notice may say a USB drive is connected.

  2. Open My Files

    Tap My Files, a yellow folder icon, on the Home screen. If it isn't there, swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen to see all your apps (The Home screen).

  3. Tap USB storage

    It's listed under Internal storage. It may have a number after it.

  4. Press and hold the file

    Keep your finger on it for about a second, until a tick appears (Press and hold). Tap any other files you want, to tick them too.

  5. Tap Copy

    It's in the bar along the bottom of the screen.

  6. Press the Back button until you see the storage list

    The list shows Internal storage and USB storage (The Back button). The files you ticked stay ready to copy.

  7. Tap Internal storage

    You should see the tablet's folders, such as Documents and Download.

    My Files storage list down the left side: Recent files, Images, Videos, Audio files, Documents, Downloads, Installation files, then Internal storage 23.9 GB / 64 GB, SD card, OneDrive, Google Drive, Network storage and Trash. No USB stick is plugged in here. 1
    1. Internal storage. With a USB stick plugged in, USB storage shows in this part of the list too.

  8. Tap Download

  9. Tap Copy here

    Some tablets say Paste. You should see the files in Download.

For a backup, copy the other way: the DitchAssist folder from Documents onto the stick.

Open the file in the app

Every import button in the app opens Android's file picker. It fills the screen and shows one folder at a time. The app takes the file you pick, and then the picker closes by itself.

Tap the import button in the app

For example Add Image Overlay in the list behind the + button in Map Layers, or Import survey file (XYZ / XYZP) at the top of the Load window. The file picker opens.

The plus menu in Map Layers: Add KML, Add WMS, Add Image Overlay, Drain-IQ, My LiDAR Fields, Drainage plan 1
  1. Add Image Overlay. One of the app's import buttons. Each one opens the same file picker.

Read the name at the top left

The picker opens on the last folder it used, or on Recent (files you used lately). The name at the top left tells you which.

If it already says Downloads, go to step 5.

Android file picker showing Recent files as a list. Top left: three short lines and the word Recent. Rows show North 40 - map.zip, design files, a JPG picture and a KML file.
  1. Three lines and the folder name. Here the picker opened on Recent, not Downloads.

Tap the three lines at the top left

The three short lines sit in the top-left corner, left of the folder name. A menu called Open from slides in from the left.

The file picker on Recent; the three short lines in the top-left corner are outlined
  1. Three lines. Top-left corner. Tap them.

Tap Downloads

In the Open from menu, tap the line called Downloads, with a down-arrow icon. The order of the lines can differ between tablets. The menu closes. You should see Downloads at the top left and your files below.

A USB stick, and Google Drive when the tablet has internet, can also be listed in this menu.

The file picker's Open from menu: Recent, Images, Documents, Downloads 1
  1. Downloads. The tablet's Download folder.

One file: tap it once

For a single file, such as a design, a KML or a map ZIP, tap it once. The picker closes and the app opens the file.

Names are cut short in this view. The icon and size help: a ZIP has a zip-fastener icon.

Two file tiles in Downloads: North 40 - map.zip with a zip icon, 3.25 MB, and Test-FG.xml 1
  1. A map ZIP. One tap and it's picked.

Two files: press and hold the first one

A picture and its world file must be picked together. Press and hold the picture for about a second (Press and hold).

The picture shows a small preview of the map and is large (MB). The world file has the same name, a plain page icon, and is tiny (B).

Two tiles side by side, both named North-40-Ditch-…: on the left a plain page icon, 81 B; on the right a preview of a coloured map, 3.25 MB 1 2
  1. The picture (.jpg). Map preview, 3.25 MB. Press and hold this one.
  2. Its world file (.jgw). Plain icon, 81 B. You tap it next.

Tap the second file

The picture now has a blue tick and the top of the picker reads 1 selected. Tap the world file once. It gets a blue tick too, and the top reads 2 selected.

The same two tiles: the map picture now has a blue outline and a blue tick; the world file beside it has none yet 1
  1. The world file. Tap it once. The picture is already ticked.

Tap Select

Select is in the top-right corner, next to three dots. The picker closes and the app opens both files.

File picker in Downloads with two files ticked. The top bar reads 2 selected on the left and Select on the right.
  1. Select. Top-right corner. Tap it to finish.
  2. 2 selected. Both files are ticked.

To leave the picker without picking anything, press the Back button (The Back button).

What each import button lets you pick

ButtonWhat it lets you pick
Add KML (Map Layers).kml files only. Every other file shows greyed out.
Add Image Overlay (Map Layers)Any file: a map ZIP, or a picture and its world file together. See Add a map overlay.
Import survey file (XYZ / XYZP) and Import design file (XYZP), in the Load window of Ditching, Excavation and TilingAny file.
Import XYZP File, Import AGD File and Import LandXML, in Land FormingDesign files from your land-forming design software or Geo-Surface™.
GeoTIFF DEM and Point File, in Levee and the contour workflowsElevation files.

If a file doesn't show, check you're in the right folder, and that the file has the right ending: .kml, not .kmz; the .jgw world file next to its .jpg picture.

Send a file from the tablet

  • Field Survey and Levee exports offer a Share button right after the export. Tap it, then pick Gmail, Drive or Quick Share. Gmail and Drive need internet. See Export a whole-field survey.
  • Exports from the Load window (route surveys) have no Share button. Copy them off with a USB cable (above), or share them from My Files (below).
  • Logs for support have their own Send button in the app's Settings. See Send logs to support.

Share an exported file from My Files:

  1. Open My Files

    The yellow folder icon on the Home screen.

  2. Tap Internal storage

  3. Tap Documents

  4. Tap DitchAssist

  5. Tap exports

    Each export is named after its survey, with a long number on the end that makes the name unique.

  6. Press and hold the file

    Until a tick appears (Press and hold).

  7. Tap Share

    In the bar along the bottom. Then pick Gmail, Drive or Quick Share.

Which export formats exist, and where each one comes from: Export a survey.

If it doesn't work

The computer doesn't show the tablet, or shows it empty
  1. Unlock the tablet.
  2. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen.
  3. Tap the USB notification.
  4. Tap Transferring files (or File transfer).

Still nothing? Try another cable (charge-only cables carry no data) or another USB port on the computer.

There is no DitchAssist folder in Documents

The app doesn't have All files access, so it saves in a private place you can't see. See Check All files access.

My file isn't in the picker

Check the name at the top left of the picker. If it isn't Downloads:

  1. Tap the three lines at the top left.
  2. Tap Downloads.

If the file is still in Drive or email, download it to the tablet first, on internet Wi-Fi.

My file shows greyed out and can't be picked

That button doesn't accept that kind of file. Add KML takes .kml files only, so a .kmz shows greyed out: unzip it to get the .kml. See What each import button lets you pick.

I can't tell the picture from the world file

Both names are cut short. The picture shows a small map preview and is large (MB). The world file has a plain page icon and is tiny (under 1 kB). Or tap the small list button at the right end of the Files in Downloads line to see the full names.

Related

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