Files
Files are the core data objects in Flywheel. They live inside acquisitions, analyses, and as attachments on projects, subjects, and sessions. This page covers how files appear in the UI, their key attributes, and the actions available to you.
Data Origin
Each file displays an icon indicating how it arrived in Flywheel. Hover over the icon to see a tooltip with additional details.
| Icon | Origin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Original data received from a DICOM Connector or imaging device | |
| User | Data uploaded by a user through the UI, CLI, or SDK | |
| Job | Derived data produced as output from a gear |
Origin tooltip details
The tooltip content varies by origin type:
- All origins: File name, version number, and file size. For zip archives, the number of files in the archive is also shown.
- Device: Upload timestamp and device name.
- User: Upload timestamp, user name, and virus scan quarantine status (if applicable).
- Job: Gear run initiated and completed timestamps, gear name, and gear version.
File Actions
Quick-access hover buttons
Info
Quick-access hover buttons are only available in the Session list Acquisitions tab view.
When you hover over a file row, the following buttons appear for fast access:
- Launch in Viewer: Open the file in the image viewer (for supported file types).
- Information: Open the file Info panel.
- Download: Download the file to your local machine.
When additional features are enabled for your site, these buttons may also appear:
- Launch in CVAT: Open a video file in CVAT for annotation (shown when the file is synced). See Video Annotation for more information.
- Annotations: View annotations on the file, with a badge displaying the count. See Annotate Images for more information.
Options menu
Click the options menu () for the full set of actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Information | View and edit file metadata |
| Download | Download the file to your local machine |
| Delete | Remove the file (requires appropriate permissions) |
| Version History | View, restore, or delete previous file versions |
| Copy Filename | Copy the file name to your clipboard |
| Copy Modality | Copy the file's modality and classification to your clipboard |
| Create Reader Task | Create a reader task for the file (when Tasks Manager is enabled) |
| Launch in viewer | Open the file in a viewer application (for supported file types) |
Note
Available actions depend on your permissions and the features enabled for your site. For example, deleting device-originated files and non-device files require separate permissions.
Rename a File
You can rename a file in two ways:
- Inline (Acquisitions tab only): Click the file name directly to edit it in place.
- Info panel: Open the file's Information panel and edit the name field.
Move a File to Another Acquisition
To move a file from one acquisition to another, drag and drop the file onto the target acquisition in the Acquisitions tab.
File Type
Flywheel assigns a file type during import based on the file's extension. Extension matching is case insensitive — .NII, .Nii, and .nii are all recognized as the same type.
You can update a file's type in two ways:
- Inline (Acquisitions tab only): Click the file type label directly in the file list to open a dropdown selector.
- Info panel: Open the file's Information panel and edit the type field.
See File Types in Flywheel for the full reference of supported types.
Classification
The File Classifier gear determines a file's classification using information from the DICOM header, such as the SessionDescription field. The system parses header field values for keywords and character strings to select the best classification.
See Best Practices: File Metadata Importer and File Classifier for more information.
File Information
To view detailed metadata for a file, click the options menu next to the file and select Information.
The Info panel displays the following fields:
| Field | Editable | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File name | Yes | The file's display name (rename requires permission) |
| Version | No | Current version number, with a link to view version history |
| Created | Replaced | Restored | Copied By | No | Who performed the action, based on how the current version arrived |
| Created | Replaced | Restored | Copied At | No | When the action occurred |
| Modified | No | When the file was last modified |
| Size | No | File size |
| Type | Yes | The assigned file type (requires permission) |
| MIME type | No | The file's MIME type |
| Modality | Yes | Imaging modality such as MR, CT, or PT (requires permission) |
| Classification | Yes | Classification dimensions based on modality (requires permission) |
| Custom classification | Yes | Free-text custom classification values (requires permission) |
| Tags | Yes | User-defined tags on the file (requires permission) |
The following fields appear only when applicable:
| Field | Shown when |
|---|---|
| Restored from version | The current version was restored from a previous one |
| De-identification log ID | De-identification was applied to the file |
| Zip member count | The file is a zip archive |
Below the standard fields, a custom information section displays any additional metadata stored on the file.
Note
The metadata shown in the Info panel is not necessarily what is in the file's header. Run the File Metadata Importer gear on DICOM data to pull header information into Flywheel's metadata.
Editing metadata in the Info panel does not modify the file or its header. See Understanding Metadata for more detail.
File Versions
Flywheel tracks changes to files over time. All files start at version 1. When a file is overwritten — for example, by re-uploading data or rerunning a gear — the previous version is retained and the version number increments.
When a file has more than one version, a version badge displaying the version number appears next to the file name. Click the badge to open the version history.
From the options menu, select Version History to view, restore, or delete previous versions.
See File Versioning for the complete guide.
Timestamps
Files include the following timestamp fields:
- Created: When the file was uploaded to or created within Flywheel.
- Modified: Updated whenever a change is made to the file, such as moving it, editing metadata, or running a gear.
Timestamps are displayed in your browser's local time in yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm format.
Linked Files
Files created by Smart Copy display a link icon (). Hovering over the icon shows a tooltip with the name of the source project the file is copied from.