Export and import a folder structure

Plathix can save your Media Library folder tree as a preset package, a ZIP file, and load it on another site that runs Plathix. Only the structure travels: folder names, nesting, colors and your favorites. No media files are included.

Video: Ready Folder Sets demo (export and upload from 1:01; on your Tools screen the Export Structure card sits below Import from Other Plugins)

When you need this

• An agency builds one folder tree for client sites and copies it to every new site.
• You hand a finished site to a client and keep a copy of its folder structure.
• You try a new structure on a staging site and then move it to the live site.

How to export the folder structure

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Go to Plathix → Tools.
3. Find the card Export Structure. Its text reads: “Export your entire folder structure as a portable preset ZIP file. The package can be imported on any other site running Plathix.”
   

4. Click Export to ZIP. The browser downloads the file.

Plathix Home also links here with Export current structure → once a preset has been applied.

What the file contains

The download is named {domain}-plathix-preset.zip, with the dots of the domain turned into dashes, for example example-com-plathix-preset.zip. It holds exactly two files:

• preset.plx.md: a plain-text preset file with a header and a ## Structure list.
• The preview image preview.webp, preview.png, preview.jpg or preview.jpeg. Plathix takes the site logo first, then the site icon, then its own placeholder image. If that image is larger than 200,000 bytes or not WebP, PNG or JPG, Plathix resizes it to fit 600 × 400 pixels and saves it as PNG.

The header is filled in automatically, in this order:

• FormatVersion: 2
• Title: “{Site name} — Plathix Preset”
• Slug: {domain}-plathix-preset
• Version: 1
• Description: “Preset created for {Site name} using the Plathix plugin.” With a site tagline it reads “Preset created for {Site name} — {tagline} using the Plathix plugin.”
• Preview: the preview file name
• Tags: one tag made from the site name, for example #example-site for a site named Example Site
• Author: your username (the login name)
• AuthorURL: the Website field from your user profile, or the site URL
• Generator: Plathix and the plugin version

The structure list has one line per folder of the Media Library tree:

• the name in double quotes, nested with two spaces per level;
• {color: #rrggbb} when the folder has a color;
• {favorite} when the folder is in your favorites, or {color: #rrggbb, favorite} when both apply.

Siblings are written in byte order, so names starting with a capital letter come before lowercase ones. The manual drag order from the folder panel is not kept. Uncategorized and Trash are left out, and so are folders that are in Plathix Trash, with their subfolders. Files, file assignments and folder counts are not part of the package.

If the export stops

The export stops on a plain error page with one message. For example:

• “Preset exceeds the maximum number of structure lines.” The tree has more than 200 folders.
• “Preset exceeds maximum depth.” The tree has more than 7 levels, that is the top level plus 6.
• “Preview image must be webp, png, jpg, or jpeg.” The logo or icon is in another format, for example SVG, and could not be converted. The site logo always wins over the icon, so a PNG icon does not help while an SVG logo is set. Replace the SVG logo with a PNG, JPG or WebP image, or remove the logo. Plathix then uses the site icon or the placeholder.
• “Preview image exceeds 300 KB limit.” The image is still over 300 KB after resizing.
• “Preview image could not be validated.” The image file cannot be read as an image.
• “Could not resolve a preview image for the preset. Please add a site logo or icon first.” Plathix found no logo, no icon and no placeholder image. Add a site logo or icon.
• “PHP zip extension is not available.” The server lacks the PHP zip extension.
• “Could not create temporary directory for export.”, “Could not create export archive.” or “Export archive not found.” The server could not write the temporary files. Check the row Temp Dir Writable on System Info (link at the bottom of any Plathix page, or the flyout of Plathix → Tools).
• “Insufficient permissions.” Your account is not an administrator account with full Plathix access.

How to upload the package on another site

1. On the target site, go to Plathix → Presets.
2. Click Upload preset (.zip). The dialog Upload preset package (.zip) opens. It notes: “Preset files define folder names and hierarchy. They apply to your Media Library only.”
3. Drop the ZIP on “Drop your ZIP preset here”, or click to browse.
4. Wait while the dialog shows “Reading preset file…”. The browser accepts only names ending in .zip and files up to 512 KB. Then Plathix checks the package on the server.
5. Check the file card. It shows the file name, “{N} KB · Preset package” and the reminder “Don’t forget to apply the preset.”
   

6. Click Upload. You see “Preset “{Title}” uploaded successfully.” The preset appears in the Custom group of the catalog. No folders are created yet.

The browser check shows “Only .zip files are accepted. Please upload a valid Plathix preset package.” for any other name, .ZIP in capitals included. It shows “File is too large. Preset files should be under 512 KB.” for larger files.

When you upload a package whose slug is already in the catalog, Plathix compares the structure:

Situation	Result
Same slug, same structure (names, nesting and colors)	The catalog entry is updated in place, whatever the Version. You see the normal “uploaded successfully” message.
Same slug, different structure	A new custom preset is added with the slug slug-2, then slug-3 and so on.
Slug of a built-in preset, different structure	The package is saved as a new custom preset slug-2.
Slug of a built-in preset, same structure	You see the normal “uploaded successfully” message. When the Presets screen opens, Plathix shows the built-in preset from its own files, and no new card appears.

How to apply the uploaded preset

1. On the preset card in the Custom group, click Apply Preset ›.

1. Confirm the dialog: “Apply this preset? It adds a ready-made folder structure to your media library. Your existing folders and media are not deleted; folders with matching names are created with an “— imported” suffix.”
2. Read the notice: “Preset “{Title}” applied. {N} folders created.” If some folders could not be created, you see “Apply failed.” instead, but the folders that were created stay.
3. Open Media → Library. The new folders are there, empty.

What happens to the folders you already have:

• Existing folders are not deleted, renamed or moved. A preset only adds folders.
• If a folder with the same name already exists under the same parent, the new one gets a suffix: “Brand – imported”, then “Brand – imported 2”, “Brand – imported 3” and so on. The suffix uses a plain hyphen. Only siblings are compared, not the whole tree.
• Files are not moved, renamed or deleted, and they are not sorted into the new folders.
• Colors from the preset are applied. Favorites marked in the preset are added to the favorites of the user who applies it.
• You can apply a preset more than once. Each run adds another copy with the suffix.
• There is no undo. Remove unwanted folders by hand, or use Start from scratch on Plathix → Presets. It deletes all your Media Library folders, keeps the system folders, and asks first: “This will delete {N} Plathix folders. Media files will not be deleted. Continue?”

Example

Suppose your site has this tree: Editorial › Featured Images, Authors; Videos; Infographics; Brand › Logos, Icons. Brand has the color #d97706 and Editorial is in your favorites. logo.png is in Brand › Logos.

1. On Plathix → Tools you click Export to ZIP. The browser would save {domain}-plathix-preset.zip.
2. The structure part of preset.plx.md would read:

`

Structure

• “Brand” {color: #d97706}
  • “Icons”
  • “Logos”
• “Editorial” {favorite}
  • “Authors”
  • “Featured Images”
• “Infographics”
• “Videos”

`

1. Suppose a client site already has a folder named Brand. There you upload the ZIP on Plathix → Presets and click Apply Preset ›.
2. The notice would read “Preset “{Site name} — Plathix Preset” applied. 8 folders created.”, with the name of the site you exported from.
3. The client site would then have “Brand – imported” with Icons and Logos inside, plus Editorial, Infographics and Videos. The old Brand folder and its files would stay unchanged. The new folders would be empty, because logo.png is not part of the package.

Limits

• Export and the Presets screen are for administrators only.
• A preset package applies to the Media Library only, in Free and in PRO.
• Package limits: at most 200 folders, at most 7 levels of nesting, folder names up to 150 characters, ZIP up to 512 KB, preview up to 300 KB, preset file up to 2 MB unpacked, and exactly two files in the archive root (“Archive must contain exactly 2 files.”).
• The folder count and depth are checked on export as well as on upload. Keep folder names at 150 characters or fewer before you export: a package with a longer folder name is rejected on upload with “Folder name is too long.”
• The upload dialog refuses larger files with “File is too large. Preset files should be under 512 KB.”
• To load a package on a site, use Upload preset (.zip) on Plathix → Presets.
• The preset file is plain text and can be edited by hand. Save it as UTF-8 without BOM. Use two spaces per level and no tabs (“Structure indentation must use spaces, not tabs.”), and keep names in double quotes (“Folder name must be wrapped in double quotes.”). A package in a newer format is rejected: “This preset was created by a newer version of Plathix. Update the plugin to use it.”
• PRO adds wp plathix export structure and wp plathix import json, which move the folder tree as a JSON file, not as a preset ZIP. No PRO command reads or writes preset packages. These commands need PRO, active with a valid license. Use the PRO version released for your Plathix version. To download the files themselves, see ZIP export (PRO) and PRO.

In short

Export to ZIP on Plathix → Tools saves your Media Library tree as a preset package with names, nesting, colors and your favorites, but no files. On the other site, upload it with Upload preset (.zip) on Plathix → Presets, then click Apply Preset ›. Existing folders stay; same-name folders get the ” – imported” suffix. Keep the tree within 200 folders, 7 levels and 150-character names, and do not use an SVG logo.