Working with Package Sending

A user can control the order of transfer for files added to a watchfolder by configuring the watchfolder to send with packages. Watchfolder uses a file list to determine the files in a package and the order in which they are transferred. The last file in a file list is designated to be transferred last. It will not be transferred until all other files included in the file list have been transferred. Using watchfolders with file lists supports workflows that trigger when detecting the presence of a particular file, but require the presence of a particular set of files to function correctly. For example, a workflow that builds a project dependent on the existence of other files will fail if the trigger file is transferred before those other files have been transferred. Using a file list ensures the trigger file is not transferred until the rest of the files have been transferred.
To configure a watchfolder to work with package sending, first add the source host to Console as a managed node. Then, follow the instructions below to create a new watchfolder and configure the Package List options.
Important: The source host must be properly configured for watchfolders. For more information, see Configuring a Watchfolder-enabled Transfer Node.
  1. On the source host, create a file list of the files you want transferred and the file that needs to be transferred last.
    The first line has to be "#aspera-filelist". Enter the names of the files you want transferred in the following lines. The last file in the file list is not transferred until the rest of the preceding files are finished transferring. The last file transferred is always the last file in the filelist. Here is an example file list:
    #aspera-filelist
    superhero_epic_the_musical-english.mp4
    superhero_epic_the_musical-spanish.mp4
    superhero_epic_the_musical-chinese.mp4
    superhero_epic_the_musical.png
    superhero_epic_the_musical-english-trailer.mp4
    ADI.XML
    Note: The paths listed in the file list should be entered as paths to files relative to the watchfolder directory. Paths to directories are not supported.
  2. Go to Activity > Watchfolders and click Create New Watchfolder.
  3. Name your watchfolder. For example, name your watchfolder "A Package of Files".
  4. Select a managed node configured to run watch folders from the Local Node drop-down menu.
    Note: Only nodes configured to run watch folders appear on the drop-down list. If you do not see any nodes, make sure your nodes are properly configured in Console.



  1. Enter the credentials to authenticate to the destination node.
    1. Enter hostname or IP address host address for the destination node in the Address field.
    2. Enter the SSH login credentials for the destination node.

      Enter the administrative account username and password to allow Console to connect to the node machine. Authenticate the account with either a password or a saved SSH key.

    • Password authentication: Enter the account password.
    • Public key authentication: Select Use SSH Key and select your uploaded key. To use public key authentication, you must have your SSH private key configured in Console. For instructions, on how to configure SSH keys in Console, see Configuring SSH Keys.
  2. Set the TCP and UDP ports. By default, TCP uses port 22 and UDP uses port 33001.
  3. Click Browse to test the connection and choose the target directory.



  1. Configure the Transfers section to configure the session bandwidth policy.
    Option Description Example
    Target rate Specify the transfer target rate. 10000
    Minimum rate Set the transfer minimum rate 0
    Bandwidth policy Choose a transfer policy among fixed/high/fair/low. fair
    Transport Encryption Select aes-128 to transfer with this encryption method. aes128
    Retry policy Specify the number of attempts and the duration between each retry.
    • 3
    • 30
    • 50


  2. Configure the Packages / Drops section to configure the file list detection policy.
    Option Description Example
    Package timeout The package timeout defines the time in which watchfolder waits for required files. If the required files do not appear within the duration, files with dependencies are marked as not transferred because of unsatisfied dependencies. 10
    Final transfer
    • Last file in list: The last file in the package list is transferred last.
    • File list: The last file transferred is the file list itself.


    Last file in list
    File list filters The file list filter allows watchfolders to define which files are considered file lists. Click the button to add a new filter to identify file lists. You can set a filter to include or exclude files by globbing or by regular expression. *.package


    For more information on watchfolder settings, see Watchfolder Options.
  3. Click Create.

Your watchfolder is now ready to transfer files with file lists. Once you add the files and the file list into the source directory, watchfolder detects the addition and starts transferring the files. Watchfolder transfers all files before transferring the last file in the list.

In this example, watchfolders transfers all files before transferring the last file: "ADI.XML".