Navigating Invalid Characters in File Names

This guide covers warnings you may encounter about "invalid characters" in file names when sending or receiving packages in FileRunner.

What are Invalid Characters?

Invalid characters are special symbols or characters in file names that can cause problems when files are processed or extracted. These characters may include:

• Control characters (non-printable characters)
• Path separators (/, \)
• Reserved characters (:, *, ?, ", <, >, |)
• Unicode characters that may not be supported by all file systems
• Leading or trailing spaces in file names
• Certain special symbols depending on the operating system

When Sending Packages

When uploading files that contain invalid characters, you’ll see a warning message that says:

Your Options

You can click on "affected files" to see exactly which files have problems. This opens a modal showing a list of problem files. You have two options:

• Remove affected files: Excludes problem files from your package (recommended)
• Keep affected files: Includes all files but limits download options for recipients

What Happens Next

• If you remove files: You'll see a confirmation message and can send the package normally
• If you keep files: Recipients will have limited download options (no quick extraction)

When Receiving Packages

If a package contains files with invalid characters, you’ll see a warning message that says:

This warning appears to protect you from potential download failures or file corruption.

How Download Options are Affected

When forbidden characters are detected, FileRunner automatically adjusts your download options for safety:

Available Options:

• Save as .tar package - Downloads the entire package as a compressed archive
• Standard browser download - Uses your browser's built-in download mechanism

Unavailable options:

• Save files for quick access - File extraction is automatically disabled