Folder Management & Organization
Keep your forms organized with flexible folder structures and bulk management tools
Overview
Every form in Instafill.ai belongs to a workspace identified by workspaceId. Folders are a workspace-level organizational layer — a folder record is always associated with a specific workspaceId, and all queries that list or move folder contents include a workspaceId filter enforced by the JWT authentication middleware. This means folder structures are private to each workspace; a folder named "Tax Forms" in one workspace is entirely separate from a folder with the same name in another workspace.
Folders support hierarchical nesting so teams can build taxonomies that match their workflow. Forms can be moved between folders at any time without affecting the form's field definitions, fill sessions, or batch processing configurations — the folder assignment is metadata stored alongside the form record, not part of the form's field or PDF data.
Key Capabilities
- Workspace-Scoped Folders: All folder records are tied to a
workspaceId; the JWT middleware enforces this scope on every list, create, move, and delete operation - Hierarchical Structure: Nested folders for multi-level taxonomies (e.g., "Clients" → "ABC Corp" → "Employment Documents")
- Bulk Operations: Move multiple forms to a folder in a single request
- Non-Destructive Organization: Moving a form to a different folder does not alter its field definitions, extraction data, or any active fill sessions
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Visual folder navigation in the workspace library
- Color Coding: Assign colors to folders for visual identification at a glance
- Folder Metrics: Form counts and last-activity timestamps per folder
- Folder Templates: Save and replicate a folder hierarchy for recurring project or client structures
How It Works
Create Folders: Click "New Folder" in the workspace library and enter a name. The folder record is created with the current
workspaceIdand an optional parent folder ID for nesting.Build Hierarchy: Create subfolders within existing folders by selecting a parent when creating a new folder.
- Example: "Government Forms" → "Federal" → "IRS Forms"
- Example: "Clients" → "Acme Inc." → "Onboarding"
Organize Forms:
- Drag a form card to a folder in the sidebar tree
- Select multiple forms and use "Move to Folder" for bulk relocation
- Forms can be moved between folders without data loss
Navigate Structure: Use the collapsible folder tree in the left sidebar to browse forms by category. The workspace library view filters to show only forms whose folder assignment matches the selected folder node.
Manage Folders: Rename, reorder, or delete folders as organizational needs change. Deleting a folder with forms inside prompts for a destination (move to parent or move to a specified folder) before proceeding.
Use Cases
Folder management is most effective for workspaces with more than a few dozen forms. A law firm with multiple client matters might maintain a top-level "Clients" folder with one subfolder per client, and within each client folder, subfolders for "Intake", "Court Filings", and "Discovery" — placing I-485 immigration applications, I-9 employment eligibility forms, and retainer agreements each in their correct location. A healthcare system can organize by department: "Cardiology", "Oncology", "Billing" — with billing containing CMS-1500 claim forms and the clinical departments holding patient intake and consent forms. An insurance company processing W-9 vendor forms, 1003 mortgage applications, and policy forms can separate these by product line so agents can locate the correct template without searching through an unorganized list.
Benefits
- Scoped Retrieval: Because all folder queries include a
workspaceIdfilter, browsing a folder returns only that workspace's forms — no cross-contamination from other teams or organizations - Find Forms Faster: Navigating a folder tree to "Clients → Acme Inc. → Onboarding" is faster than searching by name when a workspace holds hundreds of templates
- Non-Destructive: Moving forms between folders is a metadata update only — field definitions, coordinate data, and active sessions are unaffected
- Consistent Team Navigation: When the entire team uses the same folder structure, everyone knows where to look for the I-9 or the W-4 without asking
- Bulk Reorganization: A workspace restructure (e.g., merging two client matter folders) can be completed in seconds with multi-select and bulk move
Security & Privacy
Data is scoped to workspaceId and protected via the shared JWT authentication middleware running in both the .NET and Python service layers. Folder records are created, listed, and deleted only through requests that carry a valid JWT token identifying the workspace. Forms cannot be moved across workspace boundaries through the folder UI — folder assignment is always within the same workspaceId. Folder deletion prompts for explicit confirmation before any form records are affected, and soft-deleted folders are recoverable within the platform's retention window.
Common Questions
How many folders can I create?
There is no enforced limit on folder count within a workspace. Most organizations use 20–100 folders with 2–5 levels of nesting. The folder tree sidebar remains usable at these scales; very large hierarchies (hundreds of folders) may require more scrolling to navigate.
Can forms exist in multiple folders?
Each form belongs to exactly one folder at a time (or to no folder, appearing in the workspace root). If the same form template is needed in multiple contexts, you can:
- Duplicate the Form: Create a copy and place it in the second folder — the copy shares the same field-hash so no re-extraction occurs
- Use Tags: Apply multiple tags to a single form and filter by tag in Form Search & Filtering to surface it in any context without needing it in multiple folders
For most workflows, tags provide more flexible multi-categorization than folder duplication.
What happens to forms when I delete a folder?
Deleting a folder that contains forms prompts for an action before the folder is removed:
- Move to Parent Folder: Forms are reassigned to the deleted folder's parent
- Move to a Specified Folder: Choose a different destination folder
- Leave at Workspace Root: Forms remain accessible in the unorganized workspace root view
The system does not allow deleting a folder and its forms in a single silent action — form deletion always requires a separate explicit confirmation.
Can I share folders with other workspaces or organizations?
Folder sharing does not cross workspace boundaries. All folder and form records are isolated by workspaceId enforced at the middleware layer. Within a workspace, all members with appropriate permissions can see all folders. To share a form template with another workspace, export the form and import it into the target workspace — it will be recognized by field-hash if it matches an existing catalog entry, avoiding re-extraction.
Can I create folder templates?
Yes. Mark an existing folder hierarchy as a template, then instantiate it by name when starting a new project or onboarding a new client. The system creates the full nested structure under a new root folder using the provided name.
Example: A law firm creates a "New Client" template with subfolders: Intake, Correspondence, Court Filings, Discovery, Billing. When a new client engages, they instantiate the template with the client name and the entire folder structure is ready immediately.