Originally Posted By: kevs
When do "copy" I wonder does it save the work you do and then keep it in Files ok where is started?
First you do not store anything in Files the files are stored on your iPad's local storage or the iCloud Drive. Files like Finder is simply a tool for navigating the local storage and iCloud Drive. Copying a file it is equivalent to Finder's Duplicate. It creates a copy of the file in the same folder where the original was located but adds "copy" to the file name.

The same thing happens when you make a copy of a file in Pages/Numbers/etc.

Originally Posted By: kevs
I did open Word on ipad, browse, it found the file and then said, sign up for monthly 365 to edit...bummer....
Certainly this is not the only reason I do not have Microsoft or Adobe products on either MacOS or iOS, but it is definitely the reason I didn't do any testing with Word or Excel in working on my reply to your questions.

Originally Posted By: kevs
PS Joe, while waiting on app downloads, is there a way to move around files in ios/ ipad/ iphone as one does in finder?
Files is a bit different in how you do that, if for no other reason than it is limited by touch screen operation and not only are there millions of iOS devices out there that predate 3D touch, a lot of users who have devices that support 3D touch eschew its use for one reason or another. However in Files...
  1. At the upper right of the Files window, touch the word "select"
  2. a samll empty circle will appear below each of the files in the current folder. Touch that circle for each of the files you wish to move to a single location
  3. At the bottom of the Files window four options will appear: Share, Duplicate, Move, and Delete
  4. Select Move
  5. from there you can navigate through locations "On My iPad" or "iCloud Drive"
  6. Once you have selected the destination folder for the file(s) touch "Move" at the top right of the navigatiopn window.
Originally Posted By: kevs
Ok Joe, got Pages going on ipad, brought up a file I have in icloud file on ipad Pages, I added word test, but then each time I opened that file in Pages ipad in made a new versions, so after a few opens, I have 4 versions.. some had word test, some did not. I opened in Files on desktop and the new version with test was not there. I then opened the file in Files on ipad, and nothing changed.. So I'm not sure this works well.

It works, but remember that when you open a Word file in Pages, Pages converts it to the Pages format. If you simply click Save it dutifully saves the Pages copy of that file. To save it in Word format you must export the file by...
  1. Touching the elipsis (...) at the far right top of the Pages window...
  2. Selecting Export from the extensive list of actions in the drop down menu
  3. Then choosing Word from the list of export formats you will be presented with.
  4. from the list of location options that will the appear, choose Files
  5. Then navigate to the folder you want to place the edited file in and select it
  6. Touch "Add" at the top of the Navigation window and assuming you have not changed the file name you will get the familiar "Replace existing item" with the options: Repace, Keep both, and Stop.
A bit more than you are accustomed to in MacOS but once you done it a few times it gets to be automatic. All in all a not unreasonable substitute for the lack of drag and click navigation in iOS. (I will be surprised if Files doesn't get more Finder-like features in iOS 12 when it ships this coming fall or early winter, but drag and drop will reamin problematic.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein