# File tab

![File tab](/files/rNvkwQFNANaP3yc4GIVG)

On the **File** tab, you can define basic properties about the file being created by this step.

| Option                                | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Filename**                          | <p>Specify the file name and location of the output file. Click <strong>Browse</strong> to display the <strong>Open File</strong> window and navigate to the file or folder. For the supported file system types, see <a href="/pages/U66nnANI85sI19SI8pKW">Connecting to Virtual File Systems</a>.</p><p>Do not include a file extension when the date and time are to be appended and the <strong>Extension</strong> option is specified.</p> |
| **Pass output to servlet**            | Select to return the data using a web service instead of writing to a file (see [Web services steps](/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/advanced-topics-pdi-perspective/web-services-steps.md) for information).                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **Create Parent folder**              | Clear if you do not want to create a parent folder for the output file.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Do not create file at start**       | Select to avoid the creation of empty files when no rows are processed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Accept file name from field?**      | <p>Select to assign the output file name(s) as found in the input stream and selected using the <strong>File name field</strong> option.</p><p>This setting can be fine-tuned with the Kettle properties file. See <a href="/pages/4y589gJGQnFtoK3IBy7f">Improving performance when writing multiple files</a>.</p>                                                                                                                             |
| **File name field**                   | Specify the field in the input stream that will contain the file name(s) at runtime.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **Extension**                         | Specify the three-letter file extension to append to the file name. The default is .txt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **Include stepnr in filename?**       | Select to include the copy number in the file name (`_0`, for example) when you run the step in multiple copies (launching several copies of a step).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Include partition nr in filename?** | Select to include the data partition number in the file name.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **Include date in filename?**         | Select to include the system date in the file name (`_20181231`, for example).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **Include time in filename?**         | Select to include the system time in the file name (`_235959`, for example).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Specify Date time format**          | Select to include the date time in the file name using a format from the **Date time format** drop-down list.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **Date time format**                  | Select the date time format.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Add filenames to result**           | Clear if you do not want to add file names to the output file.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |

Click \*\*Show filename\\(s\\)\*\* to display a list of the files that will be generated. This is a simulation and depends on the number of rows that go into each file.


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