# Including an entire folder via an \<$include\> command **URL:** \ **Category:** Scrivener\ **Tags:** support, compile, placeholders\ **Created:** [July 17, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262 "2026-07-17T19:41:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![billb](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@billb](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/billb)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/1 "2026-07-17T19:41:23Z")
I am trying to include a folder _and all of its subdocuments_ in my Binder via the \<$include\> command. I’ve done this by selecting the \<$include\> tag and dropping the folder onto it. When I compile the document, however, only the text in the folder itself compiles (which is no text in this case); the documents _within_ the folder don’t compile. Is this the intended behavior? Is there a way around it? I realize I could have a series of \<$include\> commands, one for each document in the folder, but that is a relatively inflexible method. ---
**Author:** ![RevoTiLlor](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/revotillor/32/34863_2.png) [@RevoTiLlor](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/RevoTiLlor)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/2 "2026-07-17T21:10:17Z")
This is the extent of the \<$Include\> capability: \<$include\> \<$include:textNameOrPath\> You can use the \<$include…\> placeholder to have text from an external document inserted into the text during Compile. This can be useful if you have text snippets that need repeating throughout for some reason. To insert the main text of any document in the current project, either use the \<$include\> tag and apply a document link to the whole tag that points to the document whose text you wish to insert, or use \<$include:docName\>, where “docName” is the name of the document you wish to be inserted. (Using document links is the more reliable method.) To insert the text of an external file, either use the \<$include\> tag with a link to the external file, or use \<$include:docPath\>, where “docPath” is either the full or relative path of the document whose text you wish to insert (relative paths should be relative to the folder in which the project is stored). Note that only plain text UTF-8 files and RTF files are supported, and only the text of such files will be included (images, footnotes and comments are ignored in external RTF files that are inserted in this manner). The \<$include…\> tag is only supported in the following areas: the main text; notes; title prefixes and suffixes; section layout prefixes and suffixes. You can also use it in the ebook “Description” metadata field, but only if it appears on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/3 "2026-07-17T23:42:23Z")
Use the placeholder multiple times. Once per document (the ones you can’t currently get to compile), each instance as per the way @RevoTiLlor explained clearly. \<$include…\> –\> Folder (or not…) \<$include…\> –\> Child document 1 \<$include…\> –\> Child document 2 \<$include…\> –\> Child document 3 \<$include…\> –\> Child document 4 … ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:46am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/4 "2026-07-18T05:46:41Z")
This post might be of interest to you. > [@Replicants: the ability to file a document in several places](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/replicants-the-ability-to-file-a-document-in-several-places/1255/32): > > You could create a blank document where in the binder you’d otherwise have placed the replicant. Name it “Yourdocument\_replicant” or something like that. Add the document you wish be replicated in this new document’s document bookmarks : [image] You’ll then be able to read, and even edit, the adaptative original document from within that new dummy/replicant document. I deleted from the bookmark’s mirror file (on the right - bottom section) : You can see there … You should read the first post of the thread too (if not the whole thread), for context. ---
**Author:** ![billb](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@billb](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/billb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/5 "2026-07-20T14:57:22Z")
That’s too bad. It’d be nice to be able to include folders (with their child documents). That way you could, e.g., add a new child document to the folder, and it would be included in the next compile. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/6 "2026-07-20T15:01:42Z")
Have you looked at the other post I linked to? That’s as close as it gets to it. If you create a new folder/child document structure for your “twice” documents, right where you want them in the sequence, in the binder, you can either use a duplicate of the original, or copy/paste the original text in new blank documents, and they will compile like any other document. In the post I linked to, it is exactly that, but in a way that allows the user to edit one of the duplicates, and have the changes be applied to all instances of that one text. [EDIT] On a second read, I understand a bit better your last post. … Perhaps. … I can’t speak for the technical side of programming the app so, of course, but I can then imagine users asking for a way to exclude some documents in the ghost instance, and on and on… ---
**Author:** ![AmberV](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/amberv/32/13021_2.png) [@AmberV](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/AmberV)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/including-an-entire-folder-via-an-include-command/154262/7 "2026-07-20T17:54:50Z")
In an attempt to make the above ideas a little more efficient and clean, here is how I would approach this: - Move the include list to the folder text for that include group, instead of scattered everywhere you need to reference the group. - To make the creation of these lists easier, combine two tools: With this approach you’ve got something easy and simple to work with at the “surface” level, while writing, and something that requires only a little maintenance to keep up on the back end. An interesting concept here is that we’re only using the parent-child relationship loosely. These “cluster include” targets could of course list links from all over the place. Any time you need a particular sequence of items, it isn’t a _necessity_ that they all be arranged into one outline group like this. Maybe not something you need in particular right now, but I just wanted to underscore that what we’re really doing is creating a curated list of texts from throughout the binder that can be assembled into any given spot in the draft, via one inclusion to the curator.