Not clear if FileManager can use storage to write

[mathias-aa]

Hi,

First things first, congratulations for this amazing plugin 💯
I'm not really sure to understand clearly if I can use the FileManager with a storage mode.

The documentation (readme) clearly says that filemanager is for database only and fileSystem for storage only (read only).

But the configuration file is saying that both are available for the fileManager :

File Manager Mode
    |--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    |
    | The file manager supports two modes:
    |
    | - 'database': Files and folders are tracked in a database table.
    |   Metadata, hierarchy, and relationships are stored in the database.
    |   File contents are stored on the configured disk. Best for applications
    |   that need to attach metadata, tags, or relationships to files.
    |
    | - 'storage': Files and folders are read directly from a storage disk.
    |   No database is used. The file manager shows the actual file system
    |   structure. Renaming and moving actually rename/move files on the disk.
    |   Best for managing cloud storage (S3, etc.) or local file systems.
`

I'd like to use the fileManager with storage mode, and be able to read/write with it.
Is it possible ? 

My tests seems to show that the readme is right, as as soon as I use it, databases items are created.

Best,

[mwguerra]

Thanks for the kind words and great question!

Clarification

You're right that the documentation could be clearer. Here's how it works:

Component	Mode	Capabilities
FileManager page	Database	Full CRUD (create, rename, move, delete)
FileSystem page	Storage	Read-only - browse files directly from disk
FileManagerEmbed	Database	Full CRUD in forms
FileSystemEmbed	Storage	Read-only in forms

The mode setting in the config file controls which adapter the pages use, but:

• FileManager always tracks files in the database (that's its purpose)
• FileSystem is designed for browsing existing storage without database overhead

If you want full CRUD on storage without database

This isn't currently supported as a built-in feature. The database mode gives you:

• Metadata tracking
• Fast queries (no disk scanning)
• Relationships with other models

For direct S3/storage write operations without database, you'd need to use Laravel's Storage facade directly or consider if the database tracking would actually benefit your use case.

Recommendation

If you want to manage files with full CRUD capabilities, use FileManager (database mode). The files are stored on your configured disk (S3, local, etc.) - the database just tracks the metadata and hierarchy.

Would a clearer distinction in the README help? I can update the documentation to make this more explicit.