FAQ: What causes 'Failed to parse returned path' when FileZilla connects to VShell?

[bgagnon]

The Issue:
When connecting to VShell with FileZilla with SFTP protocol, you might see the error below:

Since VShell v4.4, if FileZilla is the client, if the VShell administrator has restricted access by configuring virtual roots in VShell (yet with the default virtual roots configuration otherwise), then you might expect to see the error above.

The reason is that FileZilla is unable to parse the path presented by VShell in Windows-specific drive format (Name:/). This Windows-specific drive format is the default format which VShell presents to file transfer clients by default beginning with VShell version v4.4. The default configuration of virtual roots changed as of v4.4, so versions prior to v4.4 are not likely to experience this issue.

To Resolve the Issue from the FileZilla Client:
From FileZilla's Site Manager (with your saved session selected), navigate to the Advanced tab and change the Server type: option to DOS with forward slash separators.

After Server type is changed to DOS with forward-slash separators:

To Resolve the Issue on the VShell Server:
If configuration changes to FileZilla are not possible, you can overcome the parsing issue in VShell by enabling the Start client sessions in the virtual “parent folder” option:

However, the VShell administrator would probably want to configure a subconfiguration so other users connecting to VShell are not affected.

An example subconfiguration that enables the option in VShell:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<VShell Version="4.4">
   <UseSingleVirtualRoot Type="dword">1</UseSingleVirtualRoot>
</VShell>