Doc749: Using Document Share Folders

Title: Using Document Share Folders

When working with a Space's Document Share Folder, you can use TeamPage's Interface to navigate folders and to access and manage files in them. Besides the space level:

On any Article or Task, you can click the More option from the Context menu and choose to create a Share Folder for an Article. (though, generally you would attach files to an Article or Task)
In the context of a Project, the Project dashboard has a Documents section where you can click to create the Project's Document Share Folder.

Note: Article attachments are accessed and managed as described in Inspecting and Managing Files via the File Details View.

Accessing Share Folders

1) Click on the Documents tab from the Front Page, Space Dashboard or Project Dashboard.

2) Click on Shared Folder at the bottom of an Article which has one (or one of the folders shown underneath) at the bottom of an article for which an Article Share Folder has been created.

The contents of the selected folder will be shown in a table format with a row for each folder and file. Thus, clicking on Shared Files for HR shows this content for the top-level Project Share Folder:

Remember that what a given account is able to do will depend on the permissions that have been granted (see Controlling Access to Files and Folders).

Navigating Folders

To open a folder, simply click on the folder icon/its title. To navigate one level up the folder tree, click the Folder Up icon. To move multiple levels in the folder tree, use the Path selector as shown:

If Windows Web Folders have been enabled for your server and you are using certain versions of Internet Explorer, you can alternatively use this method for accessing and managing files in TeamPage Share Folders (see Using Windows Web Folders). In this case, you will see this option under the Upload Files button:

You will also see the option

when looking at the Information view.

From Windows, you can also map a web folder to the address of the folder.

Viewing or Downloading Files

To access a copy of an existing document, you can just a) click the filename to open it or b) right click (command/click) the filename and save a copy of the file to your computer. When looking at the Information view, as shown below, you can also click Download to save a copy to your computer.

Note: Do NOT click on the filename to open a document for editing, as a temporary file will be created on your computer when you do this. Changes to this file will not be saved back to TeamPage, even if you are using the capabilities described in Editing Microsoft Office Files from Windows with IE. This is particularly true if the file has version tracking turned on and should be checked out before editing. Likewise, if version tracking has been turned on, you should be sure to check out the file as described below before downloading a copy that you intend to modify and upload again.

Viewing and Editing Information on Files and Folders

To view information on a file or folder, click the Info link for that item. The Information view will appear directly below the row.

You can then edit a file's or folder's name and description by clicking Edit Info.

Depending on your permissions and the whether the version tracking is on, additional information and options will be displayed. These are discussed in the appropriate sections below.

Creating New Folders

To create a new folder, click the down arrow on Upload Document to access this option.

When you click Add new folder, a form will pop up to allow you to enter the name of the new folder. The path where the folder will be created is displayed below that and you are able to create the folder in a different location by modifying the path that it will be saved under.

Note: As stated, an account may not have the permissions needed to create new folders in a given space, in which case the option will not be available.

Uploading New Files

To add a new document to the folder, use the Upload Document button at the upper right. It is easiest to navigate to the folder that you want the file to be saved under before clicking Upload Document. A form will pop up:

You to select the file to upload using the Browse button or you can enter the full pathname for the file on your computer/network.

Entering an optional description allows you to provide a more exact and lengthy description of the document. (Note: the "tags" feature will be implemented in a future release.)

As with creating a new folder, you can change where the uploaded file will be saved by modifying the Save under path before clicking Upload.

If desired, you can turn on version tracking for the file immediately (click Info, then click Edit Info to find this option), or, if you are not sure whether version tracking will be required for this document, you can leave this up to the next person replacing the file.

Replacing Existing Files

From the Information view, you can click the Replace button to bring up the Replace form:

This allows you to browse and select, or directly enter a pathname for, a file to upload as a replacement for the existing file. If version tracking is not turned on, the existing file will be overwritten.

If version tracking is on, the replace action will create a new version of the file. You have the option to turn on version tracking as part of the replace process by checking the Track Versions check box. If using version tracking, you should enter a comment as to why the file was replaced/what the key changes to the document are.

Directly Editing Microsoft Office Documents

If you are using Internet Explorer and your server administrator has configured Traction to allow direct editing of Office documents (Excel, PowerPoint and Word), you will see an additional option when viewing Info:

This option allows you to directly open files for revision, automatically locking the file and, if version tracking is enabled for the file, automatically creating a new version when you save it. See Editing Microsoft Office Files from Windows with IE for more information.

Using Version Tracking

Traction supports version tracking for documents when it is desirable to:

Keep a record of who modified a file, when it was done and why it was done
Retain prior versions of the file for reference, rather than simply overwriting the file with the latest version

Note: Version tracking can be initiated and utilized from both the File Details view and from the Document Management Interface described here. Once version tracking is enabled, autoversioning will occur when Editing Microsoft Office Files from Windows with IE.

Within the interface you can turn on version tracking in the Replace form, as discussed in that section, or from the VERSIONS tab of the Information view, as shown here:

Caution: As indicated in the warning, once version tracking is enabled for a given file, it cannot be disabled.

Checking out a document to revise it

Once version tracking has been turned on, you will be given the Check Out option next to the Download option:

To let others know that you are in the process of revising the latest version of the document, you should click Check Out before downloading the document. They will then be advised that you have the file checked out when looking at Information tabs. When viewing the contents of a folder, the fact that a file is checked out will be shown by the fact that a user is given in the Checked out by column for that file.

For instance, the VERSIONS tab will show:

Note: this does not physically prevent others from replacing or directly editing the existing version; it only informs them that you have it checked out to work on. If you want to also physically lock out replacement of the file, use the Lock option in Edit Info as discussed below (be sure to unlock the document after you check the document in).

When you are done, use Replace and check the Check in document now checkbox, adding a comment about what you changed in this revision. If you wish to check the document back in without replacing the current version, you can either use Check In (which will allow you to comment on why you had the file checked out) or use Cancel Checkout if you decide you don't need to have the file checked out for revision after all.

After the file has been checked back in, the VERSIONS tab will show a new version, which is the current version that will be used when this file is viewed or linked to.

Accessing prior versions of a file

When looking at the Information view, you can access prior versions of a version tracked document by clicking the VERSIONS tab, then clicking on the filename of the older version that you wish to view or download. This list is also shown when you click Edit Info.

Locking and Unlocking Files

In order to lock a file against someone else replacing it while you are in the process of revising a downloaded copy, you can use the Lock feature. Lock can be used regardless of whether version tracking has been enabled for the file. To lock the file click on Edit Info and use the Lock radio button to change the state to locked.

Others will be notified that you have the file locked when they navigate to the file in the interface. For instance, a Lock icon will show in the Checked out by column:

Note: Remember that automatic locking is applied by Windows when direct editing of Microsoft Office documents is enabled. You should not apply manual locking before editing Office documents directly.

Deleting Files and Folders

If you have modify share folder permissions, you can delete files and folders in Document Share Folders and Article Share Folders. There are two ways to delete in the interface:

1) When looking at the contents of a folder, each file and folder in it will have a checkbox to the left of the Title column. You can check the box for the items that you wish to delete and then click Actions: and select Delete selected.

2) When you are in the Edit Info form for a given file or folder, a Delete Document link will appear in the lower right of the form.

You will be asked to confirm the deletion when using either of these methods. If you click OK, a permanent deletion will occur. Caution: There is no way to recover deleted files.

Attachments:

ArticleShareFiles.png
ProjectShareFiles.png
DMIProjectFolders.png
DMIProjectFolders.png
DMIProjectFolders.png
PathSelector.png
InfoView.png
AddNewFolder.png
NewFolderForm.png
EditInfo.png
ReplaceForm.png
UploadView.png
TurnonVersionTracking.png
CheckOut.png
CheckOutView.png
CheckedInView.png
LockRadioButton.png
LockedIcon.png
ActionsDelete.png
NewFolderForm.png
WebFolderLink.png
WebFolderIcon.png
PathSelector.png
OfficeFileEdit.png
DocFolder.png

referenced by (12)

Doc358: Sharing and Managing Files in TeamPage Doc332: Where are Files Shared and Managed in TeamPage Doc329: How is WebDAV Used in Traction TeamPage Doc316: Using Windows Web Folders Doc284: User Preferences | Files Panel - Edit in Office and File Options Doc228: Putting a File Under Version Control Doc165: MIME type information Doc159: Locking Files Doc114: File Management with Browsers Doc75: Editing Microsoft Office Files from Windows with IE Doc70: Directory Listings and File Details using the Common File Interface Doc32: Checkout Checkin

Article: Doc749 (permalink)
Date: January 23, 2009; 1:05:51 AM Eastern Standard Time

Author Name: Paul Needham
Author ID: pan