Files Module

Files
files
dotProject
web2project
3.3
SourceDownload

Module Overview

Once your project begins, you will likely want to attach information from individual files. Common additions are contracts, requirements, technical specifications, relevant standards, or any of a plethora of other things. While these can be handled in a third-party Document Management System or a wiki, it is often better to have a single location for pulling all this information together into a single interface for review, comment, update, or perusal.

The File Repository in web2Project is a well organized dynamic module for maintaining your assets that are associated with Projects, Task, or the Calendar. The files module appears in the main navigation by default, but you can also access files via projects, project designer, and task.

In the web2Project file repository you can:

Attach a File

The three ways of getting to this module are all effectively the same. The fastest is to select “New File” from the “New Item” dropdown in the upper right corner of any screen. Alternatively, you can select the File module from the main navigation and then click on the “New File” button. Finally, you can select a particular project or task, click on the Files tab, and then click on “Attach a file”.

You can then select a Category of the File – default options are “Document” and “Application” – assign a specific Project/Task, and fill in a description. The primary benefit of attaching the file through an individual Project or Task is that this information will automatically be filled in on this screen. Regardless, if you attach a file and associate it with a Project or Task, the owner will immediately be notified of the new file available.

Check-in / Check-out / Update

As most projects progress, new versions of documents become available, documents change, and old information becomes less relevant. In order to handle this, Web2project has a simple versioning feature with checkin/checkout functionality. A user simply clicks on the “co” column to checkout the file. They fill in a comment and download it immediately. When their modifications are complete, they click on the “co” column again, fill in a new comment, denote whether this is a major or minor revision, and save.

The previous version of the file is kept untouched and the new file is displayed. Older versions of every file are kept for archival purposes and are denoted in the version column with a number in parentheses. By clicking on this number, all previous versions of the file are displayed and available for download. This protects files from being lost either due to malicious or accidental actions.

View Files List Page (Files Index)

When you click on the “Files” link from the main navigation menu you will see the Files List by default.

The files list page contains a number of tabs that are designed to help you better associate your files within a category. You can define these tabs to meet your own needs from within the System Administration Lookup Values.

On the upper right hand side of the page are two buttons. The first button is used to add a new file to the repository, and the second button is used to add a new folder. Next to those buttons is a filter that you can use often to filter the view of your files.

The default view of the files repository contains a table that lists the files currently in the system along with some additional information.

Files Add/Edit (Files addedit)

To add a file to the file repository do one of the following:

  1. To add a file via the main repository click on “Files” in the main menu, then click the “New File” button located in the upper right corner.
  2. To add a file via a project click on the Files sub tab from within the project view page. If folders exist, click on the last icon on the far right side

Note: If you hover your mouse over the icons a tool tip will appear telling you what function that icon serves.

The add file page contacts a number of form elements that you can use to manage your files.

Files Folder Explorer (Folder Explorer)

The folder explorer in web2Project allows you to view files that are specific to that folder. You can also perform a number of functions within this view that you can do in the main file list.

To access the folder explorer simply click on the folder name in the File list page.

The icons on the upper left allow you to:

The icons on the far right allow you to:

Files Folder Add/Edit (Folder Addedit)

To create a new folder in the main file module click the “New Folder” button in the upper right.

To create a new folder from the project view page click the files sub-tab, then click on the green plus icon in the table.

Note: To delete a folder click on the red X icon, to edit the folder click on the disk icon.

The add folder page allows you to: