WesFiles Info

• What is the difference between a “full URL” and an “intellilink”?
• Are there any restrictions on file names in WesFiles?
• Why does my Trash fill up so quickly? How long before data is removed from the Trash?
• I know I have read permission on a shared space, but when I click to open a file in the Web View I get an error: “Xythos Intellilink File Not Found: Access Denied”
• Why do I see folders for courses, labs, groups, etc. that I am not a part of?
• Why, when I try to connect via the Finder, do I get the error message: “The Finder cannot complete this action because some data at https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu cannot be read”?
• How can I edit documents on the server?
• What are my command-line options?
• Why do I see “.DS_Store” files and files that start with “._”?

What is the difference between a “full URL” and an “intellilink”?

Every file and folder on WesFiles can be accessed via a unique URL. In fact, every file and folder has at least two URLs associated with it: a “full URL” and an “intellilink.” To find these URLs right- or control-click on the file or folder in the web view directory listing and choose Manage > Summary. You will notice that the full URL corresponds to a “path” through your directory structure—folders are listed separated by slashes (”/”) with the filename at the end of the url. The intellilink, by contrast, does not reveal anything about your directory structure.

Full url’s and intellilinks also work differently in many cases. The basic principle is that full url’s will open “in the browser” while intellilinks will open within WesFiles. Here are the major practical consequences of this difference:

Links to folders

1. Intellilinks to a folder will open that directory in the WesFiles interface where you will have access to whatever tools your privileges allow. Like so…
   
2. The full url to the same directory will open a system-generated index page. Like so…
   
   You can still download files, go into subdirectories, and move up to higher levels as your permissions allow. You can also click on the link to launch the “WFS Web View,” (to end up where the intellilink would have taken you),  but you will have to reauthenticate.
3. Or if your directory contains a web index file (index.htm, for example), The full url to the folder will find and open that page

Conclusion: If you are using the folder as a website, you should offer the full url. Otherwise the intellilink is probably more useful.

Links to Files

1. A full url to an HTML document will open as a web page in the browser
2. A full url to other kinds of files will generally prompt your browser to offer a download, though some of what happens depends on client settings
3. An intellilink to a file is supposed to open the file in the Xythos Drive if you have one. In practice there are complications that can interfere, especially when the link recipient does not have read permissions on every folder above the level of the file. Moreover, link recipients without a Xythos Drive will have to respond to a potentially confusing dialog, the end result of which is simply to download the file.
4. Intellilinks to web documents present the recipient with a similar dialog, which is almost certainly not what you want to happen.

Conclusion: When offering links to files it is almost always a best practice to use the full url. The potential convenience of an intellilink is probably not worth the confusion it will cause in many circumstances.

Are there any restrictions on file names in WesFiles?

Yes. File names can be up to 255 characters long and may not include any of the characters:
\ / : * ? ” < > |
Although blank spaces are allowed, it would be a good practice to avoid them by using dashes “-” or underscores “_” instead. A double space in the name of a file or folder can prevent that item from appearing in certain contexts.
The WesFiles web interface will allow you to differentiate files or folders by changing the case of characters in the name, but some operating systems will overlook the distinction, which again could cause files or folders not to show up in certain circumstances. “FOLDER” and “folder” can live side by side in the web interface, but only one of them will show up in the Xythos Drive.
Mac users should make a point of including file extensions in their file names.

Why does my Trash fill up so quickly? How long before data is removed from the Trash?

The Trash in your home directory on a Mac fills up quickly because every time you save a file, the old file is first deleted and put into the Trash. Items in the Trash remain there until you remove them. This can be handy if you are looking for an older version of a document, but Trash does count against your quota, so you will need to clean it out from time to time.

I know I have read permission on a shared space, but when I click to open a file in the Web View I get an error: “Xythos Intellilink File Not Found”

You are probably on a PC, with a Xythos drive, looking at a space that someone else has shared to you. The links in the web view are called ‘intellilinks’ because they will try to make a match from the web view to your mapped drive. In general, this is a great convenience, because it will allow you to edit the file in question right on the server. Here’s the catch: You can see some spaces in the web view that are not available to you on the mapped drive. The mapped drive can only show you spaces when you have read access at every level. Using the web interface, by contrast, you can look at folders even when they are embedded in folders to which you do not have permission. If someone sends you an intellilink that you cannot open, you can 1) temporarily turn off your Xythos Drive or 2) if you know the path to the resource, you can go to it in the web interface. Once you can see the resource in the web interface, you can click on the “Web Folder” button (in Internet Explorer only) to work remotely. Otherwise, you can click on the “Manage” icon to the right of the file or folder. Look at the properties and click on the full URL instead of the intellilink.

Why do I see folders for courses, labs, groups, etc. that I am not a part of?

Within a given directory, WesFiles will show you anything that you have permission to see. If someone has made a directory available to you or any group that includes you, you will see that directory, though you will not necessarily see all or even any of the contents. Many course pages and lab spaces are open “at the top” to the public (by the owner’s choice). In that case, everyone will see them.

While it can be useful to make content open to all, having to look through long lists of folders to find your own data can be tedious. One way to manage the abundance is to bookmark the directories or files you access often. Click here for some guidance on how to create bookmarks, shortcuts, and aliases.

Why, when I try to connect via the Finder, do I get the error message: “The Finder cannot complete this action because some data at https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu cannot be read”?

Check your Mac OS X version (Apple Menu > About This Mac). You are probably running 10.3 (Panther) or earlier. You will not be able to connect to WesFiles via the Finder until you upgrade to 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard). You can, however, connect via a browser.

How can I edit documents on the server?

There are a number of ways that you can edit documents remotely (as opposed to downloading, editing, uploading).

• If you are using the Xythos drive, you can navigate to files as if they were on your own machine, open them, and edit them in place. This method will not work unless you have read permissions all the way from the root down to the files in question.
• If you are using the Xythos drive, but do not have permissions “all the way down” then you can navigate to the files in question using the web interface. When you click on the link to the file, it should open the document for remote editing.
• Whether or not you are using the Xythos drive, users of Internet Explorer can click on the “Web Folders” button at the top of the web interface to open an Explorer window that behaves largely as if it were displaying the contents of a local folder.
• On a Mac, you can mount the WesFiles drive by using the Go > Connect to Server… > https://wesfiles.wesleyan.edu option through the Finder.
• On a linux box you could use a third-party WebDAV client like Cadaver to work remotely.

Please be advised that not all applications are good candidates for remote editing. EndNote and Access are notable examples where it is best to bring the files down, edit them, and put them back up.

What are my command-line options?

If you are using the Xythos drive client on a PC, then you can cd to your mapped drive and work on your files there. On a Mac, you can mount WesFiles and use the Terminal to navigate to /Volumes/wesfiles.wesleyan.edu/. On a unix/linux machine (including a Mac) you can use Cadaver. Please note, however, that none of these environments will allow you to set WesFiles permissions. To set permissions, you will need to use the web interface or the Xythos drive WebDAV client.

Why do I see “.DS_Store” files and files that start with “._”?

The “._” files (and the “.DS_Store” files) are system files created and saved by the Mac operating system when you or someone else edits a file. Normally these files are hidden so that you are unaware of their existence, but WesFiles does not know to hide them. It is save to delete them. If you are willing to work in the Terminal, you might also be able to prevent your own Mac from creating these files on remote servers by following the instructions at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301711