- 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 click on the “manage” icon to the right of the file or folder name in the directory listing of the WesFiles Web interface. Expand the “properties” box to view the URLs and other information about the resource. You will notice that the full URL corresponds to a “path” through your directory structure—each folder is listed separated by a “/” with the filename at the end. The intellilink, by contrast, does not reveal anything about your file structure. More than that, however, the intellilink is designed to work in tandem with the Xythos Drive. If you click on a full URL that points to a Word document, you will be able to download the document and open it locally. Intellilinks work the same way, unless you have the Xythos Drive, in which case, clicking the intellilink will open the document for remote editing. Intellilinks do not create trouble for those without the Xythos Drive. If the drive is absent, the intellilink will work like the full URL. Intellilinks offer convenience to users who have the Xythos Drive, except when the user does not have a clear path to the resource you are sharing. That case is explained elsewhere.
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:
\ / : * ? ” < > |
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 istructions at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301711