Web Folders

In Microsoft Windows, there is a folder named Web Folders. This folder is either present from the beginning or can be added by installing the Internet Explorer, version 6 or higher. This folder can have subfolders, the so called web folders. When you create a web folder you assign it a URL which points to a WebDAV service on the network. With this URL Windows can, for example, determine the contents of this folder.

CMS Fiona provides such a service so that you can access the files stored in the Content Management Server as if they were files in your file system. Apart from a few system-dependent restrictions, you can handle these files just as you would handle any local files. For example, they can be edited, moved, or deleted:

If you would like to access files in the CMS via a web folder, the web folder needs to be created using the Windows Explorer first. To do this and to be able to open this folder, you will need your login and password. Use the CMS URL and append /DAV to it to create the web folder, for example:

http://the.server.com:8080/NPS/DAV with CMS Fiona 6.0.x or
http://the.server.com:8080/instance/NPS/DAV with CMS Fiona 6.5.x.

After a web folder has been created, you can copy files it contains onto the desktop or into another folder. You can edit the local copy and place it in the web folder again when you finished your work, provided that your permissions are sufficient. Some applications (such as MS Word 2000) allow you to open files directly from the web folder and also save them to this location

Since files in web folders do not have the same properties as files in the CMS, you should keep in mind the following points when you access files via a web folder:

Important Notes about Working with Web Folders

In the following, files in the CMS are called "CMS files" and "CMS folders".

  • In web folders, CMS folders are represented as folders. These folders must not have a file name extension.

  • CMS files other than folders are represented as files. A file corresponds to a draft version if the CMS file concerned has a draft version. Otherwise the file corresponds to the released version.

  • The name extension of files corresponds to the file name extension of the draft or the released version, respectively. The file name extension can not be changed. It is also not possible to create a file whose name differs only in the extension from a file already present in the folder. You can not, for example, create a file named news.html if a file named news.shtml already exists.

  • As a file is saved, the draft version of the CMS file concerned is overwritten. If the CMS file does not have a draft version, it will be created. In order to be able to save a file, it is sufficient to have write permission for the CMS file. The write operation causes you to become the editor of the version even if it is being edited by another user.

  • The contents of a CMS folder (main content and fields) is normally represented as the file index.html in a folder that has the same name as the CMS folder. The name and the name extension of this file are a matter of configuration and might have been changed by an administrator. This file can not be deleted.

  • A folder can only be deleted if it contains neither subfolders nor files. An exception to this rule is the file that represents the contents of the CMS folder (normally index.html). You can delete a folder which contains only this one file, provided that you are the administrator of this file or a CMS administrator.

  • When a file is copied, its name extension must not be changed. The file that represents the contents of a folder (index.html) can not be copied.

  • When a file is opened, it contains the main content of the version of the CMS file concerned. Version fields are not transmitted.

  • When an HTML file is saved, version fields are set in the same manner as if content is imported, i. e. the META elements contained in the HTML text are evaluated and interpreted as version fields.

  • The character encoding of a version is not modified when the version is read or saved. The applications used to edit the main content of versions must store text files UTF-8-encoded.

  • In file names only the characters A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9 and the underscore are permitted. Spaces are converted to underscores. Names containing other characters are rejected.

File Selection and Error Messages

  • The versions of the Windows operating system differ with respect to the methods they offer for opening files in web folders. If, for example, you double-click a file in a web folder, it is possible that nothing happens although the file name extension is associated with an application. Furthermore, it can happen that files are always opened with the Internet Explorer or that files can not be opened from within all applications.

  • It is always possible to copy a file from a web folder into an ordinary folder, optionally using drag and drop. A file copied in this manner can be edited and subsequently copied back to the web folder.

  • If an error occurs, the Content Manager’s user interface transmits a corresponding error message to Windows. These messages, however, are not displayed. Instead, a general message is displayed saying that an operation could not be performed.

  • If you edit versions by means of web folders and at the same time are logged into the CMS via the browser, select Refresh from the View menu of the Content Navigator to make the changes visible there.

Notes about Use on Windows Server 2003

Please install the current Software Update for Web Folders from Microsoft and set the system registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services \WebClient\Parameters\UseBasicAuth (DWORD) to 1.