File Manager

I want to create a file manager plugin such that it enables its users to create their custom directories and manage their uploaded files.

But there is a restriction - the plugin should be such that no actual custom directories should be created on the server, rather just a directory view is visible to the users with permissions to manage their files.

  • If we can add a new field  that represents a tree like dynamic directory structure to the class that manages the users, can it then be possible. If yes, how can it be done???

    Otherwise can you suggest any other method...

  • Hello Vaibhav, I think this plugin is a very good idea !

    I think we can see directories like categories excepted there are subcategories (juste a thought)

    ps : in the tidypics plugin there is a one level tree (if it can help you)

  • Did anyone advance in the development of such a plug-in? Our community is requesting better handling of documents and we need to implement some solution that includes some categorisation, versioning, etc...

    Any hints?

    Thanks in advance

  • There is a plugin or two that does something much like that. I know some other developers have worked on various similar features - e.g. Edifice, Folder, maybe others. Of course the better way would be to develop your own custom extentions for the File PlugIn. One simpler approach was developed by Mike Bullock to slot Files using System-wide categories and the trick later was to be browse via those categories so that the Files 'looked' like they were actually organised into 'folders'. His (unreleased) plugin was called "TabFiles".  I did customize that PlugIn a little further and renamed it "KnowledgeBase" for catering to education-oriented sites. I can give you a demo of this if you like on one of my test/demo Elgg sites.

  • I'm exploring the file-tree plugin now, that allows us at least to group files in folders in different levels:

    http://community.elgg.org/pg/plugins/project/655971/developer/jeabakker/file-tree

    I would still need to solve the issue of versioning: at least to being able to substitute a file without changing its URL although version handling would be even better...

    I'll let you know about my advancements!

    Thanks for the info, DhrupDeScoop!

  • "Versioning" ? - depends on whether you want to able to simply overlay an older version of a File with newer or want to keep more than one version (power!). Both will require some extra coding to be done and the 2nd will be much more effort. I know that someone somewhere has coded the 1st sometime last year or so..

  • The 1st would be very easy to do. Just attach annotations on a 'update' event.

    The 2nd is my challenge now. I would like to keep the older version of the file. My approach I think would be to get the content of an old file and create a new file entity, which is disabled for normal view, but enabled for a versioning view.

    Will report back in a week or so...