Download pulse

The virtual file system

Another important component of pulse is its virtual file system (VFS), where all images, PDFs and other downloadable files are stored, so that they can be easily used via the administration’s point and click editors.

The file system has two root folders: public and private, which can be selected by the corresponding buttons in the toolbar. The public folder is where all files that shall be visible to all users of your website go, whereas files in the private folder will be accessible only to users currently logged in.

The file system browser works almost like the explorer in Microsoft Windows™. The folder tree structure is displayed on the left hand side of the popup window. You can navigate through the folders by using the 'expand' or 'collapse' buttons. Double-clicking a folder also opens it, as well as a file can be selected by a double-click.

Note: a file is selected only if its name appears in the field labelled ‘file’ at the bottom of the window and must be confirmed for use by clicking on the ‘select’ button.

Uploading images and files via WebDAV

So far there are two possible methods to upload files into the VFS. You can either use a WebDAV client or the built in WebDAV support of your operating system.

Note: in all cases you need the URL of your server. If you are testing pulse in a local environment the url would be
for the public folder: localhost/pulse/WEBDAV/public/
and for the private folder: localhost/pulse/WEBDAV/private/

If your pulse distribution is installed on a web server, the URL needs to be adjusted accordingly, by replacing the term ‘localhost’ with the http:// address of your site. Also if you do have a ssl certificate installed on your server you have to use https:// instead of http://

Please note also that your application server (i.e. tomcat) requires write access permissions on the actual folders which are at the following location within your pulse installation directory

for the public folder: .../pulse/WEB-INF/vfs-private
and for the private folder: .../pulse/WEB-INF/vfs-public

Using a WebDAV client

Method one and the one we are recommending so far, is to use a so called WebDAV-client such as WebDrive from South River Technologies for Windows or cyberduck for MacOS as this is the most comfortable and failsafe way.

WebDrive

webdrive
Fig.1

A trial version of the client can be obtained here:

http://www.webdrive.com/download/index.html

  • After installing, open WebDrive and click on ‘New Site’
  • A Wizard will open that guides you through the process of creating a new connection
  • The information you need to enter:
    • server type: WebDAV
    • Server address: the URL of your server (see above)
    • Your username and password for the pulse login.
      Note: Make sure your user has WebDAV access granted! (see: Users and rights)

 

Cyberduck

Cyberduck is a free file transfer program that supports WebDAV. Before using Cyberduck, download and install the software from http://www.cyberduck.ch. The latest versions can be found in the top right corner of the page. Once installed, follow these steps:

cyberduck 2
Fig.3
cyberduck 1
Fig.2
  • After launching Cyberduck, click Open Connection.
  • Select WebDAV or WebDAV (HTTP/SSL) (Fig. 2) from the drop-down list of options that starts with FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and fill out the rest of the information on the form as follows:
    • In the Server field, enter or paste the address of your server as shown above.
    • Enter your pulse login information for the Username and Password
      Note: Make sure your user has WebDAV access granted!(see: Users and rights)
  • Click Connect
  • From the Bookmarks menu, select New Bookmark to save this connection.
  • Drag files to and from the Cyberduck window to your computer to transfer files

 

BitKinex

BitKinex is a free file transfer software that supports WebDAV.
Before using BitKinex, download and install the software from http://www.bitkinex.com/download.
Once installed, please follow these steps:

Launch BitKinex. Afterwards right-click on the Http/WebDAV entry in the tree menu and select New -> Http/WebDAV (Fig. 4).

Enter the name for your new WebDAV location and confirm it by pressing enter. Enter the server’s URL (without http://) and your user information in the appearing popup (Fig. 5). Select the “Site Map” point from the pop-up’s tree menu. Enter the base-path of your virtual file system in the input field and select "Directory (WebDAV-compliant)" from the dropdown beneath (Fig. 6). When this is done, use the add button to save your VFS-path, confirm your settings by clicking the pop-up’s OK button and your all set up and ready.

Uploading files works via drag and drop.


Fig.6

Fig.5

Fig.4