If you are using Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 and have the Bulk Upload to Collaboration activity right, you can use Microsoft Windows Explorer to view and manage the documents of various Collaboration projects from your personal computer. Before you can access these documents, you must first map a web folder, which is a root folder that exists on your personal computer. A web folder contains one or more project subfolders; one project subfolder maps to one project. When you open a project subfolder, you can access the documents of its associated project.
Project folders exist in Collaboration, not on your personal computer. Project subfolders exist on your personal computer and are mappings of Collaboration projects. You create project folders using Project Explorer.
After you have mapped a web folder, the web folder appears in Windows Explorer under My Network Places. By default, the web folder name is WebDav on <machine name>. For example: WebDav on brianaw. By default, the web folder on your personal computer contains subfolders for projects of which you are a Project Member. To change the project subfolders in your web folder, use the Web Folder Settings page.
Note: While Collaboration allows you to use special characters in project names, Microsoft Windows does not allow you to use these characters in folder names. For this reason, Collaboration projects whose names contain the following special characters will not appear as project subfolders in your web folder: \, /, :, *, ?, ", <, >, |.
You can perform all of the familiar file operations in Windows Explorer, such as:
Tip: To view the changes you made to Windows Explorer in Collaboration, refresh the Document explorer.
Double-clicking a Microsoft Office document will open it if you have Microsoft Office installed on your desktop. If the document is not currently checked out by another user and you have permission to check out the document (at least Write permission), you can edit the document. While you are editing the document, other users can still view the document, but they will not be able to check it out.
Double-clicking files other than Microsoft Office documents will open them in your Web browser. You can view the file only.
Creating, Deleting, and Renaming Folders
If you have Edit permission, you can use Windows Explorer to create and rename the folders in your project subfolders. You can only delete these folders if you have Admin access privilege. When you create a new project subfolder directly under the web folder, you are creating a new project, which is automatically added to your My Projects portlet. You need the Manage Collaboration activity right to create new projects in this way.
You cannot delete or move a project subfolder because such a folder actually represents an entire project. You must use the Project Explorer to delete or move projects.
Note: Mapped Web folders should not contain Windows folders whose names include the # or : characters. Windows folder names that include these characters appear incorrectly within Collaboration projects.
Moving and Copying Files or Folders
You can use Windows Explorer to move or copy files and folders within or between project subfolders, and even between project subfolders and other Windows Explorer folders—so long as you have the permission to do so. You cannot, however, copy or move actual project subfolders.
You must have Admin permission to delete files and folders and move them from project subfolders to other Windows Explorer folders.
Note: When you move a Windows folder within a project subfolder, a Windows dialog prompts you to confirm whether you want to delete the folder. Click Yes. The folder is moved to the desired location, even though a message appears that Windows is unable to delete the folder. This is expected Windows behavior.
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