ODS-Briefcase FAQ

General

What is ODS-Briefcase?

ODS-Briefcase is an integrated ODS web application that allow you to store and share resources online. ODS-Briefcase offers a unique web-based storage for your documents, providing access not only to the document itself but also to metadata about the document. Upload and access from anywhere.

What is online file storage?

Online file storage is a way to store virtually any file including movies, documents, photos, music, and other file formats, in a secure web-based repository on the internet. Files stored in an on-line storage system can easily be accesses from anywhere.

What are some benefits of using ODS-Briefcase?

ODS-Briefcase allows access to all of your files from any browser connected to the Internet. With ODS-Briefcase resources can be moved to and from work, home, and other locations, and you can share files in an intranet environment where security is an issue. ODS-Briefcase also allows you to send a URI and share resources that could be blocked as an e-mail attachment or be inappropriate for viewing through an email client.

What platforms are supported?

The ODS-Briefcase server can be run on any operating system Virtuoso Universal Server currently supports. Virtuoso offers a wide range of cross-platform support including 32- & 64-bit variants of Windows, Unix-like OS (HP-UX, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, BSD, SCO, and others), Linux (RedHat?, SUSE, etc.), and Mac OS X (PPC and Intel).

Clients may be on any platform that has a WebDAV filesystem driver (e.g., Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc.) or has a supported Web browser.

Does ODS-Briefcase support web browsers such as Netscape?

Briefcase supports a wide array of Web browser clients including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape, Safari, Opera, etc.

Do I need to install any other software? Like IIS or Apache?

Yes, ODS-Briefcase is an integrated product that requires Virtuoso Universal Server and the ODS Framework to be installed and running on the server side. Web servers such as IIS or Apache are not needed, as Virtuoso has a web server as part of its core feature set.

How do I log in to ODS-Briefcase?

You can connect to ODS-Briefcase via http://localhost:8890/ods, modified for your Virtuoso instance hostname and HTTP port.

If you are not logged in, you will be prompted for your account name and password. If you do not have an account, you will have the opportunity to register. Simply click on MyBriefcase under the Home Tab and the select which instance of ODS-Briefcase you wish to access.

What types of files can I store in ODS-Briefcase?

There are no restrictions with ODS-Briefcase. Any type of file can be stored in Briefcase, from MP3s to Office Documents, from executable binaries to zip files. Some types of files users are already storing in ODS-Briefcase include:

What Web Services are supported?

Please refer to the detailed information on the UI endpoint and WSDL location provided elsewhere.

What metadata is derived from files or resources stored in ODS-Briefcase?

Metadata is currently derived from MS Office, Open Office, Feeds (RSS, ATOM, RSS-RDF), Feed Lists (OPML, OCS), HTML & XHTML, Web Services (BPEL, WSDL), XBRL, XBEL, Wiki, VAD FOAF & vCARD formats. More formats are added regularly. Additional information you can find here.

Can I store multiple versions of my documents in ODS-Briefcase?

Yes, ODS-Briefcase supports versioning for all types of documents and resources. This support is provided through ODS-Briefcase and Virtuoso support of WebDAV and the core DeltaV? feature set. Versioning can be enabled for any resource stored in ODS-Briefcase, which will contain a history of each resource stored in separate virtual folders. Resources can be overlaid, checked in, or checked out. They may even be locked, preventing updates from other members collaborating on those resources. More information and sample scenario yo can find here.

Does ODS-Briefcase support the direct linking of files from its site to be viewed on web pages?

All Files stored in ODS-Briefcase are URI accessible, so that links can be included in email or viewed on other web pages like Yahoo, Google, or eBay.

Folder and File Management

How do I create a folder?

Click the icon above the New Folder option in the navigation toolbar of your ODS-Briefcase. Enter a name for your folder and select the folder type, group, permissions, enable Auto Versioning, Full text search and metadata retrieval settings. Then click "Create", and you can immediately start adding files to your new folder.

How do I rename my resources and folders?

There are a number of methods to rename individual resources or folders in ODS-Briefcase. For example, to rename a specific resource or folder, you can follow these steps:

  1. Open the folder containing the resource you wish to rename.
  2. Tick the box next to the resource or folder name.
  3. Click the ICON above the Rename option in the navigation toolbar.
  4. Enter the name in the "New Name" field and then click the SAVE button.

You can also rename a folder or resource by:

  1. Open the folder containing the resource you wish to rename.
  2. Tick the box next to the resource or folder name.
  3. Click the Properties ICON located in the Actions column at the far right of the folder or resource name or click the ICON above Properties in the navigation toolbar.
  4. Enter the new name resource and then click save.

How do I move resources or other folders to another folder?

You can easily moving resources from one folder to another folder using Briefcase by following these steps:

  1. Navigate to the folder where the resource (s) or folder(s) to be moved currently reside.
  2. Select the resources to be moved by marking the check-box next to each of the resource names.
  3. Click the ICON above the Move option in the navigation toolbar.
  4. Review the Source and enter the Target Path of the folder you wish to move the resource(s) or folder(s) into and click the Move button at the bottom of the page.
  5. Click the "OK" button when prompted to move the file to its new location.

Can I edit or view my files directly from ODS-Briefcase?

Not all files can edited or viewed, for most file types you will need to download them to your computer first and then use the appropriate tool for editing the file. Then when you are finished, making your changes you can then upload the new version into ODS-Briefcase. If you have Auto Versioning enabled you can save multiple versions of this file. Text Files can be edited by marking the check-box next to the file name and clicking on the Edit icon option under Actions on the far right. To view a file simply select the highlighted file name. Depending on your browser and Operating system, you will be able to save it to disk or open it with the appropriate application for viewing or editing.

Can I access files from my ODS-Weblog?

Yes, all ODS-Weblog resources are stored in ODS-Briefcase under the folder ../DAV/home/[username]/[username]-blog-n. Resource including templates, gems, enclosures and blog posts are stored under this folder.

How do I create a Group?

To create a group, select the Group Tab above the navigation tool bar and perform the following steps:

  1. First, click the Create button.
  2. Enter the Group Name and a brief description of the group and click the create button
  3. To add members to the group, select the Edit option on the far right and click the Members tab and then click the members button
  4. In the pop-up box select the ODS members you want to add to this group by marking the check-box next to each name and then clicking the button, Add selected.

File and Folder Permissions

How do I change the permission on a File or Folder?

There are a couple of ways to change the permissions on an individual resource or folder in ODS-Briefcase. To change the permission on a file, follow these steps:

  1. Open the folder containing the resource you wish to change permissions.
  2. Tick the box next to the resource or folder name.
  3. Click the ICON above the Properties option in the navigation toolbar.
  4. Enter the new permissions for the User, Group or Other (Read, Write, Execute) then click the SAVE button.

You can also change the permissions on a folder or resource by:

  1. Open the folder containing the resource you wish to change permissions.
  2. Tick the box next to the resource or folder name.
  3. Click the Properties ICON located in the Actions column at the far right of the folder or resource name or click the ICON above Properties in the navigation toolbar.
  4. Enter the new permissions for the User , Group or Other (Read, Write, Execute) then click the SAVE button.
How do I share Files and Folders?

Any file or Folder can be shared to other members of ODS from ODS-Briefcase or non-members through WebDAV. To share resource of folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Go to ODS-Briefcase
  2. Open the folder containing the resource (or sub-folder) you wish to share.
  3. Click the "Update properties" icon from column "Actions" for the resource or folder name.
  4. Go to tab "Sharing"
  5. Enter User or Group you want to share the resource to, the type of access (permissions) you want the resource to have
  6. Click the "Add" button.
  7. As result will be shown 1 new row in the sharings. Click the "Update" button in order to complete the sharing activity.

A sample scenario you can find here.

How do I Upload and Download Files using ODS-Briefcase?

Download

To download files to your computer follow these steps:

  1. Tick the box next to the file name in the ODS-Briefcase.
  2. Click the ICON above the Download option in the navigation toolbar.
  3. In Windows you will be prompted with a "Save As.." box asking you to choose the location on your computer where you would like to save the file (this box will default to your desktop).
  4. Once saved you can find the file on your computer and open it in the appropriate program.
Upload

To upload a file, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the ICON above the Upload option in the navigation toolbar.
  2. Enter the source path and choose a URL or File or select the "Browse" button to choose the resource to be uploaded.
  3. Locate the item on your computer's hard drive, select it, and click on the "Open" button.

How do I make a backup of my files and content stored in ODS-Briefcase?

There are two options for backing up your files. Since Virtuoso Universal Server is a database, it has the ability to create and schedule backups. Any files stored are part of the database and therefore will be backed up when you create a backup. Another option is to backup all the data under DAV when mounted as a WebDAV folder. Backup of WebDAV folders can be added into any type of OS backup routine.

Can I use FTP to copy files to and from ODS-Briefcase?

Virtuoso Universal Server supports FTP, and this can be set up to allow access to your ODS-Briefcase.

Advanced Features

Search

What types of searches can I perform?

ODS-Briefcase allows you to search your resources through a basic and advanced search functionality.

Basic Search:

You can perform case-sensitive keyword searches with ODS-Briefcase basic search by entering a keyword in the search box at the top of the page on the far right and clicking on the Search Link. All resource matching the keyword will be displayed in the bottom frame.

Advanced Search:

With the advanced search option you can perform searches and filters based on file type, content, date ranges, tags, owner or group, mime type, resource property or metadata. Results displayed can be limited to a max number of rows shown, displayed in ascending or descending order and grouped by name, file type, date or owner as well as displayed as a tag cloud.

Advanced metadata search

Security

Is WebDAV access to ODS secure?

Yes, HTTP over Secure Socket Layer (SSL), i.e., HTTPS, can be used when accessing ODS, including ODS-Briefcase and Virtuoso's built-in WebDAV features. All file permissions set on ODS resources are respected through WebDAV, whether working through the ODS-Briefcase interface or otherwise.

How do I get Data into Virtuoso Quad Store via the ODS-Briefcase's special RDF Sink Folder?

Virtuoso's WebDAV supports a special folder for RDF uploads, named rdf_sink. For more detailed information you can read here.

From the ODS-Briefcase UI, a user may see properties for this folder using the "Properties" button at the right of the folder name. The opened page shows tab with name "RDF Upload" and 2 fields:

The UI is the same as for other DET folders. On the "Main" tab > field "Folder Type" contains "RDF Upload Folder". You may set this type for other WebDAV folders and set field values in the "RDF Upload" tab.

How can I retrieve content from external web sites?

The Subscription feature allows you to retrieve external web content into your ODS-Briefcase.

What ODS-Briefcase Ubiquity Commands are supported?

A full list of ODS-Briefcase Ubiquity commands with examples is provided elsewhere.

How can I Sync data to Amazon S3 and back to Virtuoso?

Virtuoso WebDAV provides a special folder type for binding with Amazon S3 Services. These folders may be used through ODS-Briefcase or any WebDAV client.

How do I Manage different Briefcase folders?

Briefcase supports a variety of folders. The list and reference links you can find here.

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