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Computing

Sharing Your Files and Directories

Introduction to file sharing

Inheritance for files you create from now on

Sharing your files

Sharing a directory

Overwrite your directory preferences

Vspace allows you to share your files and directories with other users. By using the sharing functionality, you may grant specific access to individual users or to the Public as a whole.

Sharing your files makes it possible for multiple users to both view and edit your file without requiring you to maintain multiple copies of the shared file.

By default, every item is created with 3 sets of permissions:

The sharing icon displayed for a particular file or folder depends on which users has permission to read a file or directory. Those icons include:

no share
 This icon indicates the file or directory is not shared.
share
 This icon indicates the file or directory is shared with another user, but not all other users.
public share
This icon indicates the file or directory is shared with either the Public or shared with all users with an account on this particular system ("Users with accounts").

Vspace enables you to control access to your files in four different ways, represented by the four columns of permissions: Read, Write, Delete, and Administer.

Read Permission
Read permission allows the user or group of users to view the file or directory only.

Write Permission
Write permission allows the user or group of users to edit or change the file or directory.

Delete Permission
Delete permission allows the user or group of users to move the file or directory to the trash.

Administer Permission
Administer permission allows the user or group of users to view a file's access logs, and set other management properties, like turning on versioning.

Inheritable Permissions
You also have the option to create a set of default Permissions for your entire directory under Inheritable Permissions. Inheritable permissions are the permissions that you grant a contact on all new directories and files created within the directory whose Inherit Permissions are being set.

Sharing a single File
This is the permissions page.

To share a file with another user or group of users

  1. Either click on the "Share" icon of the file you wish to share.
  2. Or navigate to the file's information screen and click on the Sharing link.

The Sharing page displays the current permissions on the chosen file and also allows you to edit the current permissions. Click the "Add User/Group" button in the top toolbar.

Choose a user or group with which you wish to share your file. The Find a User page displays both your personal contact list and also provides a means for you to search for a specific user or group.

  1. Either choose a user or user group from Your Contacts and click "Ok".
  2. Or search for a user either by that user's login id or by that user's full name. Type in the appropriate string and click "Ok". If more than one user fits your search criteria, you will be prompted to choose the correct user.
  3. Click "Apply Now" to effect the changes in permissions.
  4. Click "Back" in the upper right-hand corner to exit the Sharing screen.

    5. Sharing Directories

     

    Vspace allows you to share any directory for which you have "Administer" permission which, by default, includes all the directories you own.

    Sharing directories differs from sharing files. You can share a directory in three different ways:

    Apply changed settings to sub-directories and files
    Any changed permissions will be applied to this directory and any existing files and directories within it.

  5. Overwrite all permissions on all sub-directories and files
    The current permissions set for this directory will be applied to existing sub-directories and files within the directory. This means that the permissions for all sub-directories and files will look exactly like the permissions set on this directory.

    Only apply to this directory
    The permissions set will be applied to this directory only. All sub-directories and files created in the future within this directory will be granted permissions based on this directory's Inheritable Permissions.

  6. To share a directory with another user or group of users:

  7. Navigate to the directory's Sharing page.
  8. Either click on the Share icon of the directory you wish to share.
    Or navigate to the directory's Info page by clicking on the Info icon and then click on the "Sharing" link.
  9. The Sharing page displays the current permissions on the chosen directory.
  11. Click the "Add User/Group" button from the top toolbar.
    Choose a user or group with which you wish to share your directory. The Find a User page displays both your personal contact list and also provides a means for you to search for a specific user or group.
  12. Either choose a user or user group from Your Contacts and click "Ok".
    Or search for a user either by that user's login id or by that user's display name. Type in the appropriate string and click "Ok". If more than one user fits your search criteria, you will be prompted to choose the correct user.

This page was last updated on 9/19/05.