Using Web Folders

Help

Using WebFolders

NOTE: Microsoft has now confirmed they are not going to fix Windows Vista or Windows 7 to support Basic Authentication with WebDAV. Because we use this functionality for WebDav, NetDocuments cannot be used for WebFolders when using the Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS. Unless Microsoft determines later to fix this, we do not support the WebFolders feature when using Windows Vista OS or Windows 7.

We have however found a 3rd party WebDAV (Web Folders) client program that appears to work OK in Vista and Windows 7 and is better with Windows XP. It works correctly on both Vista and Windows 7 as well as Windows XP and has a lot more features than Windows Explorer, including queued transfers. It also provides much better diagnostic information. The program is called BitKinex. It can be downloaded from www.bitkinex.com.

The company is now providing this software free of charge.

Please contact them directly if you have interest in that product. It will not be an officially supported tool by NetDocuments, but it should work OK for you.

WebFolders provides a convenient way to manage documents in your document service account through Windows^® Explorer. NetDocuments supports WebFolders using Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6.0+. It is not meant as a replacement of the NetDocuments using the Internet Explorer browser interface, but using WebFolders, you can perform many typical functions, such as saving and deleting documents and creating and managing folders, without using the regular document service Browser interface to log in to your account.

Grammatical Note: Microsoft uses WebFolders as a singular noun, hence this help text will be written as such. For example, we write "WebFolders is powerful" versus "WebFolders are powerful".

WebFolders appears in Windows Explorer as shortcuts to your user-mapped WebFolders. NetDocuments has integrated its powerful engine with the WebFolders front-end to give you the power and security of your document service combined with the convenience of the WebFolders interface.

How do I use WebFolders with my document service?

    Make sure WebFolders are installed on your system.

    NOTE: If you have difficulties setting up WebFolders, try this link from Microsoft with tips on troubleshooting Webfolders:
               http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;287402

Follow the directions on the Installation link or use the directions below.

Windows XP

1. Login to NetDocuments and go to My Account > select "Account Information" and copy the Web Folders URL displayed.

         Example: https://vault.netvoyage.com/webfolders

2. Go to Windows Explorer

3. Click the Tools menu option

4. Select "Map Network Drive"

5. Click the link at the bottom of the dialog that says:

         Windows XP - "Signup for online storage or connect to a network server" and click the Next button.

6. Another dialog appears. Click next with the "Choose another network location" text highlighted.

7. Enter the Web Folders URL that you copied above into the space labeled "Internet or network address", then click the Next button.

8. You will be asked to login to NetDocuments by entering your username and password, then click OK.

9. Enter a name you will use to identify this Web Folder in your Windows Explorer and click the Next button.

         Example: NetDocuments Web Folders

10. Verify the information on the new dialog and click the Finish button.

You will now see all of your NetDocuments folders in the Windows Explorer under the heading Web Folders. These are Windows folders and act just like any other Windows folders. Documents can be dragged into them, removed, or opened from this view.

Can I save a document directly from my editing application using WebFolders?
Yes for any application that supports WebFolders such as Office XP applications and IF you are NOT using any other form of application integration. A big advantage to using WebFolders is that it allows you to save documents to your NetDocuments account directly from your desktop application. Say you're creating a document using Microsoft^® Word and want to save it to a NetDocuments folder. Once you click Save in Word and choose your document services Web Folder, you are prompted for your username and password. But rather than launching your document service browser interface, WebFolders displays your online document folders right in Windows Explorer for easy access.

Are there any differences between WebFolders and other folders?
Not many. The primary difference is where your documents are stored. Where WebFolders store your documents safely and conveniently in your NetDocuments service account, regular folders on your PC are stored on your local or network drive.

When you are using WebFolders, the icons for folders will always look like standard Windows folder icons. You will not see the familiar cabinets, folders and NetBinders as you see them in the NetDocuments browser interface. They will all appear as stadnard Windows folders. To assist you in identifying NetBinders, the folder name will have the letters "NB" following the name.

Folder Inheritance of Profile values and Access rights
If you have defined Profile values for your folders in NetDocuments, any document that you add to the folder will inherit the same Profile values.

Also, if the Cabinet has the option set to "Inherit Access rights from Folders", the documents will also inherit the same access rights as the folders if added using the WebFolders. This overrides any other rights which may have been set for the Cabinet or access rights based on Profiles. The following behavior occurs when this flag is set.

When access rights inheritance is enabled and a new standalone item is created in or imported into a folder, the access list of the new item is set to match the access list of the folder plus grant the current user VESA rights. Cabinet default security is ignored in this case. Note that if profile-based security is enabled and the user subsequently fills out a profile for the new item, the access list may be changed so that it no longer matches the folder access list. This takes place whether the item is created through the web interface or through WebDAV.

When access rights inheritance is enabled, existing standalone items can only be filed by users who have A rights to those items. During filing, the access lists of the items are changed to match the access list of the folder plus the current user’s rights remain as is. This takes place whether the item is filed through the web interface, WebDAV or the SOAP API.

When access rights inheritance is enabled for a cabinet that already contains documents, the access rights of the existing documents are not affected until they are subsequently filed or re-filed into a folder.

NetBinder security continues to work as it always has. They are not affected by the inheritance flag.

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NOTE: Networking Services has to be installed on the computer for WebFolders to work.

If you get an error message as follows when you are installing WebFolders, it may mean you need to install Networking Services on your workstation as described below.

To install Networking Services on your workstations use these instructions:

Go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Windows Components

and install the "Networking Services" option as shown below.

Remarks

Remember! Once you log into your document service account using WebFolders, you must exit Windows to end your session. The 90-minute timeout feature built into the document service browser interface does not function when you are accessing your account through WebFolders.
While there are many benefits to using WebFolders with this service, some document service functions—particularly those involving sharing and collaboration—can only be performed using the regular interface.

See also

WebFolders Installation Instructions