WebDAV (or "Web Folders") | |
Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning, or WebDAV, is a set of extensions to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that allows computer-users to edit and manage files collaboratively on remote World Wide Web servers. This feature has been introduced in Tiki5, using eZ Components's implementation of WebDAV, and latest switched to SabreDAV. Purpose: permits a user to access the File Gallery (There is also WebDAV access to Wiki Pages) via a WebDAV client such as Nautilus from Gnome (GNU/Linux), Konqueror or Dolphin from KDE (GNU/Linux or MS Windows), or the Open As Webfolder Firefox plugin in MS Windows. This means also the ability to drag & drop files from your favorite file manager in your desktop computer directly to the WebDAV-powered file gallery in Tiki. Or re-arranging files in subfolders, etc. in the Tiki file galleries directly from your favourite file manager desktop application: With WebDAV and Category Transitions, Tiki can be considered as a DMS. However: WebDAV is still considered an experimental feature! Note: If you plan to test the WebDAV features in some server, please ensure that your test site is online, and that it has the basic configuration requirements set. As an example, the site http://demo.tiki.org/12x/ where most of the following screenshots were taken is online |
1.1. Server requirements | |
You need DOMDocument. (php5-xmlrpc, php-xml-parser, php-pear, or similar;) DOMDocument missing Copy to clipboard
and DateTime DateTime is missing Copy to clipboard
I (sylvieg) thinks mod_dav must be activated on apache Copy to clipboard
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1.2. Server Configuration | ||||
Go to "Admin > Features" and enable "File galleries" and "WebDAV". Then you have to set perms on file galleries properly. The important
If you want to allow file versioning in the file gallery, you have to change in (assuming your file gallery is ID number 1) tiki-list_file_gallery.php?edit_mode=1&galleryId=1 :
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1.3. Client Configuration | |
You can see a quick overview of client configuration for each Operating System (O.S:) to access webdav in general, in this page: Specific details follow below for the specific usage tested with Tiki for serveral O.S. |
1.4. Basic Usage | |
Once properly connected to a WebDAV folder, you can double click a file, edit (in your desktop software) and when you save, the file is saved to your Tiki directory. If file versionning is activated in that file gallery ("Maximum number of archives for each file" set to something different than -1), a copy of each save is conserved. Example: ''__Note__: OpenOffice.org doesn't seem to work with any version of WebDAV - neither OOo 3.x, 2.x or 1.x, even if you select that OOo uses its own file dialogues, from "Tools > Options > General"'' In this example we edited the file "Testing_webdav_from_office_apps.odt" from KWord: and when we click in the tool icon on the left of each file, we can see the "Archives" section of the popup box, which indicates that this file has 3 prior versions in this Tiki WebDAV-powered file gallery. If you click on archives, you can access to the previous versions of that file, with the username of each editor, edit date, etc. |
1.5. Usage through file managers | |
You need to write the URL with the appropriate syntax for the tiki file galleries in order to connect to the WebDAV folder. Once connected, you can double click on the file name (or click with alternate mouse button and select the program of your choice). Edit that file, and when you click on save, the file will be directly saved to the file gallery. Special feature: Access any version
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1.5.1. Nautilus (GNOME - GNU/Linux) | |
Type in the location bar of nautilus something like: Copy to clipboard
where user is your username in Tiki (with enough global permissions or local on that file gallery; see above), and example.org is the base URL of your site online. You will be prompted you password, and then, you'll be able to see and browse your file galleries as folders, etc. In case of concurrent editing, the latest user willing to save a modified file concurrently will see a message like: "The file dav://user@example...yourfile.txt has been modified since reading it." [Save Anyway] or [Don't Save] "If you save it, all the external changes could be lost. Save it anyway?" |
1.5.2. Konqueror or Dolphin (KDE - GNU/Linux & MS Windows) | |
Can be used in conjunction with Konqueror as browser, Dolphin as file manager, Kate as simple text editor, KWord as an Office application for advanced text edition, etc. Similar to the description in Nautilus/Gnome above but using this type of syntax for the URL instead, to be typed in the location bar: of nautilus something like: Copy to clipboard
You will be prompted for your password, and then, you'll be able to see and browse your file galleries as folders, etc. In this case, you can edit Office documents (.odt, .doc, ...) with KWord from KOffice (tested with KWord 2.1.0 and KDE 4.4.2 on GNU/Linux) KDE can also be installed on other operating systems. It has been proven to work on MS Windows, where some of the same applications as in GNU/Linux can be used for accessing files and folders on WebDAV-powered tiki file galleries (Dolphin, Kate, ...): |
1.5.3. Cyberduck | |
"Open source FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Cloud Files, Google Docs & Amazon S3 Browser for Mac & Windows"
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1.5.4. Finder (Mac OSX) | |
Mac OSX has the ability to connect to WebDAV folders, through "Finder > Go > Connect to server" For instance url: http://demo.tiki.org/9x/tiki-webdav.php and the user/password that can reads files, wiki page Once connected, files can be edited with WebDAV compatible applications, such as TextEdit ''(Add other applications if you know them)'' |
1.5.5. Windows 7 web folders | |
Windows 7 has support for WebDAV, also called web folders. The setup is rather easy:
However: It's very easy for this described procedure to fail (for various reasons):
It is not always possible to edit files directly. E.g. Word doesn't seem to be able to save a file directly to a mapped web folder... |
1.5.6. NetDrive (MS Windows) | |
NetDrive (from Novell) doesn't always (ever?) seem to work properly together with Tiki-Wiki's WebDAV. It might be possible to establish a connection without any errors but no content is shown(??). Here is an example configuration for WebDAV + SSL:
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1.5.7. Webdrive (MS Windows and MacOSX) | |
Webdrive is a commercial client with support for WebDAV. It offers a free trial version for 20 days. There is one very serious issue with this client however (check below). To connect to Tiki-Wiki do the following (example for WebDAV+SSL):
Remark: When editing or replacing files (e.g. using Word or drag and drop) WebDrive seems to add the files as a new file each time (probably deleting the old one first). I.e. the file id is changed after each edit. This means that all references from Wiki pages to this files have to be redone after each edit. This makes WebDrive essentally useless together with Tiki-Wiki... 😑 |
1.5.8. BitKinex | |
BitKinex is a freeware-client for Windows XP/Vista/7 and available under http://www.bitkinex.com/ . Most of the setting are the defaults or obvious except: If you run in trouble with other clients, give BitKinex a try! |
1.5.9. Android WebDAV File Manager | |
There a many apps that claim that can manage webdav-powered servers. Tiki requires that the webdav app is able to manage folders with spaces, for instance ("File Galleries"), and not alol seem to do it. WebDAV File Manager is a small free application that works outof the box nicely with Tiki webdav powered File Galleries. See: |
1.6. Usage through web browsers | |
You need to log in as usual to your tiki site, and go to the WebDAV file gallery to see the links to open that file as in a WebDAV folder. |
1.6.2. Firefox with extensions (MS Windows) | |
1.6.2.1. Trail-Mix extensionTrail-Mix extension allows to:
Instructions on how to set it up:
Some servers redirect to login pages, and that can cause setup issues. If you get an error saying "Redirected", you may have to login first on a single-sign-on web page, but once you set it up it should work. Some servers may require https: instead of http: to use a secure SSL connection. Also, you can set the DAV URL to any folder on the server, and only folders contained will be displayed. More information at: The documentation didn't say anything that it was specific to MS Windows, but it has been proven to work under MS Windows, and not, under GNU/Linux, so far. 1.6.2.2. Other extensionsNote: Some users reported that the Firefox extension "Open as WebDAV extension" (for MS Windows) allowed them to connect to Tiki WebDAV file galleries (using Win XP). Other users failed to reproduce that with Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 on Win XP SP2). Therefore, some more information is needed on how to use that extension or its requirements to work properly Open As Webfolder 0.25 extension for firefox on Windows. Related: |
1.7. Note about Apache with PHP as fcgi or cgi | |
In Tiki6 an authentication problem has been identified with Apache when PHP is used in FCGI or CGI mode. If Apache is calling PHP in CGI mode, authentication HTTP Headers are not set. Copy to clipboard
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1.8. WebDAV access to Wiki Pages | |
Added in Tiki7. Please see WebDAV access to Wiki Pages References
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