File Manager - Directory Operations

• File Manager Overview
• Directory Operations
• File Operations
• Browsing for Files

• Marking Files and Directories
• Special Directories
• Transferring Files
• View/Edit Tool

Overview of Directory Operations | Toolbar

The Directories frame is located on the left side of the File Manager window, and is divided into two main directories: [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] and [COURSE FILES] (see Figure 1 below).

The [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] directory contains a library of useful images for the course designer. The [COURSE FILES] directory contains files used to construct the content of your course. The [COURSE FILES] directory will be your main working directory, which you will use to store, create, and manipulate files pertaining to your course. The Directories frame cannot display the sub-directories in the [COURSE FILES] directory and the [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] directory simultaneously.

Your current working directory is highlighted in bold, italicized font. In Figure 1, [COURSE FILES] is the current working directory. In this example, the sub-directories for [COURSE FILES] are chapter1 and chapter2, and are indented beneath the working directory. In the Files frame, located on the right side of your window, all the files in the working directory are displayed. Hence the files shown in Figure 1 correspond to the [COURSE FILES] directory.

To select a new working directory click on the desired hyperlinked directory name. For instance, selecting the directory marked chapter2 will refresh both the Directory frame and the Files frame to the one shown in Figure 2 below. Now in the Directory frame chapter2 is bolded and italicized, and chapter2's sub-directories are indented beneath this directory. The Files frame displays the files located in chapter2.

The following buttons allow you to perform directory operations, which are described in more detail below.

Creating a New Directory | Toolbar | Top

The Make Dir button allows you to make a subdirectory under the current working directory.

1. Select the directory you want to create a new directory in by clicking on the appropriate directory name.
   Note: You cannot perform this action in any of the [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] directories.
2. Click Make Dir. When you do so, the File Manager toolbar at the bottom of the window will change to the Make Directory frame shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3   The Make Directory frame

3. Enter the new directory name into the text box. Keep in mind that the new name cannot contain any of the following illegal characters.
   Illegal Characters:
   • spaces, tabs, line feeds, carriage returns
   • : ~ [ ] ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + ` } } | \ < > , ? / ; ' "
4. Click Continue to submit the directory name to the File Manager. A status report indicating the success or failure of this operation will appear in the bottom frame (see Figure 4). Clicking Continue in this report will return the bottom frame to the File Manager toolbar.

Figure 4   The Make directory report window

Deleting a Directory | Toolbar | Top

The Remove Dir button allows you to delete a directory under the current working directory.

1. Select the directory you wish to delete by clicking on the appropriate directory name.
   Note: you cannot perform this function on any of the [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] directories or on the [COURSE FILES] directory. This function cannot be performed on directories that contain sub-directories or files.
2. Click Remove Dir. When you do so, the File Manager toolbar will change into the Remove Directory frame at the bottom your window as shown in Figure 5. This window allows the course designer to Cancel their decision to delete a particular directory.

Figure 5   The Remove Directory frame

3. Click on Continue to submit the directory name to the File Manager. A status report will appear in the bottom frame indicating the success or failure of this operation (see Figure 6). Clicking Continue in this report will return the bottom frame to the File Manager toolbar.

Figure 6   The Remove directory report window

Renaming a Directory | Toolbar | Top

The Rename Dir button allows you to rename your current working directory.

1. Select the directory you wish to rename by clicking on the appropriate directory name.
   Note: you cannot perform this function on any of the [WEBCT BUILT-IN FILES] or on the [COURSE FILES] directory.
2. Click Rename Dir. The File Manager toolbar will change into the Rename Directory frame at the bottom of your window (see Figure 7).

Figure 7   The Rename Directory frame

3. Enter the new directory name into the text box. Keep in mind that the new name cannot contain any of the following illegal characters.
   Illegal Characters:
   • spaces, tabs, line feeds, carriage returns
   • : ~ [ ] ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + ` } } | \ < > , ? / ; ' "
4. Click Continue to submit the directory name to the File Manager. A status report will appear in the bottom frame indicating the success or failure of this operation (see Figure 8). Click Continue to return to the File Manager toolbar.

Figure 8   The Rename report window

Directory Access Control | Toolbar | Top

The Dir Access button allows the course designer to control which directories are accessible to the different classes of user--designer, graders, and students--who use WebCT. Clicking the Dir Access button displays the Directory Access window shown in Figure 9 below.

The Directory Access window allows the course designer to set the access for all the directories within the [COURSE FILES] directory. The table lists all the directories within [COURSE FILES] and highlights your current working directory. Select the radio buttons to set the level of access for each specific directory. If you wish to set access to all the directories at once you can use the Designer, Grader and Student buttons located across the table headers. Clicking these buttons selects all the radio buttons in their respective columns. In Figure 9 above, the Designer has been pressed and all the radio buttons in the Designer Only column have been selected.

Press Cancel to return to the File Manager window without making any changes, or press Update to save your changes. A new window (see Figure 10) will appear showing all the changes made to each directory. Press Continue to return to the File Manager window.

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