ACE Manual

Using the File Manager

The File Manager, featured in the image to the right, can be accessed by clicking on the "Files" tab in the main ACE window. It allows the user to browse the files on the virtual server, add directories, and set security permissions on, rename, and move files and directories. It also allows the user to transfer files between two different virtual servers or between the user's computer and the virtual server.

On the left side of the File Manager, the files in the root directory of your virtual server will be displayed in the list box. The "/" symbol in the "Directory" text box requests that the root directory and its contents be displayed. (The directory text box is the unlabelled text box just above the tree view.) Typing "/www" will display what is listed in the www directory and so forth. You can press the up arrow to the left of this text area to "move up" to the parent of the directory currently being displayed.

You can control the display of folder contents by clicking on the "key" next to the folders. On windows, the key is a little box with either a plus sign "+" or a minus sign "-" in the center. On other platforms, such as UNIX, the key is an arrow pointing down or to the right.

If the key is pointing rightward (on Windows, a plus "+" sign), then the contents of the folder are not shown. Clicking a rightward/plus key will expand the folder and display the folder's contents.

If the key is pointing downward (on Windows, a minus "-" sign), then the contents of the folder are being displayed. Clicking a downward/minus key will collapse the folder, thus making the folder's contents not visible.

If you think that one of the trees is not displaying the files correctly, you can force it to reload and redisplay the data by pressing the "Reload" button. This is the button in the center of the panel, above the arrows, which looks like a circular arrow pointing counter clockwise.

The reload button can also be used to update the pull down list to the right of "My Computer". For example, if you are using Windows and wish to look at the files on a CD you have just inserted, the CD's drive letter may not yet be in the list. Click the reload button and ACE will rescan the drive letters. The CD's drive letter will then appear in the list.

Creating new directories

To add directories, click on the "Make Directory" button. It looks like a little open folder being touched by a wand. A dialog box resembling the one to the right will appear. The full path of the directory's destination and its name must be put in the "Name:" text box. For example "/www/new_folder" will place the new directory, "new_folder", into the virtual server's "www" folder.

Next, select the access properties you would like your new directory to have. Read access allows a user to list the contents of a directory. Write access allows a user to add, remove, or rename files. Execute access allows a user to access files in the directory according to the file's own access permissions.

Once all the parameters are the way you want them, click the "Apply" button to create the new directory as specified. If you change your mind about creating a new directory, you can click the "Cancel" button to dismiss the window without doing anything.

Deleting files

To delete a file, select the file or files you wish to delete in the tree view. Press the "Delete Files" button. This button has a red "not" symbol on it (a circle with a diagonal slash running through it). The following dialog will appear to confirm your choice:

If you are sure you want to delete the file(s), press the "Yes" button. Pressing "No" allows you to back out without deleting any files. This operation is not reversible -- once you delete a file, it is gone for good. Be careful!

Editing files

Select the file that you want to edit and click the "Edit File" button. It will take a second or two to load the file into the editor. But the editor will come up. Once the text shows up in the editor, you can type your changes in there. Basic editing will work; in Windows: CTRL-C, CTRL-V, etc; in Unix: clicking the right mouse button will paste the clipboard onto the screen. To change the file name, type in the path area at the bottom right of the screen. To save the file and exit the edit dialog, click the "Save" button. To cancel your changes and exit the edit dialog, click the "Cancel" button.

Changing file permissions

Select the file that you want to change permissions for and click the "Change Permissions" button. It will take a second to load the dialog. The dialog allows you to change the file name and set read, write, and execute permissions for the user, group, and world. To apply your changes, click the "Apply" button. To cancel your changes, click the "Cancel" button.

Preparing to copy files

The right side of the File Manager is for the information needed to copy files to or from your server to the Local or Remote Host. "Local Host" refers to your computer and "Remote Host" is a virtual server. Note that the Remote Host is a different virtual server than the one ACE connected to when you started the current ACE session.

The directory text box, not labelled but located just above the tree view, corresponds to the directory that should be shown for the Local Host or Remote Host, depending on which one is selected.

My selecting "My Computer", the Local Host will be used with the file copies. The pull down list to the right of "My Computer" provides several shortcuts to key directories, such as your "home" directory. Selecting an entry from the pull down list will cause it to be transferred to the directory text box below. The tree view will be updated to display the contents of the chosen directory.

When selecting "Remote Host:", type the name of a remote virtual server in the text field and then press the "Connect" button to the right of the field. (It looks like two plugs about to be plugged in.) A login box, like the one to the right, will appear. Type in the required information and click the "Server Login" button. You will be logged in correctly and the right hand tree view will be updated unless a dialog pops up to notify otherwise. At this point, you can type a path into the directory text field to jump to a particular folder and display its contents or navigate through the tree view.

Note that the remote host must be a virtual server and must also be running the ACE server software. ACE does not currently support copying files between your virtual server and a remote host that isn't a virtual server.

Copying files

Before copying files, you can select the type of transfer you would like (auto, binary or ascii) by clicking the appropriate radio button from the group of buttons between the tree views. It is important that you choose the correct type of transfer to avoid data corruption. "Ascii" is fine for text files. Any other type of file should be transferred as a "Binary" file. If you aren't sure, "Auto" will attempt to choose the correct type of transfer for you.

To actually copy files, select the file to be copied and the destination folder. This means one item from each tree view (left and right) should be selected. Click the arrow button that corresponds to the direction the file is to be transferred. If the source file is on the left side, the right pointing arrow should be clicked (-->). If the source file is in the right side, then the left pointing arrow should be clicked (<--).

Once you have clicked an arrow, the file will be copied. It may take a few seconds for changes to appear in the list boxes, especially if the files are very large. Please be patient.

Note: The current version of ACE does not support copying a directory and all its contents. You can only copy single files, one at a time. The ability to transfer entire file hierarchies is one of the features planned for the next version of ACE.

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