Introduction to FileStore
Micad Pro is a property management system that allows for the collaborative exchange of drawings and other documents that relate to the built environment.
For many years, files were transferred to IPR using FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and a separate publishing step was then needed to add them to IPR. Many users found this two-step process laborious. FTP is now legacy technology that needs IT support to set up and approval to clear information governance.
FileStore is Micad's replacement for FTP. It combines file transfer and publishing into a single action, and still gives you the tools you need to keep your files well organised, without IT involvement.
FileStore logs every file on disk, so systems upgraded from earlier versions of IPR don't need any special preparation or changes to their existing file structure. Publishers can tidy up their folders without fear of breaking links in IPR.
FileStore features
Drag and drop publishing. Drag files from your computer into Micad Pro in one step. Your files are uploaded to the cloud and immediately published to IPR locations and folders.
Self-service access. Create IPR user accounts, invite colleagues to view and collaborate, and organise folders and permissions into your own collections, without asking Micad Support to create FTP accounts.
No more broken links. FileStore understands that any file could be published in IPR. Copy, move and rename actions on files and folders automatically update the related IPR records, so if you rename or move a file or folder in FileStore, all of its links in IPR are updated. File overwrites are checked, and a guided delete shows where a file is published before you remove it, so you don't leave broken links or orphaned IPR entries.
Published details. You can see exactly where a FileStore file is published within IPR, which is particularly useful when publishing updated versions. In the same way, you can find stored files that aren't published anywhere.
Friendly file types. FileStore accepts everyday working documents and blocks potentially harmful content such as executables, scripts and applications. You may notice the uploader rejecting these files.
Work with several items at once. In Manage FileStore you can select multiple files and folders and move, copy or delete them in one action.
Publishing documents
On any location page, such as a region, site, building, floor or document folder, the Publish files button appears above the document list.
There are two ways to publish documents:
Drag and drop. Drag one or more files from File Explorer on your computer and drop them onto the Publish files button.
Click the button. Click Publish files and choose Publish files from your computer or Publish files from the FileStore.
The Publishing files popup
Whichever method you use, the Publishing files popup opens and shows:
File: the file name and size.
FileStore folder path: where the file will be stored in the FileStore. When you upload from your computer, click the folder path to choose a different FileStore folder. If you don't choose one, the file is saved in the root of the folder you have access to.
File date.
Description (required): this defaults to the file name and can be edited.
Discipline: choose the appropriate discipline from the drop-down list.
Click Show next to Optional fields to add an Expiry date and Keywords. Then click Submit to publish the file.
Publishing several files at once. Drag and drop several files onto the Publish files button together and each file gets its own set of fields. Set the FileStore folder path or Discipline on one file, then click Cascade to copy it to every file you are publishing. Click Browse to add another file.
Publish files from your computer
Click Publish files > Publish files from your computer. A file browser window opens so you can select one or more files. The Publishing files popup then opens as described above.
Publish files from the FileStore
Click Publish files > Publish files from the FileStore. Expand the folders, tick the file(s) you want to publish and click Submit. The Publishing files popup then opens so you can check the description and discipline before you submit.
Adding a file from the FileStore to a location
To add a file that's already in the FileStore to a location that has documents, open the FileStore panel (see Viewing FileStore files below). Drag the file from the panel and drop it on top of any document in the location's document list. A blue outline appears around the document when you can drop the file.
The Publishing files popup opens. Fill in the fields and click Submit. The newly published document then appears in the location's document list.
Viewing FileStore files
On the right-hand edge of the page is the Show menu tab. Click it to open the FileStore panel, which shows all the folders and files you have access to, much like FTP did. Click + next to a folder to expand it, and click Hide menu to close the panel.
Replacing a published document
To replace a published document with a newer version of the same name, drag the new file from your computer and drop it onto the current document in the list.
The Publishing files popup opens with a warning that the current document will be replaced with the newer version. Fill in the fields you need and click Submit.
If you'd rather keep both versions, save the new file to a different FileStore folder. You can also delete the old document and then publish the newer file in its place.
Managing files and folders in the FileStore
Open the FileStore panel on the right-hand side of the page, then click Manage at the top of the panel.
The Manage FileStore window lists all the files and folders you have access to.
Managing files
Right-click a file to see these options: Published details…, Rename file, Move file, Copy file and Delete file.
Published details: shows where the file is published in IPR, with the module, location, publisher and dates.
Rename file: renames the file in the FileStore. Any IPR links to it are updated automatically.
Move file: moves the file to any folder you have access to. Click the destination folder, then click Submit. Moving a published file doesn't break any links.
Copy file: copies the file to any folder you have access to. Click the destination folder, then click Submit.
Delete file: before you confirm, this shows whether the file is published and, if so, where, so you can see what will be removed.
Working with several items at once
Hold Ctrl and click to select several files and/or folders, then right-click one of them and choose Move items, Copy items or Delete items.
Managing folders
Right-click a folder to see these options: Rename folder, Add sub-folder, Move folder, Copy folder, Create alias for folder and Delete folder.
Rename folder: renames the folder from inside the FileStore.
Add sub-folder: creates a new folder inside the selected folder.
Move folder: moves the folder into any folder you have access to. Click the destination folder, then click Submit. If files in the folder are published, the IPR records are updated so no links are broken.
Copy folder: copies the folder into any folder you have access to. Click the destination folder, then click Submit.
Create alias for folder: makes the folder available as a FileStore home folder (alias) that you can assign to one or more users. The window shows the folder name, UNC and URL. Enter an alias name and click Submit.
Delete folder: before you confirm, this shows any files in the folder that are published and where they're used, so you don't delete anything by accident.
Assigning home folders to users with FileStore aliases
Go to Administrate and, under System set up, click Manage FileStore aliases.
The Manage FileStore aliases page shows the aliases already created, how many users have access to each one, the UNC (the location on the server) and the URL.
To rename an alias, edit its name and click Submit.
To remove an alias, click Remove.
To add an alias, click Add FileStore alias. This opens the Manage FileStore window: right-click the folder and choose Create alias for folder, as described above.
Next, click User alias assignment in the Navigation panel on the left, under Administrate.
The User FileStore aliases page lists every user and the alias they're assigned to. Use the drop-down in the Alias column to choose which alias (home folder) each user can see.
Please choose is the default and means the user has no access to the FileStore.
root gives the user full access to all folders.
You can also click Add FileStore alias at the top of this page to create a new alias.
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