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Archives repository

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Archives repository
I need to have an archive repository (storage hardware), something with the follow capabilities:
Manage lot of kind of users with different privileges, have and maintenance a big amount of archives (pdf, html, jpg, doc, xls, ppt, etc...) with access by many different categories to download, upload information via users profiles. It can to use, your very good application, for this kind of requirements

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Re: [mlorca] Archives repository In reply to
This is definitely going to be one for Alex to answer.

But,. I'm certain he will need more information from you, on your requirements, and perhaps an example of how you plan to have it set up.

You can either post that here, or email it to Gossamer's Support address, and get a jump start on it :)

I'd take a whack at the answer, but I'm not entirely sure what you are trying to set up. Users can have different priveleges, by using one of several different systems. Links can have (or even be) attachments, but how the attachment is handled or handed to the enduser, depends largely on your server configuration, and the capabilities of the users browser to handle those types.

BUT if you are coming from a BBS background like Wildcat or Major, you will not see the layered flags for permissions and files/database access. The web was never very good at migrating BBS logic, and very often you have to rethink the whole process. The advantage is the real SQL database back-end, the disadvantage is the web itself, with the HTTP/TCP/IP protocols and stateless sessions on shared servers.

I'm still working on a multi-media (mostly images, but it can be expanded) multiple-upload system. It might do what you are looking for, but it's not even close to alpha deployment at this point. GT has some stuff in the works too, and I'm being careful about allocating my time to things they might be doing or changing in the next release....

But do supply more information either here, or directly to GT to get a better answer.


PUGDOG� Enterprises, Inc.

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Re: [pugdog] Archives repository In reply to
PugDog,



I live in Chile (I speak Spanish) and maybe my English isn’t the best. Well thanks for your advice, and now I’ll try to be more clear and simple.



I’m working in CONAMA (something like EPA in USA) and we are trying to order a big amount of information very disperse about our topics. Well, I image a website order like yahoo, when you find “files to download” instead of “links to WebPages”. This is the point where a links indexing solution script appears (Links SQL, InLink, Hyperseek, INDEXU, Links 2.0, and the rest). After I read all about all of it I thing the best overall is Links SQL.



So what I consider is the best for my problem are:

Have files independent to its formats (pdf, doc, xls, GISs, DBs, etc, etc…) order and reaching for many defined categories (archive associated to one o more different categories).

Plastic DB field to customize with particular file’s characteristic.

Files with restricted permissions to download (with login/password access) (for commercial information or reserved information).

Have capabilities to define admin profiles, to decentralize the file’s admin.

Upload one o more archive at ones, to have permissions to maintenance actualized the information that he generate.

And all of the rest tools to have Links SQL mailing report, news, to vote, to rank, etc, etc.



I really hope to find the best solution to my problem
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Re: [mlorca] Archives repository In reply to
Hi,

Thanks for the clarification.

Indeed, Links SQL with some modifications can fulfill your requirements.

Can you please send me an email directly to jack@gossamer-threads.com for further discussions?

Thanks,

Jack.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Ong, C.O.O., Gossamer Threads, Inc.
9th Floor, 100 West Pender, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1R8
Email: <jack@gossamer-threads.com>
Tel: (604) 687-5804 Fax: (604) 687-5806
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Re: [mlorca] Archives repository In reply to
Hi,

Sorry, I must have missed your earlier post.

You can add custom columns easily in Links SQL. It sounds like you would want to add:

Document: a file field that stores the actual document
Document_Type: a select list of pdf, doc, xls, ...
Document_Security: a select list of security levels
Documet_...: Any other properties to attach to the document

You can then use the editor system to allow admins to manage a section of your category strucutre.

There would need to be one minor changes: you would need to add a check in jump.cgi that verifies the security level status. The other issue is you would have to upload files one by one.

Let me know if you have any other questions,

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [Alex] Archives repository In reply to
Alex,

If there are not going to be any more changes to how Links handles attachments, or runs internally, then I might (*might*) have a multiple upload, and automatic addition program done shortly. Not being a part of GT, it's hard to know what you guys are really doing, and the past few months my time has been ever so precious when it comes to any of this.

I don't know if you remember any of my earlier posts, prior to maybe last July, where I was discussing the idea of multiple attachments, and uploads. The updated template parser has made some things easier, since the checking for attachments and the user level can now be done at display time.

One of my needed features was to be able to upload a directory, or a directory tree, and have those images (I work in mostly images) added to the database based on a set of rules. Everything that could be figured out about a file by it's physical location (directory tree), it's extension (or byte code), size, dimentions, etc would be inserted into the database. The user would have to go back and add specifics. What files it went looking for could be "plugin" (plug ins to this plugin <G>) dependent. You could, in theory, active the "images" module and then allow only GIF and JPG, but not TIF and PSD, you could plug in a PDF module, and seek out (and validate) PDF files, etc. In other words, by adding in (chaining) allowed file types, and the processing rules for each, you could add an unlimited number of allowed and screened types. Admittedly, I'm only checking GIF, JPG, PNG, DOC (word) and TXT. I'm not checking ZIP, TAR, ARC, or any other sorts of pre-grouped files, or such. But, again, in theory, the way I've been working the program, it shouldn't be hard to add -- and to generalize the add routine to be a plug-in using the plugin.cfg file to control it all. The main "add" script only needs to know if the file was good, and the attributes for that allowed file type. All bad files are handled pretty much the same way.

Additionally, I wanted to have "file groups" so that a "link" could have multiple attachments, and you could add attachments to a link by entering the LinkID (basically) and it would create the proper associations.

Reconstruction of the database was another prime need, so having "redundant" data on disk was what I was working on when everything crashed.

I'm getting close to being back up to "steam". Things have settled down, and have stayed settled for about 2 months, our retail shop has finally opened, and I'm about 70% through with reconstructing our servers.

In short, what I have is a system that uses the "Links" table as the main table for browsing through the data. Items are attached to links, and the "power" of links is used as much as possible.

I've piggybacked on to that a second table, that tracks the "attachments" similar, but more complicated, than the current links attachment table (we discussed this about that time as well). The attachments have their own approval, and admin features, separate from the Link. They use several flags -- starting with the link itself being validated, to the attachment having an isApproved flag, a ShowAttach flag, and others.

With the release of the "reviews" system, I have had to make some changes, mostly in logic, and am trying to upgrade the reviews system, and then build the "generalized" attachments off that.

Unfortunately.... this isn't my full time job (though it does seem it some times <G>) and you guys have more of a team effort going. Hopefully, though, once my internet connection is in on Thursday, and I get the machines reconnected over the weekend, it will allow me to get some stuff available for comment maybe.

I am hoping, that after this week, my life will again settle down into a boring routine for the next few years. I may be hoping for too much, but I don't think I'd survive another year like my last one.


PUGDOG� Enterprises, Inc.

The best way to contact me is to NOT use Email.
Please leave a PM here.