ICommander File Manager is a very powerful tool that, at a basic level, lets
users explore various folders or directories and perform various functions
without needing to know how to use the powerful Linux Command Line commands and
parameters.
ICommander File Manager may be used for MANY purposes. Essentially ANY information that you want to track and to be able to easily explore and search. Our use for basement storage boxes is a useful example. We can search across all boxes for a particular client number, category, name, destroy date, etc. There are hundreds of boxes but the powerful Linux search facilities utilized by File Manager will return the results in a few seconds. Results may then be saved for printing when needed.
It may also be put to use for many other purposes. Some examples of what we are doing with it at ICommander Corporation include:
- Storage Location Tracking
- Tracking contents of all Storage Boxes in our basement and identifying when particular files may be destroyed or quickly searching through all boxes to find which boxes have what files for a particular customer.
- Customer Support
- File Manager allows us to have a centralized area for tracking contact with our Customers. Each Customer has their own folder with a support_notes file in which staff members log contact with entries indexed by date and staff member. Any other files and folders may be included to track projects in process, problem resolution, etc. We also will often paste the contents of significant emails into a file here. Copies of Customer-Specific guidance on particular topics are also stored here, usually in PDF files.
- Shared Website Links--Also via Intranet
- The Intranet Links page on the ICommander Corporation Intranet is generated from a particular directory managed by ICommander File Manager. Categories of links are the subdirectories and then a file for each link exists with a description of it and the actual web address. The links may be visited directly from ICommander File Manager but it takes just a few seconds for ICommander to duplicate it as a web page and then update it to the Intranet. If category directory names start with a 4-digit number to keep them in a desired sequence, the web page generated will use the directory categories to build an index to where on the Links Page that each may be accessed.
- Shared Email and Other Contacts
- File Manager uses the same approach as noted for website links for email addresses. This enables setting up categories of emails in a central place for access by all staff members. Other contact information may also be stored. As with the website links, these may also be easily duplicated as a web page on the Intranet.
- News and Events
- Our ICommander Help Topics Menu includes a choice to access a News and Events folder in which we record significant changes to ICommander as well as other items. The list of events may be viewed either in Descending Date Order or Alphabetically. The primary access uses a simple ICommander utility to review and read files. We also provide a File Manager route to the same area so that the search and other facilities may be used. Additionally, we place the News and Events in an area accessible from our Intranet so they may be accessed from the Intranet as well (for reading).
- Employee ToDo Lists
- Our Help Topics Menu also has a choice for Staff Todo/Projects Status. Each employee has a folder here plus some projects and project categories. File Manager is used to create files for various todo's or projects. A done folder is also created for moving completed tasks into to retain a trail of completed tasks for as long as desired.
- Exploring Directories Shared out on Windows PC's
- File Manager can automatically mount any shared folders available to a user on a Windows PC for exploration by File Manager. This can include a private share on the particular user's PC.
- Creating and Managing a Photo Gallery
- Setting up a photo gallery is simply a matter of deciding on directory structure and names for organizing photos and then transferring the image files you want into the directories you create. File Manager allows entry of notes about any folder/directory and file so you can describe the purpose of a particular directory and may add whatever comments about any and all photos that is desired. Accessing the Photo Gallery via File Manager will popup a selected photo in your web browser. If you place it in an area on the Linux Server that is accessible from the Intranet and then access that area using an Intranet tool provided by ICommander as your address or link, ICommander will automatically convert the Photo Gallery into a Web Page. This will show all photos in each directory when you access it in the same size as the slide on this page. These are links then to the full size photos. If you have entered notes about the photos directory and/or particular photos, links to the notes will be included and may be used to generate a temporary web page to read them.
- Maintaining Automatic Publishing of Reports and Free-Form Data Extraction to Intranet
- This uses the same concept as the Photo Gallery, except you route whatever ICommander reports you want to various designated areas available to the Intranet. The ICommander Intranet Tools include a script that will then automatically create a web page showing all reports available in such areas. This includes enough details for a user to deside whether he or she wants to view the actual report. It also includes the ability to insert an Alert Note for users and/or to add detailed notes about the content of a report.
- Maintaining Your Intranet
- ICommander on Linux now considers an Intranet as a graphical extension to ICommander itself. File Manager has many options for creating web pages for the Intranet and all reports and free-form data extraction program output may also be in the form of web pages for the Intranet. ICommander File Manager makes it pretty simple to maintain your Intranet Home and Other Pages without needing to know technical details of how the Apache Web Server actually finds these pages. It is helpful to know a little bit about HTML but we provide a guide with examples for the limited knowledge needed.
It has the added advantage of being subject to the same type of access controls
as the ICommander Accounting Applications. This enables controlling who may
access each area and in what manner when information needs to be restricted
or protected.