Stud.IP provides a very powerful file management via the Stud.IP file areas. They are divided into the course file area, the institute file area, the personal file area and several smaller file areas like the message file area.

Two file areas are very important: The course file area, which can be used in all courses and the personal file area, which is available in each user's profile. These two file areas are explained in more detail below.

Using the file area

By clicking the "Files" tab in a course or an institute or by clicking the "My files" tab in the personal profile you will be directed either to the course's file area, the institute's file are or to your personal file are. Each file area has a folder view in which files can be stored inside folders. The following picture shows the folder view.

File and folder actions

Depending on the permission level you have in the Stud.IP system some of these actions are not available or their use is limited. Furthermore the use of files may be restricted by a file's terms of use.

Downloading files

Downloading single files can be done by clicking the file name or the file symbol.

To download multiple files set the checkbox left of the file name for those files which you want to downloaded. Then click the download button at the end of the file area's file list. The selected files will be packed into a ZIP archive and sent to you.

Uploading files

Since Stud.IP 4.0 files can be uploaded to a file area from multiple sources. Either from your own computer, from a web address, from the personal file area or from courses.

There are two ways to upload a file from your computer. The classic method is to click on "Add file" in the left sidebar of a file area, select "My computer" as source and then select one or more files. Since Stud.IP 4.0 it is possible to upload files via drag & drop. Just select the files to be uploaded in a file manager of your operating system, drag them into the browser window where the Stud.IP file area is shown. After that the files will be placed inside the folder of the file area which is currently shown.

To upload a file from a web address (URL) you must select "Web address" as source. The following dialog will open:

In that dialog you must enter the web address and enter a file name. The selectors "Direct link" and "Link via proxy" define the behavior when downloading the file. If "Direct link" is selected the download will start directly from the web address. If "Link via proxy" is selected the file will be downloaded from the Stud.IP system first and then send to you. This method can be handy if a web address is reachable from the Stud.IP sytem but not from the rest of the internet.

For all files the terms of use must be set after uploading. For this you select the appropriate terms of use from the list of available terms of use in the Stud.IP system. By the description texts for the terms of use you can decide which terms of use fits best for the uploaded file(s).

Updating files

From time to time it may become necessary to update files, for example to remove corrected errors in lecture slides. The functionality to update files makes it unnecessary to update the file in every file areas where it is used since the update will be applied in every file area where the file has been copied.

To update a file select the action "Update file" in its action menu (the three dots on the right edge of the file's entry). The following dialog will open:

In that dialog select the updated version of the file by clicking on "Please select the new version of the file ...". At your option you can also update the file name, too. For that set the checkbox "Update file name from new file version".

To finish updating the file click on "Update" at the bottom of the dialog. The file has been updated.

Editing files

Editing a file is only possible if you have write permissions on the file.

To edit a file click on the action menu (which is accessible by clicking on the three dots on the right edge of a file entry) and select the action "Edit file". A dialog will open in which the name of the file, its description and its terms of use may be changed. After clicking the "Save" button at the bottom of the dialog all changes made to the file will be saved.

Copying and moving files

To copy or move a single file click on the action menu (the three dots at the right edge of a file entry) and select either "Copy file" or "Move file". To copy or move multiple files set the checkbox on those files which is placed left of the file name and click on the "Copy" or "Move" button below the file area's file and folder list.

After selecting one or more files for copying or moving a dialog will open which asks you for the target directory in which the file(s) shall be placed. In that dialog you may select the current folder, a folder from your personal file area, a folder from a course's file area or a folder from an institute's file area. After you have selected a folder the file(s) will be copied or moved by clicking the button "Copy here" or "Move here" at the bottom of the dialog.

Deleting files

To delete a single file open the action menu (the three dots at the right edge of a file entry) and select the action "Delete file". If you answer the confirmation with "Yes" the file will be deleted from the Stud.IP file area.

To delete multiple files select those files by setting the checkbox left of the file name and click the "Delete" button below the file area's file list. The selected files will be deleted after you have answered the confirmation with "Yes".

Creating folders

To create a folder select the action "New folder" in the sidebar of the file area. A dialog will open where you can specify the new folder's name and its description and select a folder type. Depending on the file area (course file area, institute file area or personal file area) different folder types are available. The selected folder type influences the behavior of the folder and which permissions other users may have on the folder's content.

After you click "Create" on the bottom of the dialog the folder will be created.

Editing folders

To edit a folder select the action "Edit folder" in the folder's action menu (the three dots on the right edge of the folder entry). After that a dialog will open in which you can modify the folder's name and its description and you can select another folder type. If the folder type is changed permissions for other Stud.IP users on that folder may change, too.

After you clicked "Save" on the bottom of the dialog all changes made on the folder will be saved.

Downloading folders

In Stud.IP file areas folders can be downloaded as ZIP archive. Files and subfolders where you don't have access to won't be included into the ZIP archive of the folder.

To download a folder open the action menu (the three dots on the right edge of the folder entry) and select the action "Download folder". After a few seconds the download of the ZIP archive with the folder's content starts.

Copying and moving folders

Copying and moving folders works the same way as copying and moving files.

To copy or move a single file click on the action menu (the three dots at the right edge of a file entry) and select either "Copy folder" or "Move folder". To copy or move multiple folders set the checkbox on those folders which is placed left of the folder name and click on the "Copy" or "Move" button below the file area's file and folder list.

After selecting one or more folders for copying or moving a dialog will open which asks you for the target directory in which the folder(s) shall be placed. In that dialog you may select the current folder, a folder from your personal file area, a folder from a course's file area or a folder from an institute's file area. After you have selected a target folder the folder(s) will be copied or moved by clicking the button "Copy here" or "Move here" at the bottom of the dialog.

Deleting folders

To delete a folder select the action "Delete folder" in its action menu (the three dots on the right edge of the folder entry). After you have answered the confirmation question with "Yes" the folder will be deleted with all of its content.

To delete multiple folders select those folders by setting the checkbox left of the folder name and clicking the "Delete" button at the bottom of the file and folder list of the file area. After confirming the deletion all selected folders and their content will be deleted.

The preview function

A preview function is available for certain file types like image, audio and video files. To use the preview function the file must exist in a format which the web browser supports. To preview an image, audio or video file one has to open the action menu of that file (the three dots on the right edge of the file entry) and click the action named "Information". A dialog window opens displaying the preview.

The preview function also contains a simple gallery function which makes it possible to browse a file list. The gallery function can be used via the buttons "<< Previous file" and ">> Next file" on the bottom of the dialog.

The course file area

The course file area has an alternative file view called the flat view. The flat view displays all files of the course without their folders. The filter in the sidebar provides a simple method to search for file names or the file's creator. The flat view's file list is automatically updated by the input from the filter.

By default the course file area is only accessible by teachers and the course participants. Plus, some folders may have additional restrictions. A homework folder for example can only be used by participants to upload files, downloading files from such a folder is only permitted for teachers and tutors.

In the folder view and the flat view of the course file are new files are marked by a red line left of the file name, as seen on the following picture.

Various folder types exist in the course file area which simplify the management of files in courses:

- Homework folders enable participants to upload files but only teachers and tutors may download from them. - Group folders provides groups with their own folder which is only accessible by group members.

Further folder types are possible via plugins.

The personal file area

The personal file area can be used to store files which shall by default be only accessible by oneself. From there files can for example be copied into courses.

The special folder types of the personal file area

The personal file area also has special folder types which provide additional functionality.

Public folder

The public folder can be used to publish files. If files are placed into such a folder they can also be downloaded outside the Stud.IP system unless the file's term's of use don't restrict the download.

"Inbox" and "Outbox" folder

The predefined folders named "Inbox" and "Outbox" give you an easy access to Stud.IP message attachments. The "Inbox" folder contains attachments of received messages while the "Outbox" folder contains attachments of sent messages.

Blubber folder

Files which have been attached to a Blubber message can also be accessed via the folder "Blubber files".

WYSIWYG folder

If you have uploaded files via the Stud.IP WYSIWYG editor you can access them via the folder "Wysiwyg files".

Connecting storage services

Via Stud.IP plugins it is possible to connect storage services like PowerFolder™ or Owncloud™/Nextcloud™ to the personal file area. To do that the corresponding plugins must have been installed and activated by the administration of the Stud.IP system.

If you have configured storage services in your personal file area you can select them in the area "Data sources" in the sidebar. The files stored in storage services will be displayed the same way as normal Stud.IP files. They can also be used the same way as Stud.IP files.