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Table of Contents » Linktivity WebDemo » File Sharing
File Sharing
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Linktivity WebDemo provides two separate features to share files with meeting attendees. In WebDemo they are called File Transfer (sometimes File Broadcast) and Document Management. Both features have a distinct purpose and scope:
- File Transfer or File Broadcast allows the presenter/moderator to directly send files to selected participants during a meeting session.
- Document Manager allows the meeting host to maintain different categories of shared file spaces. Attendees may download files from these shared file spaces to their local computer at their leisure: before, during or after a meeting.
Review Overview
This review discusses the following aspects of file sharing within Linktivity WebDemo:
File Transfer
Enabling File Transfer
The session presenter may open the file transfer window by clicking on its icon in the WebDemo host control panel. A two-pane file browsing window is displayed that is easy and straightforward to operate.
Enabling file transfer in WebDemo
Selecting Files and Folders
The left pane of the file transfer window lists the files and folders of the meeting host. As far as the selection process is concerned, folders are treated differently than files: folders need to be selected and transferred one by one. If a selected folder contains any subfolders, those will automatically be included into the selection as well together with the marked parent folder.
Files may be marked for transfer by selecting them in groups.
WebDemo files and folders pane
Selecting Recipients
The attendees pane is situated on the right-hand side of the file transfer window. It contains two columns: the left column contains one single icon labeled "Attendees". The right column displays the names of the meeting attendees. The presenter/moderator can mark any of the listed attendees as recipients of the selected file(s).
File Transfer Process
Once the desired files have been selected, the presenter/moderator can drag them with the mouse to the right pane and drop them on top of the "Attendees" icon.
Before the files are actually transferred, a convenient confirmation dialog box is displayed on the meeting host's screen. This dialog box shows the files to be transferred and the names of the participants to whom the files will be sent. Even in this last stage of the file transfer process the meeting host may change which files will be transferred, by deselecting any of the files listed on the left side of the dialog box.
WebDemo file transfer confirmation dialog box
Receiving Files
Recipients remain in control of the location where files are received through a dialog box that appears after the meeting presenter starts the file transfer process. This dialog box is titled "Confirm Incoming File Transfer" and allows the recipient to specify the desired destination folder.
WebDemo receiving files confirmation dialog box
Cons:
- Although for the most part the Linktivity WebDemo File Transfer window is self-explanatory, it would be convenient to have a help function inside the file transfer facility. Such a contextual help function could point to useful functions, like the option to select groups of files simultaneously.
- Only the session moderator/presenter has the right to transfer files. To allow a meeting participant to transfer files, the meeting host has to transfer the host capability to that attendee, thus transferring the entire meeting control to that attendee.
- It is not possible to select a parent folder without also selecting its subfolders.
Conclusion
The Transfer Files facility in WebDemo is well designed and very easy to use. The WebDemo development team might please meeting hosts who often transfer a lot of files with a more intuitive and sophisticated method of selecting files and folders.
Document Manager
Shared File Spaces
WebDemo's Document Manager provides the meeting host the capability to upload and organize files onto several file areas located on the WebDemo server. Meeting attendees may access these shared files before, during or after the meeting. All file areas are operated in the same manner: using a two-pane dialog box containing local files on the left and remote files on the right-hand side. Local files are files that reside on the hard drive or network of the person accessing Document Manager. Which remote files are shown in the right-hand column depends on the meeting role of the person accessing the Document Manager.
Access Rights
A WebDemo meeting host has the most rights: to create areas, to create folders, to upload files. Session attendees may download files from semiprivate areas. Anyone, registered or not registered as a WebDemo meeting attendee, may download files from the public areas and may launch recorded WebDemo sessions (.LREC files).
There are three different types of shared file spaces. They are discussed in detail.
Private Area
This area is available only to the meeting presenter/moderator. It is a convenient, private storage space for files and documents related to WebDemo meetings. After logging in to the WebDemo server the presenter/moderator can access the private file area by clicking on the "document manager" button in the left column menu. Another click on a another button, labeled "launch document manager", is required to actually obtain access to the document manager.
Document manager button
Launch document manager button
A two-pane window appears, titled Document Manager, in which the presenter may select any desired files and upload them to the private area.
Transferring files to the private area
During a session the presenter/moderator may also use the "document manager" icon in the toolbar at the top of the host control panel to transfer files to this area.
Enabling document manager during a session
Semiprivate Area
A semiprivate area within the document management feature of WebDemo is a shared file space for the attendees of one single meeting. Users who want to access the files located in a semiprivate area need to be logged on as attendees to a WebDemo meeting. To access a semiprivate area, the attendee clicks on the button labeled "document manager" in the left menu of the premeeting lobby.
Meeting hosts also need to be logged on to a WebDemo meeting in order to access the semiprivate file area belonging to that meeting. Only meeting hosts may create semiprivate areas. Each meeting may have several semiprivate areas.
Public Area
A public area in WebDemo's Document Manager is accessible for anyone who has the url to the WebDemo meeting area. The public area is accessed by pressing the button "public area" located in the left menu of the WebDemo meeting area. It is not a prerequisite to log on to the WebDemo server in order to access the public area. In essence this means that any internet user may download any file copied to the public area. There is only one public area. Only meeting hosts may upload files to this area. Meeting hosts may create folders inside the private area. They may only remove files and folders that they themselves created.
Public area button
Once in the public area, a user subsequently needs to click the "view public documents" and "launch document manager" buttons before the Document Manager window opens.
View public documents button
Launching Files
Files with the .LREC extension (recorded WebDemo meeting sessions) may be launched by anyone directly from the WebDemo document both as local files and as remote files. .POLL files, containing user surveys, may also be launched remotely, but only by the meeting host. The poll is immediately opened in a preview mode. The meeting presenter may then decide to push the poll onto the screens of the meeting participants.
Cons:
- Meeting attendees may right-click in the remote control pane of the document manager in order to open a context menu. The options listed in this context menu, such as Delete, Rename and New Folder are confusing, because meeting attendees are not allowed to perform any of these functions.
- It is rather difficult to reliably resize the panes within the Document Manager window.
- There is no option for meeting attendees to upload files to any kind of shared space.
- Opening the document manager requires subsequent clicks on buttons carrying almost identical names. This is unnecessary and confusing to the user.
Conclusion
Although the concept of the Document Manager in WebDemo is not that easy to understand, nor to explain to others, it definitely is a very useful feature. Especially the way the semiprivate file areas are implemented is thoughtful and considerate of the needs of both a meeting host and the meeting participants. The user interface contains confusing elements, such as the attendee's context menu (see Cons).
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Posted on June 20, 2003 at 09:50 PM
Updated on December 07, 2004 at 07:28 PM
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