Working with files in Resources

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Note: To complete the procedures in this document, you must be assigned a role having the necessary permissions. To determine your role, follow the directions in Participant roles. For a basic understanding of roles and permissions, see Permissions and roles: Overview.


Uploading new files

Note: The following instructions are for uploading new files to the Resources tool. To replace an existing file with a new version, see Updating a file's contents below.

To upload files using Resources, in your site's menubar, click Resources, and then follow these steps:

  1. Next to the folder to which you want to add a file, mouse over Add, and click Upload Files.

  2. Click Browse to find the appropriate file on your computer or network, and then click Open.

    Note: Filenames that include certain characters cannot be accepted. For a list of unsupported characters, see Unsupported characters.

  3. Next to "Display Name", type the name you want displayed in Resources. If you don't add a display name, the filename will be used.

    Note: When you use WebDAV to access your item, you'll see only the filename, not the display name.

  4. To add a description or any other details, such as who can access the file or when it should be visible, click Add details for this item, and then select from the following options:

    • Choose your file's copyright status, add copyright information, and display a copyright alert:

      • If you select Use copyright below, a text box will appear in which you can add information about the copyright.
      • For information about copyright and fair use, click more info.
      • If you would like to display the terms to users when they access your file, select Display copyright alert and require acknowledgment when accessed by others. This option will require users to agree to the copyright terms to view the resource. To see the alert, click what's this?. You cannot edit this alert.

    • Under "Availability and Access", control who can access the file and when its available, as follows:

      • To display the file to site members only, select Only members of this site can see this folder and its contents.
      • To share the file with another site to which you belong (e.g., as an attachment to a syllabus item for another course or project you're leading), select This folder and its contents are publicly viewable. (This option is not available if the folder to which you're adding the file is publicly viewable.)
      • To display the file only to selected groups, select Display this folder and its contents to selected groups only., and then select the group(s) that should have access to the file. For more information on groups, see Managing groups.
      • To show or hide your file, or set a beginning and/or ending date for the file's visibility, click the appropriate selections. (This option does not appear when you're adding an item to Resources in My Workspace.) Site administrators will always be able to see hidden items, even when they are hidden from other users.

  5. To upload more than one file, click Add Another File.

    You can add any number of files at once, as long as the total file size does not exceed the limit set by your system administrators. This limit will vary depending on your institution's policies, and is displayed at the bottom of the file upload screen.

    Note: To remove a file from the list of files to add, click the red X next to it.

  6. Next to "Email Notification", specify whether or not you want to have members of the site notified automatically via email when the resource is posted. (This option does not appear when you're adding an item to Resources in My Workspace.)

  7. Click Upload Files Now to finish.

Note: You can also use WebDAV to drag and drop files from your computer to your Resources area. For instructions, see Uploading files to Resources using WebDAV with Windows XP or Vista or Uploading files to Resources using WebDAV with Mac OS X.

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Editing a file's details

To edit the name, description, or availability and access settings for a file, mouse over Actions, and then click Revise Details. Make your changes, and then click Update to save them.

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Updating a file's contents

Whenever you open a file from Resources, such as a Word document, your computer creates a temporary copy and displays it, while the original file stays on the server. If you make any changes to the temporary copy, they are not saved automatically to the original. If you want to change the contents of the original, you will need to open it, make and save your changes, and then replace the original version with your updated version.

To replace a Resources file with an updated version from your computer, mouse over Actions, and then click Upload New Version. Click Browse to select the updated file from your computer, and then click Upload New Version Now.

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