Many Filr using companies have large traditional file stores that present problems with Filr
1/ They have a top-level structure with over 500 directories which are not displayable on mobile apps
2/ They take a long time to sync both in background and compared to the configured JIT period.
3/ They include folders that admins may wish to dynamically exclude.
I propose allowing an element in the Net Folder path to optionally include a regular expression so that only a subset of folders that match the expression would be included. The administrator could, for example, define a Netfolder like Clients/[A-F]* that includes only subfolders beginning with the letters A-F, and then one that began with G-J and so on. This would ease navigation, and eliminate the 500 folder limit on mobile apps. In addition, it would allow the sync of a monolithic net folder to be broken into several smaller sync. There could be other potential uses for this added flexibility.
by: Paul K. | over a year ago | Administration
Comments
I actually submitted this idea to RMS 3 years ago:
Problem Description
Our client has a large monolithic share on OES storage. It comprises >700 top level folders, each one represents shared docs for one of their clients.
The structure is ~ 1TB is size, but cannot be easily restructured as there are linked spreadsheets etc. Traditional file access is through a single mapped drive, and this needs to remain. So in short there is no easy way to vary this flat folder structure and a resistance to doing so. Nor do they wish to make 700+ smaller Net Folders at the next layer down.
Filr works well with this via the web client, but the mobile apps hit the 500 folder limit, and so users only have the option to search for a folder to browse. I understand this is a limit imposed by the devices. This is probably just as well because navigating this many folders on a handheld is a usability issue.
Proposed Solution
Allow an option to define a Net Folder so that the last path element may be written as a regex expression. Thus:
Clients/^[A-E|a-e].*
would create a NetFolder from the Clients folder on the selected Net Folder Server, filtered for those clients folders at the top level that start with the letters A,B,C,D or E only.
Likewise
Clients/.*Insurance.*
Would make a Net Folder for any Clients containing the word Insurance.
Perceived Benefits
Large monolithic Net Folder candidates could easily be split into any number of smaller subsets without necessitating any changes to the back-end storage. I'd see this in being a good fit with the ethos of the product.
It would allow Filr to give a more flexible view of the file system than traditional access allows.
It would allow scheduled syncs to fit into shorter time period
Being able to subdivide would allow ease of use on small handheld devices
It would sidestep the 500+ folders view limit on the Filr mobile apps.