Novell Filr 1.1 Desktop Application for Mac Quick Start

November 2014

Novell Filr allows you to easily access all your files and folders from your desktop, browser, or a mobile device. In addition, you can promote collaboration around your files by sharing files and folders with others. For a more detailed overview of Novell Filr, see About Novell Filr in the Filr Web Application User Guide.

This Quick Start describes how to use Filr from your Mac desktop.

In addition to accessing Filr from your desktop, you can also access it in the following ways:

You can synchronize your Novell Filr files with your computer and then modify the files without accessing the Filr site directly. Additions, modifications, and other actions are synchronized between Filr and your computer.

Your Filr administrator must enable the Filr desktop application to be used with the Filr site before it can be used as described here. For more information, see Configuring the Filr Desktop Application to Access Files in the Novell Filr 1.1 Administration Guide.

1.0 Supported Environments

The Filr desktop application for Mac is supported on Mac OSX 10.7 and later.

The Filr desktop application has not had significant testing with OSX 10.10. For known issues, see the Novell Filr Desktop Application Readme.

2.0 Supported Languages

The default language that the Filr desktop application is displayed in is defined by the language set on the workstation where the application is running. If the language on the workstation is not supported, the application is displayed in English.

The Filr desktop application supports the following languages:

  • Czech

  • Chinese (Simplified)

  • Chinese (Traditional)

  • Danish

  • Dutch

  • English

  • Finnish

  • French

  • German

  • Hungarian

  • Italian

  • Japanese

  • Polish

  • Portuguese (Brazil)

  • Russian

  • Spanish

  • Swedish

3.0 Synchronization Performance Limits

For optimal performance, the Filr desktop application should not be configured to exceed the following synchronization limits:

Maximum Number of Total Synchronized Files: 35,000

Maximum Size Per Individual File: 5 GB

For information, see Configuring Folders to Synchronize.

4.0 Getting Started

4.1 Understanding Synchronization

When Synchronization Occurs

Synchronization from the Filr desktop application to the Filr server occurs immediately after the file is saved and closed; synchronization from the Filr server to the Filr desktop application occurs at an interval designated by your Filr administrator. The default is every 15 minutes. If the server becomes unavailable, the desktop client attempts to contact the server every minute until a connection is re-established.

You can manually synchronize files if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. For more information, see Manually Synchronizing Files.

Which Folders Are Synchronized

Filr synchronizes files to your workstation when the files are located in the following locations in Filr:

My Files: Files that are located in your My Files area on the Filr site are synchronized to your workstation by default. When you add files to the My Files folder from your workstation (C:\Users\userid\Filr\My Files), the files are automatically synchronized to Filr at the next synchronization.

Shared with Me: Files that are located in your Shared with Me area on the Filr site are synchronized to your workstation by default. You can edit files in your Shared with Me area and the edits are synchronized to Filr. However, you cannot add files to the root of the Shared with Me folder from the Filr desktop application on your workstation (/Users/userid/Filr/Shared with Me). If you do, the files are not synchronized to Filr. You can add files to folders that have been shared with you, if you have Contributor rights to the folder.

Net Folders: Files that are located in Net Folders are not synchronized to your workstation by default. You can configure Net Folders to be synchronized, as described in Configuring Folders to Synchronize.

Net Folders are folders and files on your corporate file system. Corporate files can be files on your home directory, files on a mapped drive, or files on a remote server. Filr gives you seamless access to these files, regardless of their location. The corporate files that you have access to are defined by your Filr administrator.

Files located at the root of the /Users/userid/Filr folder cannot be synchronized. Instead, add files to one of the appropriate subfolders (My Files or Net Folders). You cannot add files to the Shared with Me folder.

What Actions Are Supported

When you perform any of the following actions on folders and documents within the Filr folder on your file system, the action is synchronized between your computer’s file system and the Filr server at the next synchronization:

  • Create documents and folders

  • Share documents and folders

  • Comment on documents

  • Modify documents

  • Move documents

  • Rename documents and folders

  • Delete documents and folders

    Documents and folders that you delete from the Filr desktop application are also deleted on the server, as long as you have rights to delete it. However, this is not always true when deleting documents from the Shared with Me area.

    If you delete a document or folder from the Shared with Me area and that document or folder has been directly shared with you, it is no longer synchronized to the Filr desktop application and the documents and folders remain on the server.

    If you delete a document or folder that is a subfolder of a folder that was shared with you, or if the document is located in a folder that was shared with you, the document or folder is deleted if you have sufficient rights to delete it.

4.2 Downloading and Installing the Filr Desktop Application

  1. On your workstation, access the Filr web application from a browser.

    For information about how to start Novell Filr from a browser, see Accessing Novell Filr from a Web Browser in the Novell Filr 1.1 Web Application User Guide.

  2. Click your linked name in the upper-right corner of the page, then click Download Filr Desktop App.

  3. Click the NovellFilr-version.pkg file to download it.

  4. After the download finishes, open the NovellFilr-version.pkg file.

  5. Click Continue.

  6. Select the language to view the license agreement, click Continue, then click Agree.

  7. Change the installation location for the Filr desktop application, or simply click Continue to accept the default location.

  8. Click Install.

  9. After the installation finishes, click Close.

  10. Start Filr by running it manually from Launch Pad or from /Applications/Novell Filr, then continue with Configuring the Filr Desktop Application for the First Time.

4.3 Configuring the Filr Desktop Application for the First Time

After you have downloaded and installed the Filr desktop application for the first time, as described in Downloading and Installing the Filr Desktop Application, you are prompted to configure it. This process includes entering account information, choosing which folders to synchronize, and choosing where to store information on your computer’s file system.

  1. Click Start to begin setting up the Filr desktop application.

  2. In the Account Information section, specify the following information:

    Server URL: Specify the URL for the Filr site where you want to synchronize files to your computer. For example, https://Filr.mycompany.com:8443.

    Username: Specify the Filr user name that you use to log in to the Filr site.

    Password: Specify the Filr password that you use to log in to the Filr site.

    Remember password: Select this option to have the Filr desktop application remember your password. (This option can be disabled by your Filr administrator.)

  3. Click Next.

  4. In the Synchronized Folders section, notice that files in your My Files and Shared with Me folders are synchronized by default.

  5. (Optional) If you want to synchronize specific Net Folders or files that have been shared with the public:

    1. Click Add in the Synchronized Folders section, then click the Net Folders or Public tab.

    2. Navigate to and click the Download icon next to the Net Folders or folders that have been shared with the public that you want to synchronize, then click OK.

  6. (Optional) If you want to stop synchronizing files in your My Files or Shared with Me areas:

    1. Click Add in the Synchronized Folders section, then click the My Files or Shared with Me tab.

    2. Click the Synchronized icon at the column heading to stop synchronizing all files and folders in the My Files or Shared with Me areas. You can then click the Download icon next to specific folders that you want to synchronize.

      The Synchronized icon indicates that files are being synchronized.

      The Download icon is displayed to indicate that files in your My Files or Shared with Me areas are no longer being synchronized.

    3. Click OK.

  7. Click Next.

  8. In the General Settings section, specify the following information:

    Filr Folder: Click Browse if you want to change the installation location for the Filr desktop application; or simply keep the default location.

    Start Novell Filr at login: Keep this option selected to have the Filr desktop application start when you turn on your workstation.

  9. Click Next to review your selections, then click Finish.

    The Filr desktop application is now running, and the Filr icon is visible in the menu bar.

5.0 Configuring Folders to Synchronize

When you first configure the Filr desktop application, you can choose which folders you want to synchronize. My Files and Shared with Me are synchronized by default; Net Folders and Public must be manually configured to synchronize. You can configure folders to be synchronized during the initial configuration or any time after the initial configuration.

You must have appropriate View rights on a Net Folder in order to synchronize it.

For optimal performance, the Filr desktop application should not be configured to exceed the synchronization limits. For more information, see Synchronization Performance Limits.

To configure Net Folders in Filr to be synchronized to your computer:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr console.

  2. Click Synchronized Folders to display the folders that are currently being synchronized.

  3. Click Add.

    The Add Novell Filr Folders dialog box is displayed.

  4. Select the My Files, Shared with Me, Net Folders, or Public tab, depending on the location of the folder that you want to synchronize.

  5. (Optional) Click a folder name to navigate to subfolders.

  6. Click the Download icon next to the folder that you want to synchronize.

    or

    Click the Download icon at the top of the folder list to synchronize all folders.

    When you select a folder to synchronize, subfolders are also synchronized.

    The Filr administrator must enable Net Folders and files that have been shared with the public to be synchronized to the Filr desktop application. If the administrator has not enabled a Net Folder to be synchronized, a red icon is displayed next to the folder and you cannot synchronize it.

    Files in a Net Folder might not synchronize immediately, depending on the way your Filr administrator implemented file synchronization. If there are files in a Net Folder that are not synchronized, try accessing those files first from the Filr web application or the Filr mobile app. If files still fail to synchronize to the Filr desktop application, contact your Filr administrator.

  7. Repeat Step 4 through Step 6 to synchronize additional folders in your My Files, Shared with Me, Net Folders, or Public locations.

  8. (Optional) Click the Synchronized icon next to any folder that you want to stop synchronizing.

    You cannot stop synchronizing a subfolder if the parent folder is being synchronized; you must stop synchronizing the parent folder.

    or

    Click the Synchronized icon at the top of the folder list to stop synchronizing all folders.

  9. Click OK.

    The folders that you have selected to be synchronized are listed on the Synchronized Folders page. The size of the folder is displayed next to the folder, in the Size column.

  10. Ensure that you want to synchronize the folders that are listed, then click Apply.

    If you have selected a folder that is over 500 MB, you are warned before proceeding.

6.0 Viewing Filr Files from Your Computer

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr folder.

You can access the Filr folder directly from your file system. The Filr folder is in the Places/userid directory.

For information on how to change the default location, see Changing the Location on Your File System Where Filr Files Are Synchronized.

For specific information about file synchronization between your workstation and Filr, see Understanding Synchronization.

7.0 Manually Synchronizing Files

You can manually synchronize files between Filr and your computer if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. Files must be closed before they can be synchronized.

To manually synchronize all your files:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Synchronize now.

To manually synchronize an individual file:

  1. Navigate to the file that you want to synchronize.

  2. Right-click the file, then click Synchronize Now.

8.0 Launching Filr in a Browser from Filr Desktop

You can launch Novell Filr in a browser by using the Filr desktop application.

  1. Click the Filricon in the menu bar, then click Visit Filr on the web.

9.0 Commenting on a File and Viewing Comments

  1. Navigate to the file that you want to comment on or view comments for.

  2. Right-click the file, then click Comment.

    The Filr Comments dialog box is displayed, listing all existing comments that are associated with the file.

  3. In the comment field, specify your comment, then click Send.

    or

    To reply to an existing comment, click the Reply icon next to the comment that you want to reply to, then click Send.

10.0 Sharing a File or Folder

Understanding Sharing Options

Filr provides various methods of making files and folders available to others. How you decide to make files available might depend on various factors, such as the sensitivity of the information you are distributing or the relevance of information to certain individuals.

  • Sharing with individual users and groups: Sharing allows you to share files and folders with specific users and groups internal to your organization or with specific users external to your organization. When you share a file or folder, you define the level of access users have to the item. For example, you might give a user Viewer access only. Or, you might give a user Editor access to a file and allow them to re-share the file with others.

    Sharing with specific users and groups provides the greatest level of security for your files and folders. Users receive a notification about the shared item and the item is displayed in their Shared with Me area.

  • Distributing a File Link: You can distribute a link (URL) to a file. When you distribute a link to a file, any user with the link can access the file. However, the file is not displayed in the Public area, so users must have direct access to the link in order to view the file.

    For information about how to distribute a File Link, see Distributing a Link to a File.

  • Sharing with the Public: When you share an item with the Public, any person with the URL to the Filr site can view the file in the Public area.

You can share files and folders directly from the Filr desktop application:

  1. Navigate to the file or folder that you want to share.

  2. Right-click the file or folder, then click Share.

    The Filr Share dialog box is displayed.

  3. In the Add a User, Group, or Email field, begin typing the name of a user or group that you want to share with, then click the name when it appears in the drop-down list.

    or

    Specify the complete email address of the external user that you want to share with, then press Return.

  4. (Optional) Repeat Step 3 to share with additional users.

  5. (Conditional) To modify access settings for an individual user:

    1. In the Shared with section, select the user whose access settings you want to modify.

    2. Choose from the following access settings to modify:

      Access: Grant Viewer, Editor, or Contributor access rights. (Contributor applies only to folders.)

      Expire: Specify when the share will expire.

      You can configure the share to expire either after a given number of days (each day is counted as a 24-hour period from the time that you set the expiration) or on a specific day (rights expire at the beginning of the day that you select).

      Internal Users: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with internal users.

      External Users: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with external users.

      All Public: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with the public.

      File Link: Allow share recipients to re-share the item via a File Link.

      For more information about File Links, see Distributing a Link to a File.

      Note: Include a personal note to the share recipients. Only share recipients can read the note.

  6. (Conditional) To modify access settings for multiple users simultaneously:

    1. Hold the Command key and select the users in the Shared with section whose access settings you want to modify.

    2. Choose from the following access settings to modify.

      Access settings that you leave undefined retain any individual access settings that are present on a given user. Access settings that you define are modified for each user that is currently selected.

      Access: Grant one of the following access roles to the user or group:

      • Viewer: Users can view individual files that are shared with them or all files within the folder that is shared with them.

      • Editor: Users can view and modify individual files that are shared with them or all files within the folder that is shared with them.

      • Contributor: (Applies only when sharing folders). Users can create files in the folder, rename existing files, modify files, move files, and delete files inside the folder. Users cannot perform actions on the folder itself.

      Expire: Set a date when the share will expire.

      You can configure the share to expire either after a given number of days (each day is counted as a 24-hour period from the time that you set the expiration) or on a specific day (rights expire at the beginning of the day that you select).

      Internal Users: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with internal users.

      External Users: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with external users.

      All Public: Allow share recipients to re-share the item with the public.

      File Link: Allow share recipients to re-share the item via a File Link.

      For more information about File Links, see Distributing a Link to a File.

      Note: Include a personal note to the share recipients. Only share recipients can read the note.

  7. (Optional) Click Make Public to make the item publicly available. Then in the Shared with section, tap the all users user that was just added and set the access control settings for the public.

  8. (Optional) In the Notify section, click the drop-down list and choose from the following notification options:

    None: Send no notifications.

    All recipients: All recipients in the share list are notified.

    Only newly added recipients: Only recipients that you add to the share list are notified.

    New and modified recipients: Only new recipients and those whose share rights you are modifying are notified.

  9. Click Save.

11.0 Distributing a Link to a File

You can distribute a link (URL) to a file. When you distribute a link to a file, any user with the link can access the file. However, the file is not displayed in the Public area, so users must have direct access to the link in order to access the file.

  1. Navigate to the file or folder for which you want to distribute a link.

  2. Right-click the file or folder, then click Get File Link.

    The File Link dialog box is displayed.

    If a File Link has not been previously generated for the file, click Get File Link.

    The following URLs are created for accessing the file:

    Download File Link: Depending on browser settings, users are either prompted to download or open the file, or the file is automatically displayed in the browser. This link allows users to access the file directly.

    View File Link: This link displays the file in a web browser in an HTML view. If the file type cannot be displayed in a web browser, this link is not available.

    The File Link is now included in the Share dialog. You can modify the expiration date or note associated with the link, or you can remove the link so that the file is no longer accessible to users with the link by accessing the Share dialog, as described in Sharing a File or Folder.

  3. (Optional) Click the drop-down arrow next to Expires to set a date for the share to expire.

    You can configure the share to expire either after a given number of days (each day is counted as a 24-hour period from the time that you set the expiration) or on a specific day (rights expire at the beginning of the day that you select).

  4. Choose from the following actions for distributing the File link:

    • Copy: Allows you to select either the Download or View link to copy and copies the link to the clipboard. You can then paste the link into another application.

    • Email: Uses your workstation’s default email application to email the link. Both the Download links and the View links are included in the email.

    • Filr Email: Uses Filr’s built-in email system to email the link. Both the Download links and the View links are included in the email.

    • Delete: Deletes the File link so that users are not able to access the file by using the current links.

  5. (Optional) After you create the File Link, you can modify user access and perform other management functions for the File Link by accessing the Share dialog, as described in Sharing a File or Folder.

12.0 Viewing Filr Properties for a File or Folder

You can view the following Filr properties that are associated with your files and folders:

  • File name

  • File path (this is the path to the file or folder from within the Filr system)

  • File size (applies to files only, not folders)

  • User who created the file or folder

  • Date the file or folder was created

  • Date the file or folder was modified

  • User who shared the file

  • Users who the file is shared with

To view Filr properties for a file or folder:

  1. Right-click the file or folder for which you want to view the Filr properties.

  2. Click Get Filr Info.

    The Filr properties for the file or folder are displayed in the Filr Info dialog box.

  3. (Optional) If you have rights to share the file or folder, you can click Share to launch the Filr Share dialog box.

13.0 Viewing Recent Activity

You can view activity that has recently taken place in the Filr desktop application. For example, you can see the date and time that Filr folders were synchronized, which files were modified, and information about any synchronization issues you might be experiencing.

To view recent activity:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr console.

  2. Click Recent Activity.

14.0 Viewing System Alerts

The Filr desktop application might need to make you aware of various alerts, such as new software updates, expired passwords, server downtime, and so forth.

When system alerts are available, this information icon flashes over the Filr icon .

To view system alerts:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr console.

  2. Click System Alerts.

15.0 Changing the Location on Your File System Where Filr Files Are Synchronized

By default, Filr files are synchronized to the /Users/username/Filr folder on your file system.

When you first configure the Filr desktop application, you can specify the installation location on your file system. You can change the location of the Filr folder at any time after initial configuration.

IMPORTANT:You should not synchronize files to a location on a network that can be accessed by multiple computers. If the Filr folder is on a network location that is accessed by multiple computers, synchronization issues can occur when Filr files accessed from either computer are out of sync with each other and with the Filr server.

To change the location of the Filr folder:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr console.

  2. Click General Settings, then click Browse to browse to the new location on the file system where you want the Filr folder to reside.

  3. Click Open > Apply.

16.0 Changing Your Filr Account Information for the Filr Desktop Application

When you first configure the Filr desktop application, you specify your account information and Filr server information. You can change the information at any time after the initial configuration:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar, then click Open Filr console.

  2. Click Account Information in the Novell Filr Console dialog box.

  3. Specify the following information:

    Account Name: Specify a descriptive name for the Filr account. A folder with this name is created in your user directory in the file system.

    Server URL: Specify the URL for the Filr site where you want to synchronize files to your computer. For example, https://Filr.mycompany.com.

    Username: Specify the Filr user name that you use to log in to the Filr site.

    Password: Specify the Filr password that you use to log in to the Filr site.

    Remember password: Select this option to have the Filr desktop application remember your password. (This option can be disabled by your Filr administrator.)

  4. Click Apply.

17.0 Viewing Your Data Quota

Data quotas can be enabled by your Novell Filr administrator in order to limit the amount of data that is stored on the Filr site.

If data quotas have been enabled on your Filr site, ensure that you understand what counts toward your data quotas, the different kinds of data quotas that exist, and how you can view the current data usage, so you can know when you are approaching the allotted data quota. If you meet your allotted quota, Filr enables you to purge files and attachments that you have previously deleted.

17.1 Understanding Data Quotas

Data quotas limit the amount of data individual users can add to the Filr site. Files that are located in Net Folders (including your Home directory) do not count toward your data quota.

17.2 Viewing Your Data Quota

Data quotas might or might not be in use on your Filr site. If you are unable to view your data quotas as described in this section, your Filr administrator has not yet restricted the amount of data that can be added to the Filr site.

You can view your data quota directly from the desktop application:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar.

  2. Click Open Filr console.

  3. Click Account Information in the Novell Filr Console dialog box.

    Your data quota is displayed with the amount that you have currently used. The max file size is also displayed; this is the largest size of file that you are allowed to upload to the Filr site.

For more information, see Managing Your Data Quota in the Novell Filr 1.1 Web Application User Guide.

18.0 Understanding and Resolving Synchronization Issues

Most synchronization issues can be resolved through the Pending Actions section of the Filr Console. If issues require further investigation, you can check the desktop logs.

18.1 Understanding Pending Actions

You might encounter any of the following synchronization issues, indicated by one of the following icons:

: There is an upload error.

: There is an upload warning.

: There is a download error.

: There is a download warning.

: There are upload and download errors.

: There are upload and download warnings.

: The client has not yet attempted to upload or download the file.

If you are unsure why a document is not downloading or uploading, view the recent activity, as described in Viewing Recent Activity.

18.2 Resolving Document Conflicts

If a document is edited at the same time from various locations, conflicts can arise.

To resolve document conflicts:

  1. Click the Filr icon in the menu bar.

  2. Click Open Filr console.

  3. Click Pending Changes.

  4. Next to the conflict that you want to resolve, click Resolve, then choose one of the available options:

    Keep your version: Replaces the file on the Filr server with your version.

    Keep the server version: Discards your file and replaces it with the version on the Filr server.

    Keep both files: The file on the Filr server is saved as the original file and your version of the file is renamed.

18.3 Viewing Log Files for the Filr Desktop Application

If Filr files are not being downloaded to your workstation as you expect, or if you are experiencing other unexpected behaviors, see the filr.log file for more information.

  1. Click Finder, then from the menu bar, click Go > Utilities.

  2. Double-click Console.

  3. Locate the Log List (navigation panel) on the left side of the console. If the Log List is not currently displayed, click View > Show Log List in the menu bar.

  4. In the Files section, expand ~/Library/Logs, expand Novell, expand Filr, then select filr.log.

    After information in the filr.log file exceeds 1MB, older log information is moved to the filr.log.1, filr.log.2, and filr.log.3 files.

19.0 Uninstalling the Novell Filr Desktop Application

To completely uninstall the Filr desktop application, follow the instructions in these sections:

19.1 Deleting the Application

  1. Move /Applications/Novell Filr to the trash.

19.2 Deleting Filr Metadata

You need to delete the Filr desktop application metadata contained in /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Novell/Filr.

Because the Library directory is usually a hidden directory, complete the following steps to accomplish this:

  1. Click Finder, then from the menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder.

  2. Specify ~/Library, then click Go.

  3. Double-click the Application Support folder.

  4. Double-click the Novell folder.

  5. Move the Filr folder to the trash.

19.3 Deleting Log Files for the Filr Desktop Application

You need to delete the Filr logs contained in /Users/username/Library/Logs/Novell/Filr.

Because the Library directory is usually a hidden directory, complete the following steps to accomplish this:

  1. Click Finder, then from the menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder.

  2. Specify ~/Library, then click Go.

  3. Double-click the Logs folder.

  4. Double-click the Novell folder.

  5. Move the Filr folder to the trash.

19.4 Deleting Credentials

  1. Click Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.

  2. Delete any passwords that have the names beginning with Novell Filr.

19.5 Emptying the Trash

  1. After the Filr application, metadata, log files, and credentials have been deleted, empty the trash (double-click the Trash icon, then click Empty).

20.0 Known Issues

For a list of known issues, see the Novell Filr Desktop Application Readme.

21.0 Legal Notices

Copyright © 2013-2014 Novell, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted without the express written consent of the publisher. For Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.