File Manager Application Requirements

I. Introduction

The following is a requirements document for the ACS File Manager application.

II. Vision Statement

Content managers often need to be able to work on a site without having access to or the knowledge to interface with such file-transfer programs as FTP, SCP, and the like. The File Manager application will provide a Web-based user interface for uploading and editing text files and for uploading binary image and program files. It will integrate with our current permissioning system and shall be fully CVS compliant so as to allow proper version control tracking for all file system changes.

III. System/Application Overview

The File Manager system will emulate a file browser by using icons to indicate file status and type for each file handled by the system. The file types to be covered are: editable (text) file, editable (image) file, folder, locked file, and forbidden file.

IV. Use-cases and User-scenarios

File Manager users will typically be HTML designers, graphic artists, and content editors who oversee text and graphics displayed on the site. All users of the system must have site-wide administration privileges.

V. Related Links

VI.A Requirements: Data Model

The File Manager application has no associated data model.

VI.B Requirements: User-Level Requirements

20.10 User level functionality
20.10.10 Users can upload text or binary files
20.10.20 Users can edit text files via HTML forms
20.10.30 Users cannot gain access to locked files, i.e., files under version control that have undergone local modification
20.10.40 Users cannot overwrite or edit files outside of their permission level
20.10.50 Users can click on a text or image file to see a preview of that item
20.10.60 Users can click on file names to edit or upload new content
20.10.70 Users can navigate within directory structure by clicking on folder icons, as in a file browser.

VI.C Requirements: Version Control

30.10 Version Control
30.10.10 Application should be fully integrated with CVS
30.10.20 Application should allow the Version Control application to handle all CVS transactions.
30.10.30 Application should provide a method for using version control in conjunction with a remote repository.

VI.D Requirements: Permissions

40.10 Permissioning
40.10.10 Permissions should be determined by the umask of the AOL account corresponding to the currently running AOLserver process.
40.10.20 Application should not allow file names with "/"'s or spaces, so as to make it more difficult for users to create files outside of the server's pageroot.

VI.E Requirements: Configurable Behavior

50.10 Parameters
50.10.10 Application should allow on/off toggling of version control
50.10.20 Application should allow specification of which file types can be edited through the system
50.10.30 Application should be able to mask certain directories from user
50.10.40 Directories to be managed should be prespecifiable in the parameters file

VII. Implementation Notes

The behavior of the File Manager application should be configurable via a set of parameters indicating: whether or not version control is to be enabled, any salient version control parameters if so, and those directories accessible via File Manager.

VII. Revision History

$Log: requirements.html,v $
Revision 1.1.1.1  2000/11/21 08:15:18  ron
initial version

Joshua Finkler