Support for file locking is available in FileCloud version 9.0 and later.
Locking is only intended for controlling access to file and folder when accessed via FileCloud. For example, locking a file in a network folder in FileCloud does not lock the file in the filesystem and prevent access to that file in the LAN.
Locking Overview
Locking is available to both files and folders and signifies that you are actively using that file or folder.
Locking has to be enabled by the Administrator before the user has the option to lock a file or folder.
FileCloud LOCKING is designed to prevent opening/accessing files between DIFFERENT USER ACCOUNTS. If you lock a file, you are still able to access it.
When a file or folder is locked:
- A lock icon is shown in the file listing.
- The owner of the lock is shown in the details panel on the right hand side.
- The owner of the lock has full access to that file or folder and can modify it.
- Admins can always override a lock using the admin panel.
- A lock can be setup to prevent reads by other users. In that case other users cannot download or view the locked file or folder.
- Only local users can permanently edit the locked file. Any changes made by remote users are not saved.
The following table shows the behavior depending on the type of lock.
| Lock with read allowed | Access by lock owner | Access by others |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Full access to the file is available. Share/Sync/Edit/Deletes allowed | Only read is allowed. No modification is allowed |
| No | Full access to the file is available. Share/Sync/Edit/Deletes allowed | No access is provided . All access using all clients are blocked. |
Locking a File or Folder
To lock a file or folder,
- Select the file or folder
- In the "More" drop down menu, select "Lock"
- In the popup,
- Selecting "Prevent others from downloading this while locked" will prevent all reads as well as writes to the file or folder. This is very restrictive in its behavior. If it is not selected, then other users can view file/folder content but not modify it
- A custom lock expiration can be set (in days) If a expiration is set, then the file or folder will be automatically unlocked after that date.
- A message will indicate if the lock is successful or not and a lock icon will appear. selecting the file or folder will also show the owner of the lock as well as the type of lock (Read allowed or not)
At this point, all clients (Web Application, Cloud Drive, Cloud Sync, Mobile clients, WebDAV) will all be subject to the lock restrictions (Only the owner access using these clients is allowed).
If a folder is locked, no files in that folder or its subfolder can be locked. Furthermore, none of the parent folder tree can be locked (For example, for a folder structure of A_Folder/B_Folder/C_Folder/D_Folder, if "C_Folder" is locked by USER1, then none of A_Folder, B_Folder, D_Folder can be locked by USER2 until the lock of "C_Folder" is released
To change a lock property (like disallow read or change expiration), the lock has to be released and then the lock has to retaken
Viewing Locked Files and Folders
To view all locks in the system via the web browser
- Click on the user account drop down button
- Click on "Show Locks"
To Filter User Locks
Type in lock path in the "Filter" textbox to filter the locks view with respect to the lock path
Unlocking a file or folder
Once a file or folder is locked, it can be unlocked only by the owner of lock or by administrator.
To unlock as Administrator, Read this article
To unlock as the lock owner,
- Navigate to the page containing the file or folder
- Select the file or folder
- Under the "More" drop down menu, select "Unlock"
It can also be using the unlock option in the "Locked Files and Folder" panel (See previous section)
