I am using this probably in a little different than most. This is for a school assessment web application, not website. We have a custom module that allows the assessment coordinator to select the school and then print to pdf. If a school folder already exists it drops the report there. If not it just auto creates the folder. If the file is already there, it overwrites the existing file.
Here is the directory structure that we have mapped to.
Once the coordinator prints all the reports to PDF, they Merge them with another tool we provide into a single PDF that ends up in the Root Assessments folder.
Some of the reports will generate in PDF in a matter of seconds and some take several minutes. So the only way to know if all the reports were there would be to go over to the File Manager and look there and then come back and do the Merge, which only takes a few seconds in any case.
So what I would like to have from a functionality perspective would be the ability to set (or not set) an ajax based auto-refresh rate for a folder so that the user could watch that folder. The only issue I have identified with the module so far is that when I do a refresh it takes me back to the Root folder instead of the folder I am in. I know the DNN File Manager does this as well. But it seems like it could refresh the entire structure, but bring me back to the folder I was in.
I have not looked yet, but I am hoping that I can peer into the module css or ascx file and change up the colors a little.
Scott, thanks so much for this well developed module. Worth every penny!
Cliff
Ajax Folder-Refresh rate:
This could actually be accomplished with some slight tweaking to the ASCX of the main module...modifications of the javascript functions which fire the ajax callbacks. Ideally, the admin area of the module would be updated to allow more dynamic per-folder configuration. I will look into this, and a fix for the refresh icon...as it should at least "try" to keep the current folder and treeview state (which folders are open, etc).
CSS is still in the main ASCX of the module. I would love to push it out to the module.CSS...but browser caching of this is irritating at best. I am close to a solution which will seperate the CSS from the ASCX, and allow per-module-instance configuring of the CSS.
Scott:
Thanks so much for the quick reply and for answering my earlier question I submitted on your site. I thought it would work for my needs and so far it is exactly what I need with these fews ideas I have. But these are not showstoppers for sure. My client has a meeting in NJ tomorrow and this will add greatly to the polished look of the overall application.
I got into the ascx and made the css mods to match my skin color scheme and set the height to be 500px instead of 300px.
The only thing so far that I have not been able to do is set the Folder Area to be wider by default so the users doesn't have to use the slider to make it wide enough. I have plenty of room in the content pane to take some pixels away from the file list and give them to the folder structure area. I have been able to make the folder area wider, but it doesn't take away from the file area, it just gives me a scroll bar on the folder area.
It looks like it might be a combination of a couple of width settings, but I am not sure. If you could point me in the right direction on that, then I am going to put a wrap on this and call my customer up in DC and let him know we have a solution in place for managing the school assessment report files.
Hi Cliff,
There is quite a bit of javascript manipulating the width of the folder tree pane, with slight variations depending on if the module is in "Thumbnail" or "Normal" view mode.
You can edit the javascript to alter the default-opening-size of the folder pane by searching for this line in the ASCX:
s1 = new xSplitter('idSplitter1' , 0, 0, w, h, true , 8, w*.10, 20, 20, true, 3);
Changing the "w*.10" to a larger number = w*.15, will increase the default opening size. (The "w" variable is set above to the client-browser-screen-width).
These values at some point will all be more user-configurable...at the module-instance level..to allow for greater flexibility in the look and feel of the module for different skin layouts.
Please let me know if manipulating the above does not solve your issue.
That worked like a charm. Set it to 18% and it looks nice. Still plenty of room for the reports.
I just talked to my developer who is top notch on DNN and jscript. On the same page where your module is located is our custom module where they Select the School Assessment and then the reports to print for that school.
I was thinking that since so much of this is jscript driven that we might actually be able to pass in the exact folder into your module so that it goes straight to the correct folder for that school.
I remember a while back we toyed around with a module that provided InterModuleCommunication. But that has been a while back. Any quick ideas on how we could pass in the school name, which is the same as the folder into your module and drill right down into that?
My only other simple question is what is the best way to get rid of the vertical scroll bar on the Folder area, when it is not needed. It shows up regardless. Note that I have set the overall height to 500px using...
<
asp:Panel ID="pnlFGMTable" runat="server" style="background-color:#596380;height:500px;
I have played around with various heights on the panel for the folders but it always seems to have a scroll bar. Right now it is 400px. If I make the Folder height more than the file area I get two scroll bars.
At this point it sounds like I am engaging you on more of a consulting question. So if we need to discuss this offline, you have my email and we can talk about compensation if this gets beyond normal support.