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File Manager

File Manager

WisPanel's File Manager is a comprehensive browser-based file management system with advanced features for web developers and system administrators.

Overview

The File Manager provides a powerful interface for managing files and directories, with support for bulk operations, file editing, compression, and advanced security features.

Getting Started

Access the File Manager from the main dashboard menu. The interface displays your files in a table or card view with pagination for large directories.

Core Features

Browsing & Navigation

Using the File Browser:

  1. Click on any folder to enter it
  2. Use the Breadcrumb Navigation at the top to quickly jump to parent directories
  3. Click the Up button (or arrow icon) to go to parent directory
  4. Use Tabs to open multiple folders simultaneously
    • Click the + button next to tabs to open a new tab
    • Right-click a tab for options (rename, close, close other)

Quick Shortcuts:

  • Click Home in the sidebar to return to your home directory
  • Click Root to go to the web root directory
  • Click favorite folders in the sidebar for instant access

Uploading Files

Method 1: Drag and Drop

  1. From any location in the file manager, drag files directly into the window
  2. A full-page drop zone appears when dragging
  3. Release to upload automatically

Method 2: Upload Button

  1. Click the Upload button in the toolbar
  2. Select files from your computer
  3. Multiple file selection is supported (Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click)
  4. Files upload with progress tracking

Advanced Upload: Chunked Upload

  • For large files, the system automatically breaks them into chunks
  • Each chunk uploads separately with automatic retry
  • Monitor progress in the Upload Progress panel
  • You can pause and resume uploads

Upload Settings:

  • Maximum file size: Check your server limit (default 500MB)
  • Supported formats: All file types are allowed
  • Upload location: Files go to the current directory

Downloading Files

Single File Download:

  1. Right-click on a file and select Download
  2. Or select file and click the Download button
  3. File begins downloading to your computer

Batch Download:

  1. Select multiple files (use checkboxes or Ctrl+Click)
  2. Click Download Selected
  3. Files are automatically compressed as ZIP
  4. Download begins automatically

Remote Download (Download from URL):

  1. Click Tools > Remote Download
  2. Enter the file URL
  3. Specify destination path (default is current directory)
  4. Click Download
  5. Monitor progress in the download panel

Editing Files

Opening Files in Editor:

  1. Right-click on a file and select Edit
  2. Or double-click a text file (images, videos open as preview)
  3. The editor opens in a floating window with syntax highlighting

Editor Features:

  • Syntax Highlighting: Automatic language detection
  • Multiple Tabs: Open and edit multiple files simultaneously
    • Click the + in editor tabs to open another file
    • Close tabs with the X button
  • Auto-Save: Changes auto-save after 2 seconds of inactivity
  • Font Size: Adjust via toolbar dropdown (8pt to 20pt)
  • Theme Selection:
    • Auto (follows WisPanel dark/light theme)
    • Light
    • Dark
  • Line Numbers: Displayed on the left
  • Go to Line: Press Ctrl+G to jump to specific line number

Editor Toolbar:

  • Save: Ctrl+S - save changes
  • Undo/Redo: Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y
  • Find: Ctrl+F to search within file
  • Replace: Ctrl+H to find and replace
  • Code Format: Auto-format code (language-dependent)
  • Show Sidebar: Toggle file tree navigation

Editor Sidebar:

  • Browse current directory while editing
  • Expand folders to see nested files
  • Click file names to open in new editor tab
  • Narrow mode shows only icons (auto-activates on small screens)

Renaming Files

Quick Rename (F2 Key):

  1. Select a file
  2. Press F2 or click the rename icon
  3. Type the new name
  4. Press Enter to confirm or Escape to cancel

Extended Options:

  • Rename files/folders without opening a dialog
  • Click the pencil icon next to filename for inline editing

File Permissions (Chmod)

Using the Visual Editor:

  1. Right-click on file/folder and select Permissions (or Chmod)
  2. Visual dialog shows three columns: Owner, Group, Others
  3. Check/uncheck boxes for desired permissions:
    • Read (R): View/read file content
    • Write (W): Modify/delete file
    • Execute (X): Run file or enter directory
  4. Click Apply to save
  5. Choose whether to apply recursively to subdirectories

Common Presets:

  • 644: rw-r--r-- (readable, writable by owner)
  • 755: rwxr-xr-x (directory: owner rwx, others rx)
  • 700: rwx------ (private to owner)
  • 777: rwxrwxrwx (full permissions for all)

Permission History:

  1. Click Tools > Permission History
  2. View all previous chmod operations
  3. Select an operation and click Restore to revert
  4. Auto-saves last 10 operations

Compressing Files

Creating Archives:

  1. Select files/folders to compress
  2. Click Compress in toolbar (or right-click > Compress)
  3. Choose format:
    • ZIP: Most compatible, good compression
    • TAR.GZ: Best compression, Unix-friendly
    • TAR: No compression, preserves permissions
    • RAR: Maximum compression (if available)
  4. Enter archive name
  5. Click Create
  6. Archive creates in current directory with progress tracking

Compression Progress:

  • View real-time progress bar
  • Large files may take time (can pause if needed)

Extracting Archives

Extracting Files:

  1. Right-click on archive file (.zip, .tar.gz, .tar, .rar)
  2. Select Extract
  3. Choose extraction destination (default: current directory)
  4. Click Extract
  5. Progress displays with real-time updates

Advanced Options:

  • Extract to new folder with archive name
  • Extract with password protection (if applicable)
  • Preview archive contents before extracting

Supported Formats:

  • ZIP (.zip)
  • TAR with Gzip (.tar.gz, .tgz)
  • TAR (.tar)
  • RAR (.rar) - if unrar utility installed

Searching Files

File Name Search:

  1. Click the Search button in toolbar
  2. Type filename or partial name
  3. Results filter in real-time as you type
  4. Press Enter or wait for auto-search

Content Search (Full-Text):

  1. Click Tools > Content Search
  2. Enter search term
  3. Choose options:
    • Search Subdirectories: Include all nested folders
    • Case Sensitive: Exact case matching
    • Whole Words: Match complete words only
  4. Click Search
  5. Results show matching files with context snippets

Search Performance:

  • Searches limited to 1000 results by default
  • Content search scans file contents (can be slow on large trees)
  • Use filters to narrow scope

Recycle Bin & Deletion

Moving to Trash:

  1. Select files/folders
  2. Click Delete button or press Delete key
  3. Choose option:
    • Move to Trash: Safe option, recoverable
    • Permanently Delete: Immediate deletion, cannot recover
  4. Click Confirm

Managing Trash:

  1. Click Tools > Recycle Bin
  2. View all deleted items with:
    • Original path
    • Deletion date/time
    • File size
  3. Select item and click Restore to recover
  4. Click Permanently Delete to remove from trash
  5. Click Empty Trash to clear all items

Trash Auto-Cleanup:

  • Items in trash older than 30 days auto-delete
  • Trash location: .wispanel/trash/ in home directory

Creating Symlinks

Creating a Symbolic Link:

  1. Right-click on file/folder
  2. Select Create Symlink
  3. Choose link destination path
  4. Enter link name
  5. Click Create
  6. Symlink appears as special link icon

Using Symlinks:

  • Access remote directories as if they're local
  • No disk space used (just pointer)
  • Useful for shared directories

Sharing Files

Creating Download Links:

  1. Right-click on file/folder
  2. Select Create Share Link
  3. Configure options:
    • Password: Optional password protection
    • Expiration: Link validity period (1 day to 1 year)
    • Max Downloads: Limit number of downloads (optional)
  4. Click Generate Link
  5. Copy link to share with others

Managing Share Links:

  1. Click Tools > Share Links
  2. View all active links with:
    • File/folder name
    • Creation date
    • Download count
    • Expiration time
  3. Click Copy Link to share
  4. Click Delete to revoke access

Public Download:

  • Recipients access via direct link without login
  • Password optional for security
  • Download counter tracks usage
  • Automatic expiration when date passes

File Favorites

Adding to Favorites:

  1. Right-click on frequently used folder
  2. Select Add to Favorites
  3. Or click the star icon when folder is open
  4. Folder appears in sidebar under Favorites

Managing Favorites:

  1. Click Tools > Manage Favorites
  2. Drag to reorder
  3. Click X to remove
  4. Favorites sync across sessions

File Notes

Adding Notes:

  1. Right-click on file
  2. Select Add Note
  3. Type note (supports markdown formatting)
  4. Click Save
  5. Note icon appears next to filename

Viewing Notes:

  1. Hover over note icon to see preview
  2. Or click file and check Notes tab
  3. Notes visible to you only

Edit/Delete Notes:

  1. Right-click file with note
  2. Select Edit Note or Delete Note

View Modes

Switching Views:

  1. Click view toggle buttons in toolbar
  2. List View: Traditional table format with details
    • Shows name, size, date modified, permissions
    • Best for managing many files
  3. Card View: Icon-based grid layout
    • Visual preview of images/thumbnails
    • Easier to scan by file type
    • Adjustable grid size

Columns in List View:

  • Name: Filename with icon
  • Size: File/folder size
  • Permission: Chmod value (e.g., 644)
  • Owner: File owner username
  • Modified: Last modification date
  • Note: Quick note indicator
  • Protected: Security protection status (if tamper protection enabled)

Sorting:

  1. Click column header to sort
  2. First click: ascending order
  3. Second click: descending order
  4. Click arrow icon to change sort field

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
F2 Rename selected file
Ctrl+A Select all files
Ctrl+C Copy selected files
Ctrl+X Cut selected files
Ctrl+V Paste files
Delete Delete selected files
Ctrl+F Search files
Ctrl+H Find and replace (in editor)
Ctrl+S Save file (in editor)
Ctrl+G Go to line (in editor)
Escape Clear selection / Close dialogs
Ctrl+Z Undo (in editor)
Ctrl+Y Redo (in editor)

Toolbar Overview

Main Toolbar Buttons:

  • Upload: Add files from computer
  • Download: Download selected files as ZIP
  • New File: Create blank file
  • New Folder: Create new directory
  • Delete: Move selected to trash
  • Compress: Create archive
  • Extract: Decompress archive
  • Refresh: Reload file list
  • Tools: Dropdown for advanced operations
  • Settings: Configure file manager behavior

Tools Dropdown:

  • Content Search
  • Remote Download
  • Recycle Bin
  • Share Links
  • Permission History
  • Favorite Management
  • Create Symlink
  • File Properties
  • Terminal Access

Advanced Operations

Copy & Move

Copy Files:

  1. Select files
  2. Press Ctrl+C (or right-click > Copy)
  3. Navigate to destination
  4. Press Ctrl+V (or right-click > Paste)
  5. Files copied to new location

Move Files:

  1. Select files
  2. Press Ctrl+X (or right-click > Cut)
  3. Navigate to destination
  4. Press Ctrl+V to complete move
  5. Files moved from original location

Batch Operations:

  • Select multiple files with Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click
  • Operations apply to all selected items

File Properties

Viewing Properties:

  1. Right-click file and select Properties
  2. View detailed information:
    • Full file path
    • Size (human-readable)
    • Creation and modification dates
    • Owner and group
    • Permissions (octal and visual)
    • Symlink target (if applicable)
    • MIME type
    • File hash (MD5, SHA256)

Inline File Preview

Text File Preview:

  1. Hover over or click text file
  2. Preview appears in sidebar (first 100 lines)
  3. Click file to edit in full editor

Image Preview:

  1. Click on image file
  2. Full-size preview displays
  3. Zoom, rotate, and navigate controls available

Video Preview:

  1. Click on video file (.mp4, .webm, etc.)
  2. Embedded player with controls
  3. Stream directly without downloading

Tips & Best Practices

Performance:

  • For directories with 10,000+ files, use pagination
  • Content search on large trees can be slow; narrow scope if possible
  • Compression of very large directories may take time

Security:

  • Always use chmod 644 for files, 755 for directories as default
  • Never set 777 permissions on production sites
  • Review file ownership regularly
  • Use share links with passwords for sensitive content

File Organization:

  • Use descriptive filenames with proper extensions
  • Organize with logical folder structure
  • Regular backups recommended before bulk operations
  • Create favorites for frequently accessed folders

Editor Usage:

  • Auto-save activates after 2 seconds; watch for save indicator
  • For large files (>10MB), editing may be slow
  • Syntax highlighting helps spot syntax errors
  • Always test code changes before committing

Troubleshooting

Upload Fails

  • Check file size doesn't exceed limit (see Upload Settings)
  • Ensure directory is writable (check permissions)
  • Try refreshing page if stuck

Permission Denied Errors

  • You can only modify files you own
  • Contact administrator if owner is different
  • Check current user permissions with Properties

Extract Errors

  • Some archive formats may not be supported
  • Corrupt archives fail; try verifying source
  • Insufficient disk space prevents extraction

Editor Issues

  • Large files (>50MB) may not open in editor
  • Use command-line editor for huge files
  • Binary files should not be edited (may corrupt)

[Screenshot: file-manager-overview.png] [Screenshot: file-manager-upload.png] [Screenshot: file-manager-editor.png] [Screenshot: file-manager-compression.png] [Screenshot: file-manager-permissions.png]

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