File Management system

UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server Admin maintains copies of all files in one or more folders within the shared FMRoot folder.

Files in this folder are private files that are visible only to the named user. Any changes that the user makes to a questionnaire using the Build activity are stored only in this folder until the user checks the files in to the shared folder, or chooses one of the activation options from the Build menu, or activates the project using the Launch activity or the scriptwriter's desktop program.

Files in this folder are visible to anyone who has permission to access the project. Users can add files to this folder by checking them in using the Files activity. Files are automatically copied into this folder when the user chooses one of the activation options from the Build menu, or activates the project using the Launch activity or the scriptwriter's desktop program. If a file already exists in the shared folder, it is normally overwritten with the newer version. The exception is the .mdd file, where a new version is added to the file.

This is the master folder for projects. Files are automatically copied into this folder when the user chooses one of the activation options from the Build menu, or activates the project using the Launch activity or the scriptwriter's desktop program. If a file already exists in the master folder, it is overwritten with the newer version. Files in this folder are visible to anyone who has permission to access the project.

When an activity starts, the default File Management behavior is as follows:

▪The activity checks the individual user's working folder for the files it needs. If the files exist these are the ones that the activity uses.

▪If the files do not exist in the Users folder, the activity checks for them in the Shared folder. Any files that exist here but not in the Users folder are copied into the Users folder.

▪If a required file does not exist in either location, the activity either creates it or issues an error message. (Users should not normally see error messages for missing files because activities should not be available if the required files do not exist.)

If the activity uses optional files such as templates, it follows these same rules to copy any optional files that exist. For example, Activate requires a .mdd file, but can also use template files (.htm, .html, and .xml), image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .mov, .avi, and .bmp) and quota files (.mqd and .mdd), and copies any of these files that do not exist in the Users folder from the shared folder.

When an activity closes, it leaves all files in the user's working folder. If files need to be made available to other users, it is the user's responsibility to check those files in to the shared folder.

The exception is when a project is activated. In this case, the activation process checks files in the user’s folder into the shared folder, and then copies or merges files from the shared folder into the master folder.

All UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server Admin activities that use files use the File Manager to access those files. Most of the time, the File Manager performs its work in the background and the user is not aware of its presence. The exceptions are when the user runs the Files activity to check files into or out of the Shared project folder or to upload or download files, and when an activity such as Build opens an Upload Files dialog for the user to upload files from their computer into their working folder.