Copy personal files into group files

[Kristina Hoeppner]

originally reported as part of bug #1201907. Discussion at https://mahara.org/interaction/forum/topic.php?id=5568

Lack of access to personal mahara files from the group files page. I’d like to easily transfer a file from my mahara files, rather than have to upload it again to the group.

------------

If you only want to use your personal files on a group page, you can do so as you have access to your personal files. But I read your wishlist item as wanting to be able to copy your personal files into the group area.

Can you please confirm that this is the case?

Thank you
Kristina

[Marylena Sevigney (mcsevigney)]

Hi Kristina,

Thank you for your response!

I'd like to be able to use files that I have uploaded into my Mahara repository, and put them in the Group repository. The only option I am given when I go to the group files page, is to upload files from my computer. Is there a way to access the files in my "personal" Mahara repository from the group files section?

Best,
Marylena

[Aaron Wells (u-aaronw)]

Hi Marylena,

There's no way currently to copy files from your "personal" file area into the "group" area (or, for that matter, the institution area or the site area). The best you can do is download your files from Mahara, and re-upload them into the group.

My brainstorming on the subject:

It sounds like a good idea. I think the main complication, as with so many things, would be figuring out a good user interface for it. Perhaps the best approach would be to add a "link" to your personal file areas into the group file chooser. Sort of like the "parent directory" "link" that you see if you navigated into a subfolder when picking a file.

There's also the question of access control. I think we could avoid all kinds of sticky issues on that if we simply give the group its own copy of the file, rather than making it use the original file. (Though on the other hand, this does lose the edit-once-update-everywhere functionality). Letting the group have its own copy, essentially makes this a shortcut for downloading the file and re-uploading it... so perhaps it would make sense putting the link for it down by the upload button.