Frequently Answered Questions.

What is the Rad File Manager? It's a file management systems for web sites and applications. It behaves very much like an FTP client/server combination. The crucial difference is that our software works over HTTP or HTTPS and a record about each file is kept in a database. That makes it remarkably easy for your web application to retrieve this information with out ever having to mess with FTP or file system functions. Where are the files stored? The files are stored in a special folder on your servers disks, a folder that you designate for that task. A record about the file is entered in the database as well. This record includes information about the file's owner, size, permissions and the filename. Do I have to make a system (shell) account for each user? Absolutely not. That's one of the key factors about the file manager. You do not need to provide system account for each user. All information about the users are stored in the database. What exactly is the file manager web application? You can think of it as a file server. The web application provides the functionality that might otherwise be provided by an FTP or SFTP server. The web application is available either in the form of a set of PHP scripts or as a collection of java classes and JSPs. Why do you have a Java edition and a PHP edition? One of the design goals of the Rad File Manager is that it can be easily integrated with other web applications such as Document or Content management systems. Java and PHP are two very popular technologies and we do not want to force a Java developers to use PHP scripts or vice verce. For this reason we have made two editions available. It should also be mentioned that the client for the file manager is an applet. And the same client can be used either with the PHP edition or the Java edition. What databases are supported? The java web application can be used with a Postgres database while the PHP edition can be used with both Postgres and Mysql databases. How about HTTPS? One of the few differences between Rad File Manager and an FTP client is that the file manager can make use of SSL encryption to protect your files while they are in transit. What are the requirements for running the file server? It depends on whether you choose the PHP Edition or the Java edition. Please see the the documents page for the detailed system requirements. What are the system requirements for installing the applet? Each licence of the applet allows you to install it on any single website. It is platform independent and can be installed on all commonly available web servers. The end user of the applet (visitors to your site) will need to have the java plug in installed with their browser. The html page that hosts the applet can be coded such that the plug in is auto installed with most browsers. Do I need to have an FTP (or SFTP) Server? No. Can I integrate the applet or desktop client with my own applications? That's the whole idea. Even the standard license allows you to integrate it with your own product, however if you are to redistribute your application you need to obtain a redistribution license. Please contact our sales team. How do I integrate the file manager into an existing web application? Perhaps the simplest way of doing this would be to access the records stored in the database. If you need tighter integration you could make modifications to the source code of the web application and/or the applet. Can I buy a source code licence? The PHP scripts are already in the source code form. The java edition on the other hand is included in the download as compiled binary form and the same can be said about the applet. You can purchase a source code license of the servlets and applet. Please contact our sales team and request a source code licence. Can I see a demo? Yes. We have an online demo, since the product requires login we ask that you sign up as a member of our site. How can a new user sign up to use the file manager The PHP edition of the file manager includes the Rad User Manager - which provides the authentication and sign up functionality. The java edition includes a set of java clasess that provides similar functionality. I just want a file upload solution, I don't need the full functionality of the File Manager, Can you help? Certainly, you can make use of our Drag and Drop File Uploader. The basic version is free.