My Space - File storage - administration

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File types (recommendations)

From January 2009 it is recommended that files are published in either htm/html, PDF 1.4 (or newer) or in ODF 1.0. (Read more about this at the government’s web-page). This recommendation might eventually become mandatory.

Here you will learn how to save files in the two recommended formats.

PDF 1.4 (or newer)

It is strongly recommended to use PDF version 1.4 (or newer) when you want to publish final documents (for instance syllabus, exam assignments, solutions, PowerPoint presentations from lectures etc.) All the PCs at the University of Bergen have a "PDFCreator" installed, which can convert files to PDF. Note: The file is not printed on a printer, but is converted to PDF format, which can then be saved. It does not cost anything to convert files to PDF using the printer driver at UiB. You have to use one of UiB’s computers to follow the description below.

Step by step – saving as PDF

  • PDF version 1.4 is set as a standard version when using the PDFCreator on a UiB PC
  • Open the file that you wish to convert to PDF. (The original file will not be affected)
  • Select print (Ctrl+P)
  • Select printer "PDFCreator"
  • Click "OK”"
  • Click "Save"
  • Select the folder you wish to save the PDF-file in
  • Select a file name for the PDF-file
  • Click "Save"
  • The file has been saved and will open automatically
  • Check that the formatting is OK and close the file
  • The PDF-file is now ready to be uploaded in the file storage. See how to upload files below.

ODF 1.0

ODF (Open Document Format) is the recommended format when publishing documents that are meant to be edited further. Since ODF is not widely used yet and to ensure access to the published information it is recommended that these documents are parallel published in one or more file types.

Step by step – saving as ODF

An ODF-plug-in for Office 2003 is offered by the IT-department. When this plug-in is installed you can save office documents as ODF. A word-file can be saved as *.odt etc.

  • Send a request for "ODF-plug-in for Office 2003" to BRITA (http://bs.uib.no/). Remember to state the name/number of your PC.
  • Open your document in the usual programme (Word, Excel etc.)
  • Word-documents:
    • Select "File"
    • Select "Save as"
    • In the drop-down menu for file type select "ODF Text Document (*.odt)".
    • Save the file on your chosen location.
  • Excel-documents:
    • Select "File"
    • Select "Export ODF Spreadsheet…"
    • Save the file on your preferred location (The file will get *.ods as file extension)
  • PowerPoint documents:
    • Select "File"
    • Select "Export ODF Presentation…"
    • Save the file on your preferred location (The file will get *.odp as file extension)


Open Office – An alternative to ODF-plug-in and Microsoft Office

If you request it and as long as there is capacity on your computer the IT-department will install Open Office for you.

  • Send a request for "ODF-plug-in for Office 2003" to BRITA (http://bs.uib.no/) Remember to state the name/number of your PC.
  • Open Office will give you the following programs:
    • Writer (Text editor - file extension *.odt)
    • Impress (Making slide presentations - file extension *.odp)
    • Calc (Spreadsheets - file extension *.ods)
    • Math (Writing mathematichal formulas - file extension *.odf)
    • Draw (For drawing - file extension *.odg)
    • Base (Making databases)

Make files and links available in the File Storage system.

Go to File Storage. There, you can view the folders for the class or community. The folder names are standard, but they can be easily changed by selecting Edit Folder, or Delete This Folder.

In File Storage, you can for example, upload old exam assignments, solutions, PowerPoint presentations from lectures etc. In addition, it is possible to make URLs available. It is also possible to add or delete catalogues and give catalogues new names. To add files, do the following:

  • Click File Storage
  • Choose the catalogue to which the file is to be added
  • Then click Add File
  • Browse for and select the desired file
  • Enter the name of the file
  • Entering a description of the contents is optional
    • Administrators can choose whether a description linked to a file in the File Storage will be shown to students.
    • The description is automatically shown to students unless you actively select "No"
    • If there are several versions of the file, it is always the description linked to the last version of the file that is shown.
  • If you do not want the file to be visible for the students immediately, you can set a future publish date for the file.
    • Click the small calendar icon next to”Future publish date” to choose a future publish date and then set the publish time.
    • All the administrators will be able to see the file when it is uploaded even if it has a future publish time.
    • The students will only get access to the file when the publish time has occurred.
    • If you do not set a future publish time for the file it wil be visible for the students immediatly.
    • Note: To edit a set future publish time you must upload e new version of the file and then edit the publish time. See how to upload a revised version of a file
  • Click OK
  • The file has now been made available to all students who are members of the class or community, and it is accessible in File Storage.

The administrator can upload individual files of up to 100 megabytes. For students (others), the limit is 8 megabytes.

Note:Use file formats that can be opened using standard software.

In principle, only those with administrator rights can add files (and URLs) in File Storage. In order to give students write access to a folder in File Storage, open the folder in question and select Modify permissions on this folder - Read only/ Both Read and Write Access.

NOTE: Please note that when the students are given both read and write access to a folder, they can change and delete files in the folder, including files that others have made available. We therefore recommend that you always use the Assignment applet (see Assignment for more information) for the submission of student assignments etc.

Edit the description of a file

You can edit or remove the description of a file in the file storage.

  • Click on the file’s “properties”
  • Click on “Edit description”
  • Edit the text and click “Change” to save the changes.

Upload revised version of a file

It is possible to upload a new version of a file in the filestorage, without deleting former versions. The members will only be able to see the last uploaded version (as long as they do not have administrative rights to the folder).

  • Select "properties" for the file to revise in the column to the right
  • Select "Upload Revision" and follow the procedure for uploading a file
  • You may change the title
  • The Description field can be used for revision comments. (Comments will be visible in the file storage only if "Show description" is selected)
  • A future publish date can be changed
  • Click OK

The last version is now at the top of the list and older versions can be deleted if preferred. (Remember that only the last version is shown to members).
Select "Back to folder view". The last version is shown in the file storage.

Upload more than one file at a time

You can upload more than one file at a time (Multiple Files) if the files are compressed in a ZIP file (this can be done in the file storage system on most PCs). Follow the procedure described above, but, instead of entering the name, tick the box for “This is a ZIP file containing multiple files which are to be unzipped". (Note that the name and contents field are grey.) Click OK and the file will automatically be unzipped in the file storage system.

Move/Copy files between folders and classes

You can move/copy several files at a time between folders and classes.
NOTE: There are built-in restrictions for deleting, moving and copying files in and from the Assignment folders (the Learning Folder, Assessment Folder and Master’s Thesis Folder). See the section on Assignment for more information.

  • Open the folder and tick the files that are to be moved or copied.
  • Select Move or Copy.
  • Select the folder and any sub-folder to which you wish to move the files.
  • Select Move here

Documentation overview