Welcome to the Onshape forum! Ask questions and join in the discussions about everything Onshape.

First time visiting? Here are some places to start:
  1. Looking for a certain topic? Check out the categories filter or use Search (upper right).
  2. Need support? Ask a question to our Community Support category.
  3. Please submit support tickets for bugs but you can request improvements in the Product Feedback category.
  4. Be respectful, on topic and if you see a problem, Flag it.

If you would like to contact our Community Manager personally, feel free to send a private message or an email.

Folder in my documents?

2

Comments

  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    I agree, it's been too long since this thread started and IR 'die infinite scroll die' has been filed.

    But I do understand that the order is better to first bring interdocument linking (use parts from other docs) because most likely we would need the same tag/folder/search tool to find right document in that context too.  
    //rami
  • kevin_quigleykevin_quigley Member Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    Like I said, there has been a slow down in feature implementation that actually makes a difference to all users. To the user, we don't care what happens 'under the hood'. We just want it done. The flat list search is limiting for many applications. Give users flexibility or users will migrate to systems that fit better.

    FWIW Fusion has folders and search. As does SolidWorks via the Windows file system. 
  • henry_feldmanhenry_feldman Member Posts: 126 EDU
    3dcad said:
    @_Dave_
    In database system, there are no files or folders. So that is completely out of question.

    You can think it as single excel sheet where the only possibility is to create column with name folder and write 'folder name' on each row that you wan't to 'live' in same folder. Then you can filter to show only those rows that have specific value in folder column.

    I'm not sure, but I suspect that all documents for all users live in same database, so difference between users is also only one column which has value of username. That is why you only see your documents.

    This is very, very simplified explanation of database system and things can be build up in various ways. Yes, they can build it to look and feel like traditional folders, but behind the scene it's tags that act as folders.

    With this IR we should think it in two parts: 1. system behind  2. view in front - I think it's been made clear that 2. would be folder like appearance.
    In many filesystems there aren't files or folders either. They are simply nodes that either have the directory bit on or not (e.g. they can be the parent of another node).

    Databases come in many flavors (the classic filesystem is just one example of a hierarchical type), including hierarchical, flat, relational and key-pair. Not sure why there can be only one column in the database to hold tags such as user. Most implementations would use a link table so that you can have as many tags as you want, so for instance instead of having a document only searchable by one user, you could make it (if policy allowed) that it could search every user associated with that document, and then you may have a second flag which is owner so that of all the users one is the primary owner (we do this in our EHR so that all the doctors taking care of a patient are joined but only one is attending-of-record at a time).

    So not sure that thinking about files/folders and tags as ever being different means anything. Folders are simply a visual construct we use for groupings of things, just like tags.
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @henry_feldman I'm not a social media geek so tags a very foreign to me. I see them as me having to tag each document with multiple tags say that represent the customer, project, part, process operation etc. If I change the naming of anything then I'll need to locate and retag each document associated with that change. Please tell that it isn't so.

    _Dave_
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    edited January 2016
    @henry_feldman I just made things simple enough to understand for any non-coder, of course things are more complicated than one excel sheet  :|  but it gives the idea of database structure.

    @_dave_ Naming tags would be just like naming folder, it's the id behind that ties things together and name is just name which you can modify as much as you like.. No need to relocate anything, all tags with same id update together.

    I suppose you would like to list things in multiple ways: all docs in project, all standard parts, parts sent to manufacturing, etc..
    Tag system doesn't make Onshape look like social media, it could be like traditional file system but with the benefit of putting 'same file into multiple folders' without making any copies. And there could be also automatic tags which would ease up searching.
    //rami
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @3dcadThat part all sounds good but I'll have to create an array of tags in a hierarchical order for each document I create?

  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @_dave_ Or choose to copy tags from another doc (create into same 'directory') or some other automation..
    //rami
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    Sounds like a lot more work then just placing or creating in a folder.  if I don't take the time to tag a file ( being in a hurry) then it will likely be lost or quite hard to find?
    _Dave_
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @3dcad another issue is where would I create and place the tags? Likely within the documents properties, if this is the case then I would have to actually open the document to access the properties and create a tag. It's all starting to appear a bit cumbersome.
    _Dave_
  • henry_feldmanhenry_feldman Member Posts: 126 EDU
    Guys this model already exists, and tens of millions of mac users do this every day!

    Again, I will point out that directories are just tags, except we display them to you the user as a physical folder. The advantage of thinking about them as tags, is that tags typically allow more than one per file. So you can make tags that display either as a folder or a text-tag or both (just a flag on the tag). And for that matter you could have the same file live (since folders = tags) in multiple directories.

    How can this work? well OS X has had that for years. You can have a word document in folder "my daily work" and then make a smart-folder who's definition is to hold all word documents. That same file appears in both places, even though there is but one file on disk. please separate the user model (how you assign things to folders/tags) and what the internal model is. As you can see by this example, I recently purchased a SuperPID for my CNC, so I am using the SuperPID term to define a smart-folder (the fact that in reality OS X is not creating a directory in the unix file system, but using tags is irrelevant to me) as you can see it isn't even holding all "real" files, since emails regarding my CNC's PID are in outlook, not even sure what the LDAP files are, plus the instructions PDF are all over the disk.


    But I can also explicitly tag things with that term (which will magically also show up in my new smart folder, if they don't obviously have to do with my SuperPID by content (say a photo of my SuperPID)


  • henry_feldmanhenry_feldman Member Posts: 126 EDU


    I will note for all the internet bad people, that is NOT my credit card #, even though it says that. That is an invoice number (not sure why it says credit card since it was not a credit card purchase...)

  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @_dave_ As you see from Henry's example it is only matter of things that happen behind. If you create a document in certain 'folder', you just do it like you would in windows, but system actually just creates automatically tag to tie it to your 'folder'. No extra work.

    I think document properties should be accessible from doc list. For search and edit.
    //rami
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @3dcad @henry_feldman Like I said I don't understand how all this will come together but at this point I'm willing to try whatever Onshape can manage to put together. Certainly any attempt will be more functional that the flat list and having to reload that stupid infinite scroll.

     Has an alternative I could just create links to the Onshape doc in the windows file manager, Just that it's more effort that i'd want. About as much as creating tags I suppose. Oh well

    Keep  On_Shaping
    _Dave_
  • kevin_quigleykevin_quigley Member Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    Bottom line is users care not how this happens under the hood, they just want options. Frankly, there is no technical reason why you cannot have folders, files, tags, search etc in the app. Why it is taking so long to resolve this even at a basic level is beyond me.
  • colemancoleman OS Professional Posts: 244 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2016
    @kevin_quigley agreed! 
    I hope we get "folders" or some type of organization system at both the document level and the studio level.  The tabs across the bottom are starting to get cumbersome.  It would be nice to organize them in a meaningful way.  
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @kevin_quigley
    I agree. This should be implemented in a way or another from day one.

    About who cares what, I suppose those of us who 'play' with database stuff in our own end like to comment how things could work behind the scene. And those who don't wan't to struggle or give second thought on this matter simply ask traditional (someone might say ancient) folders.

    But I think we all agree that infinite scrolling in documents, tabs, feature list, part list or any list must have grouping solution asap.
    //rami
  • henry_feldmanhenry_feldman Member Posts: 126 EDU
    3dcad said:
    @kevin_quigley
    I agree. This should be implemented in a way or another from day one.

    About who cares what, I suppose those of us who 'play' with database stuff in our own end like to comment how things could work behind the scene. And those who don't wan't to struggle or give second thought on this matter simply ask traditional (someone might say ancient) folders.

    But I think we all agree that infinite scrolling in documents, tabs, feature list, part list or any list must have grouping solution asap.
    I like to think of it as "me time" in my work day  :)
  • david_urufudavid_urufu Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    I miss some kind of folder functionality as well and I miss it A LOT! Could be this quick design also considered? Otherwise OnShape is quite brilliant, but this tab system is pain in a*s day by day... :(

  • 3D3D OS Professional Posts: 52 ✭✭
    Search on it's own would be fabulous start if it worked in each of the specific categories "Recently opened", "Created by me", "Shared with me", "Company", "Public" etc, but it seems to default to searching under "All" as soon as you enter the doc search. Very frustrating!

    Some form of grouping would be preferable sooner than later....

    Company / Client
    Design Type
    etc.

  • robert_morrisrobert_morris OS Professional, Developers Posts: 168 PRO
    @3dcad, @3D,
    I created an improvement request for an advanced search a while back.
    You can vote it up here: https://onshape.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/210545607-Advanced-Document-Search

    Definitely something that is needed.
  • don_howedon_howe Member Posts: 126 ✭✭✭
    I like folders as well simply from an organizational standpoint. Folders would help keep certain sketches together and would help reduce long feature trees
  • 3dexter3dexter Member Posts: 89 ✭✭✭
    +1  @CaptainBisquick ; I agree 100%!
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    This thread is nice mix up with feature tree suggestions as well as document list enhancements - but I suppose it's ok since they both need tools to get shortened / divided into groups.
    //rami
  • john_steflikjohn_steflik Member Posts: 1
    Maybe this forum shouldn't have separate threads - just a long long looooong page of comments. You all can just use search, right?!?!    Introduce folders.  Please!
  • Oliver_LaxOliver_Lax Member Posts: 8
    Our company has joined Onshape and we are testing it out to see how we like it. Really impressed with most things - although the file structure is our biggest concern (especially with 4+ users working across 2 countries with 1000s of parts). Are there any updates on the possibility of hierarchical tags/folders and being able to share these within an organisation?
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    I'm sure Onshape has more in dev than single level tags, but as we know they don't share any dates for features..
    //rami
  • colemancoleman OS Professional Posts: 244 ✭✭✭
    They should seriously consider publishing a roadmap.
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,475 PRO
    @coleman
    With all respect, I disagree. I like the fact that they don't push features because they have it on public roadmap but rather they listen to users and push stuff what we need right now. Ok, maybe they could shred some light on bigger features like configurations, sheetmetal etc..
    //rami
  • billy2billy2 Member, OS Professional, Mentor, Developers, User Group Leader Posts: 2,062 PRO
    edited January 2017
    Oliver-

    I'm going to get shot for this, another down vote I'm sure, write it yourself?

    With the API and a simple database you can make Onshape slice and dice your IP any way you want. You can even track who's doing what.
    I'm serious, this is about a day's effort. Launch from your own website. Organize it any way you want. Hell, you can even authenticate through onshape to keep the bad people out.  This is really simple to do and you'll get exactly what you want. I fear that what you want isn't what I want.

    Hire Henry to write it so it looks and runs like a mac.




  • Oliver_LaxOliver_Lax Member Posts: 8
    I have just watched this webinar which has answered all my questions:
    https://onshape.wistia.com/medias/n2jmwy2nc4

    Basically Onshape are working on being able to both share 'labels' across an organisation and being able to view the labels within created folders. I also found out about the 'tab manager' function in a document which is a great way to organise parts/assemblies/drawings within here. Definitely worth a watch.
Sign In or Register to comment.