In iManage’s FileSite, a ‘Shortcut object’ does not always work the way you might expect it to work. Some of the surprises can be unpleasant, so it’s best to be aware of their quirks…
This is useful insight for lawyers and assistants who use the Document Management System, and also for IT staff who support those users.
A WorkSite shortcut is a tiny little object that only points to the real item – it contains the name, the unique ID such as the document number, and the database. You can confirm this by looking at the shortcut’s properties. Yes, you can traverse from it to the real object, but the shortcut itself is just that scrap of pointer information.
As with a Windows shortcut, you can rename the shortcut itself without affecting the real underlying file or folder.
When deleting, it is crucial to be crystal-clear in your mind whether you are working with just a shortcut, or the real item. You can harmlessly delete a shortcut, but if it’s the real item that’s a different ball-game.
Always ‘drive defensively’ when you are using WorkSite shortcuts, even when you are an expert. As with driving, even the most expert operator can be side-swiped by unexpected mistakes caused by a nearby novice. …or a rare combination of otherwise normal events.
More details are available in our WorkSite knowledge base, called Clarify. We make this available to our consulting clients – click through to log in and read more.Cersys’ Clarify WorkSite databases and Shortcuts – can you get there from here.
What happens when you do delete your folder, and it happens still to contain some documents or even subfolders? If you’ve wisely chosen not to allow flatspace storage of documents, FileSite will stop you right there. If flatspace is allowed, FileSite will proceed to delete everything that you can, and flatspace the rest. And that can ruin your weekend!
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