WebDav Server Access: Workgroup vs. Browse URL

Report · Dec 23, 2010

Greetings,

I am trying to set up WebDav access for a distributed authoring group. Reading the user guide, it appears that the "Browse URL" approach is the newer and preferred access method. The Workgroup functionality is older.

When I attempt to use "Browse URL" and I enter in the URL of my WebDav server, it immediately says, "Cannot find the URL path..." Using the Workgroup approach with the exact same URL works great with no problems. I've tried other WebDav servers and in each case I get exactly the same result--Workgroup works fine and Browse URL says it cannot find the URL path. I would prefer to use the Browse URL approach because it seems more streamlined, but there appears to be some kind of issue.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thank you,

Adam

FM 9.0p255

WinXP, SP3

Report · Dec 24, 2010

Hi Adam,

Browse URL approach is the newer and the more preferred method to access WebDAV enabled CMS's starting from FrameMaker 9. The Browse URL functionality should work fine for IIS, Tomcat, Alfesco CMS and Documentum WebDAV configurations.

- What WebDAV server configuration are you trying to access?

- Please check whether you are able to browse the same WebDAV URLs in a browser as well.

However unrelated it may seem, as you have been successful in connecting through the Workgroup route, you might try to map the WebDAV directory to a network drive. I am aware of a Microsoft update for Windows Vista (I notice that the applicable OS include WinXP as well) which enables access to mapped Web folders. Might be helpful.

Here's the link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=17C36612-632E-4C04-9382-987622ED1D64&displaylang=en

Regards,

Nakshatra

Report · Dec 29, 2010

I am using a generic WebDav setup from our linux server. I am able to access the WebDav server with several other clients, including in a web browser. I am also able to map a network drive to the server. I am even able to access it using FM's workgroup route. The only thing that doesn't work is FM Browse URL...the one I want to use!

If I use a mapped network drive, isn't that going to shortcut FM's file locking, check-in, check-out, etc. functionality with WebDav?

Report · Dec 27, 2011

Hello,

I am having the same issue right now. I can't seem to find any solutions to this problem.

I am using Alfresco on a Linux / Tomcat server and connecting via a Windows XP machine with FrameMaker 9.

I can create a network drive to my Alfresco repository.

I can access the webdav server via the browser.

I can access the webdav server via FrameMaker's workgroup method.

I just can't access via the "Browse URL" feature as the poster stated.

On a side note, when I access the the webdav server via the workgroup method, it seems to cause some issues. When I log into Alfresco Share's web interface, I am not able to see the files in the folder I tried to access anymore. They are still there but have been changed or corupted somehow and the Alfresco Share service can not display them anymore.

Any help is appreciated.

Report · Jan 02, 2012

Hi Nova TC,

The Browse URL dialog is meant to list the contents of only the WebDAV directories on the server. If you can create a web folder to the WebDAV URL on a Windows machine, there is no reason why you should not be able to connect to it through FrameMaker 'Browse URL' functionality. I will advise you to verify that the URL you are using to access the server repository is a WebDAV directory.

Most commonly you would need to use the following URL as the WebDAV location on an Alfresco server:

http://localhost:8080/alfresco/webdav

This is also because Alfresco WebDAV does not accept connections from root and on paths higher than /alfresco/webdav .

Regards,

Nakshatra

Report · Jan 02, 2012

I want to add that I solved this issue by pasting the full webdav url to a file on the web dave server (not just a folder) and not in the browse url window but in the File Open window.

After performing this step and opening a file from the Alfresco webdav server, I was then able to use the browse url feature and actually see the directories and move up and down the webdav folder structure.

I also want to note a new issue that I will post in a new thread:

When using FrameMaker 9 to check out files in this method, I noticed that the folder that contains the checked out file using FrameMaker 9 is not longer showing files in the Alfresco Share web portal.

Once I check the file back in using FrameMaker 9, I can refresh the Alfresco Share browser window and all the files in the directory will display again.

Report · Jan 24, 2012

I have configurated the apache webdav server and i have verified the functioning of the server with a tool client webdav but, when i try to open a document trough the browse URL (of FrameMaker 10), don't work.

The message viewed is: Cannot find the URL path http://...

My URL test is in localhost for example: http://127.0.0.1/sites.

It don't ask me any user or password.

I'd tried to specify even the port (example: http://127.0.0.1:8080/sites) but nothing.

FM10 10.0.2 Win7 32bit