Icon for shared Files and Folders

[MTRichards]

For Windows, Mac and Linux...
In ownCloud, when we remove the shared directory, there will be folders appearing in the ownCloud Shared directory. Technically, there are two different types of files and folders in this root folder:

1. Files and folders that you own
2. Files and folders shared with you

We need to be able to visually identify the difference between what you own, and what was shared with you.

The default should be files and folders you own, so there is no icon set on these beyond the sync status and default OS icons.

However, if a file or folder is shared with you, in the top level (for folders) or for each individual file shared with you, the files and folders need an icon to show that it was shared with you. This will enable a user to get away without the Shared folder once the shared folder is removed.

Note: not all files shared with you get a shared overlay icon, only those that are not contained within a folder that was also shared with you - because the file is the top level when all you share is a file.

If a folder is shared with you, wherever you choose to move it, the top level shared folder will retain the icon. So, for example, if a user chooses to create a folder called shared and put all their shared folders in there, the shared folder has no icon on it, but all of the files and folders that the user chose to put in Shared - which were all top level shared folders or individually shared files - these have the shared icon.

@jancborchardt what do you think?

Implementation status:

Windows Explorer (Shell)

• Concept done
• Implementation started
• Implementation done
• Deployment done

OS X Finder

• Concept done
• Implementation started
• Implementation done
• Deployment done

Gnome Nautilus

• Concept done
• Implementation started
• Implementation done
• Deployment done

KDE Dolphin

• Concept done
• Implementation started
• Implementation done
• Deployment done

[jancborchardt]

The shared icon should show both for files and folders shared with you as well as files and folders you own which you shared. The distinction is not that important in the first run. But not indicating that one of your files or folders is shared with someone else would be critical.

As an addition, we should also indicate when files/folders were shared via link. In that case instead of the »people« icon, it should show the »globe« icon. Just like on the web interface.

[MTRichards]

This is in the web interface, and also in the desktop? As this is the Mirall Repo, I suspect you mean on the desktop?

as well as files and folders you own which you shared. The distinction is not that important in the first run. But not indicating that one of your files or folders is shared with someone else would be critical.

As an addition, we should also indicate when files/folders were shared via link. In that case instead of the »people« icon, it should show the »globe« icon. Just like on the web interface.

[jancborchardt]

Yes, what I said is all concerned with the desktop client and the shared indicators in the file manager.

[VincentvgNn]

Hi,

During the last year I have evaluated various free cloud sharing systems.
When talking about overlay icons, I strongly recommend: "Don't use these dynamic icons!".
Even in Windows 8 there are only 15 slots available for these overlay icons.
The others will not be displayed.
In the registry you can find them at: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers”
The sorting order can be changed by adding characters in front of the key names (e.g. 1 or 2 blanks, a character or a number). In this way you can get a higher ranking for your own overlay icons.
I saw Microsoft doing this for their own OneDrive.

Many cloud services are using overlay icons and this issue caused a lot of discussions about missing overlay icons.
Microsoft seems to know about it. But somehow they keep it silent and they seem to refuse ever improving this by increasing the number of available slots.

               -------------------------------------------------

For the time being I created a user batch file to set the folder icons representing the user rights for each shared main folder. In a special read-only folder in the cloud I have stored the icons to be used for each individual user.
In the example below the data is stored on a separate USB S-drive. This is to prevent spreading data when my clients change their computer.

(greenish-blue folders with the green out-arrow have only read-only permission and warm-yellow folders have r/w permission)

[jancborchardt]

@VincentvgNn thanks for the note – I think @danimo and @dragotin are aware of that as they mentioned something similar before.

[danimo]

Yes, we are aware of that. There are several ways to deal with the problem (as taken by e.g. TortoiseSVN)

• Be first (i.e. make sure your items take precedence)
• When not all icons can be shown, show only the most essential states
• Use tooltips or other extension explorer offers to provide the information by other means

In addition, we can do the following:

• Check the amount of active overlays in the registry and issue a warning if it can be predicted that the OC overlays will not be loaded.

As you said, there is no good way since Microsoft refuses to fix or ignores the problem.

[VincentvgNn]

@danimo
Here the issue is almost static icons for folders shared by you or with you and the assigned permissions.
Overlay icons are used to show the dynamically changing sync status and meanwhile I discovered issue #1818 as a better place to continue the overlay icon discussion.
Therefore I presented my findings there in a somewhat different way.

Oops, TortoiseSVN even uses 8-9 of these overlay icons!
It could be solved if MS and all others would use the same set of overlay icons.

[danimo]

I've added the current state of the respective platforms to the summary. Feel free to correct.

[VincentvgNn]

@danimo @MTRichards
An ownCloud icon for the synced root folder is not mentioned explicitly.
It is the easiest one to implement.

In OC 7 the folder "Shared" (shared with me) was removed.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see now 4 possible icons:

1. Main-folder owned by me, not shared with anyone. Could be the original OS icon.
2. Main-folder owned by me, shared with others. The permissions given cannot be indicated.
3. Main-folder shared with me, r/w permission.
4. Main-folder shared with me, read-only permission. Editing/changing forbidden!
   I prefer that any change attempt will be overwritten to the original state.
   A customer added file should be forced to be saved with a different name in a different folder.

Google Drive is an example where all subfolder icons are changed as well.
They now have the original OS icon (no desktop.ini file) and the original OS icon with a "people" symbol on it (e.g. icon 11 for WinXP, icon 12 for Win7).

[dragotin]

owncloud/core#10247 is blocking to also show the share icon on folder that user shared with somebody else, as it is on the web interface. @jancborchardt, @MTRichards pls discuss.

[MTRichards]

What is the question? Is it to know whether this is blocking?
For me it is a nice to have for 1.7 based on timing. Lets get the rest of the icons working, and selective sync working, then add this...if we have time, or after if we don't. ok?
@jancborchardt

[jancborchardt]

Yeah, if #10247 gets fixed in time it would be cool, but not necessarily blocking.

[VincentvgNn]

@dragotin @MTRichards
If the OC client uses folder icons in the same way as Google Drive does by setting the desktop.ini files, then each client folder can get an icon that indicates the sharing and the permissions.
I have created a blue set and a yellow set of 4 icon files in high resolution .svg format that can be used for it.

1. Folder icon only = non-shared OC folder.
2. Folder icon with 2 people = shared by you with others
3. Folder icon with double sided arrow and one person = read/write shared with you by someone else
4. Folder icon with double side black-red arrow and one person =  read-only shared with you by someone else
   (writing or deleting in this folder is not permitted, uploading changes is not possible)

Options:
- Use only 4 yellow or 4 blue icons
- Use yellow icons for 1 and 2 (folders owned by you) and blue icons for 3 and 4 (folders shared by someone else)
- Use other background colors and symbols for the sharing state.

The red arrow is indicating that no writing is permitted and is in the 16x16 pixel format just visible.

If you like it, I can send the original files.

[MTRichards]

Pretty cool. Seems complex to understand, but I do like the granularity of info provided.
@jancborchardt thoughts?

Thought: Can we register this many icons with the desktop OS? I thought we were limited on Windows, and worry we will run out of slots we can use.

[jancborchardt]

Without any explanation these folders are not really understandable. And we can’t really provide explanation. Even if we do, people will forget.

The »shared by you« and »shared with you« difference alone is very difficult to understand. Why do we need an icon differentiation here?

The only real consequence is for folders/files where I only have read access. That’s the one which we want to separate. Anything else comes after.

[VincentvgNn]

This is another option for the sharing symbols:

@MTRichards
These icons are no overlay icons and they are set in the desktop.ini files which are hidden in each folder. They are more or less static while the overlay icons come on top of these and are dynamically following the sync status. There is no Windows limitation on these icons. Just having icons available and writing the right 1 or 2 lines in the desktop.ini files is what is needed.

In issue #1818 I proposed to use only 3 overlay icons for the sync status. If they cannot work because of the Windows limitation, the customer will only get the sync status of all the files together in the tray icon. Finding the files with errors should then be done by using the OC log screen a not by following a folder path with tiny red crosses like it is done with the overlay icons in Google Drive.

@jancborchardt
The small symbols on the folders are indeed quite abstract. An short explanation in the manual or in the help file is needed. The color "red" shows at least that something is forbidden or unwanted.

Previously there was a main folder "Shared" for folders that will now be marked as "shared with me" (type 3 and 4). These folders are owned by someone else.
The folders of type1 and 2 are owned by yourselves.

The disappearance of the "Shared" folder is part of the complication.
Therefore folders type 1 and 2 could maybe better have the yellow background and type 3 and 4 the blue background.

[jancborchardt]

Just an additional »lock« icon for files/folders where you have read-only permissions should be sufficient.

Inventing icons will lead to confusion, and we can not require people to read a manual on something as simple as icons.

[VincentvgNn]

@jancborchardt
Someone must the first one to invent things ;-)) and I do not know whether there are standards.
But you're right that these symbols must be self-explaining. And a network symbol as in the latest example is even not so good.
Googling around on pictures from "icon sharing", "icon read only" or "no writing icon" gives a lot of ideas. The problem is getting it also recognizable in the smallest 16x16 pixel icon.

I also considered a "lock" symbol, but I didn't choose it, because a "lock" means locked and no access at all. A "lock" symbol would be good for encrypted data or inaccessible folders.
"An eye" or a pencil with a forbidden sign is better.

Here are 2 examples with a pencil:

Formerly the "Shared" folder made the folder ownership clear. Now it has to be done by the symbols on the folder.
Icon 1: Data in the cloud, but no sharing.
Icon 2: You share your folders with one or more other persons. You can manage the permissions.
Icon 3 and 4: Someone else shares his folders with you and gives you a permission to read or to read and write.

The red bar on the pencil is derived from the round traffic sign "forbidden". Unfortunately I had to omit the round red circle around the pencil.

If you want a design with a lock, I can make it.

If the icons are stored as separate icon files in the OC Program Files folder, then the customers can replace the files if they like to use their own ones.

[VincentvgNn]

@jancborchardt
Maybe this is interesting for a solution in the OC client: http://www.folderico.com/
It uses the native functionality of Windows.

[jancborchardt]

I checked out how others do it – and interestingly enough, Dropbox does it just as I described:

;)

So, a simple lock icon will communicate the meaning much better. You can find the lock icon here:
https://github.com/owncloud/core/blob/master/core/img/actions/password.png
Source SVG: https://github.com/owncloud/core/blob/master/core/img/actions/password.png

[danimo]

@jancborchardt Again, we are not at the liberty to add more icon combinations, at least on Windows. Sharing is important, as is the sync state.

[jancborchardt]

Ok, then we simply can’t visualize it. If we do find a solution though, it would be the lock icon.

[VincentvgNn]

There is no technical limit if you use the desktop.ini file for setting the sharing state icons.
Overlay icons that should represent the sync status will often not work due to the technical limitations in the Windows registry. There one should only use the minimum needed, so "Syncing", "Sync OK" and "Error or warning".
The rest must be done via the desktop.ini files.
Can you agree on the sharing states that you want to be represented?

If the sharing icons are in some Program Files folder, they can be changed later-on at any time by
anyone. Delete them and you have no sharing state icon. Use the same icon for 2 different sharing
states and you have merged them for the icon choice.

Another choice to be made: A sharing state icon only for the root-folder or for all sub-folders as well?
Starting with the root folder?

[luciamaestro]

It is in the new release 1.7.0 so I close this issue.