Pydio on Raspberry Pi

Using Pydio

The first order of business is to add files and documents to Pydio, and the built-in upload tool makes it easy to upload both local and remote files to the current workspace (Figure 2). Press the Upload button and drag the files you want to upload to the drop area in the Standard section of the Upload dialog. It's also possible to retrieve files from remote hosts by specifying their URLs in the Remote Server section of the Upload dialog.

Figure 2: Pydio features a user-friendly uploading tool.

Using the Create commands, you can add folders and move add uploaded files with the Move command in the toolbar or via drag and drop. The Create button can be used to create URL bookmarks, too. You can create a separate folder, or even a workspace, to store and manage URL bookmarks. This functionality effectively turns Pydio into a rather capable bookmark manager.

Pydio's workspace interface is modeled after a regular file manager, so it's easy to master (Figure 3). Using the left sidebar, you can switch between workspaces you have access to and view alerts. The Bookmarks menu in the sidebar gives access to often-used files and folders, and the My Shares menu contains a list of all items from the current workspace that you have shared with others. Finally, the Folders menu displays all folders in the current workspace. The main area in the middle shows a list of all files and folders in the current workspace. The main toolbar at the top provides access to tools that can be used to move, rename, and delete the selected files and folders.

Figure 3: The workspace interface is similar to a regular file manager.

The More button offers a handful of other useful commands. The Meta Data command allows you to assign tags to the selected file, and the Watch for command enables tracking. The Shortcut command shows the direct link to the selected file, which you can share with other users. Additionally, you can use the Bookmark command to bookmark files and folders for faster access (you can also drag files and folders directly onto the Bookmarks area to bookmark them).

The File Info right sidebar shows key information on the currently selected file. Select a photo, for example, and you can see its dimensions, tags, and geolocation info (Figure 4). Using the buttons under the thumbnail, you can download the photo as well as preview it in the built-in image viewer. The drop-down list next to the Preview button gives you access to image and metadata editing tools. Pydio features several built-in helper tools, including a PDF viewer, a text editor, a spreadsheet viewer, and a media player.

Figure 4: In addition to comprehensive info about the current file, Pydio lets you view Exif metadata of photos.

As you would expect, Pydio features search functionality for finding specific documents and files via the dedicated search field in the upper-right corner of the interface. Basic search queries return documents with matching file names, but you can switch to the advanced mode, which makes it possible to search files by tags, date range, and document properties.

When it comes to sharing, Pydio offers several useful features and options. Sharing a file is a matter of pressing the Share button, and you can protect the shared file with a password and specify an expiration date. It is also possible to specify the download limit and access rights. For each shared file, Pydio automatically generates a URL, which you can send to others using the Invite button. Sharing folders in Pydio is also straightforward: Press the Share button and choose between sharing the folder through a public link or as a workspace. If you choose the latter option, you can select existing Pydio groups or individual users from the Share With drop-down list. For each user and team, you can specify access rights (Read, Write, Watch), and you can save the current list as your personal team.

Pydio provides several layouts for folders shared as public links (Figure 5). The Standard layout has a simple interface that shows all the files and sub-directories in the shared folder. The Film Strip layout is particularly suitable for publishing folders containing photos and images. It displays the files in the shared folder as a thumbnail strip, and the preview area can be used to view a large version of each file. The Embedded layout is optimized for use with widgets. So, if you want to embed the shared folder into an existing web page, this is the layout you should use. Finally, the Drop Files Here layout transforms the shared folder into an upload area that allows other users to upload files and documents to the shared folder.

Figure 5: When sharing a folder, Pydio lets you choose between several layouts.

Thanks to its responsive interface, Pydio is usable on mobile devices, too. Free Pydio apps also are available for Android and iOS that let you access and manage files and folders (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Use the Pydio app for Android and iOS to work with files and folders on mobile devices.

Final Word

Pydio might not enjoy the same popularity as other open source file sharing applications, but it's every bit as good as its counterparts (and in some respects even better). So, if you plan to put your Raspberry Pi to work on file-sharing duties, Pydio definitely deserves a closer look.