HCC Development News

Introducing the Resources Module

The Resources Module is a robust file management system for ExpressionEngine. It is an alternative to the included file upload feature in the Weblog modules Edit and Publish tabs. The three main features include encrypted file storage, the grouping of resources and resource file handling.

Encryption
Resources encrypts your files in a secure directory using a MD5 hash, limiting access to unauthorized users. This is done automatically when you upload your files either through the control panel or the resource form tag. Authentication will only happen if the file is accessed from the resources module by an authorized user.

Groups
You can create resource groups and group childs that your files belong to, then add member groups to it. You can also add individual members in addition to your selected member groups. This allows you to specify exactly who can see what.

File Handling
Creating, organizing and restricting your files is extremely easy. The Resource module includes two ways to upload a file, through the resource tab in the Publish/Edit panels or on your front end with the resource_form tag. The form tag includes an AJAX controlled interface that allows users easy access to their local directories. You can assign the allowed mime types to resource file categories and use these categories with your resource groups. Resources also includes versioning of your uploads as well as password protection. If you are doing versioning there is an option to notify the group members of the new version via email, including individual email templates per group. You can also restrict the file size, image dimensions and duplicates within the resource settings panel. Settings are assigned to weblogs so you can have as many individual settings as you like.

Built to work with other HCC modules like the Collaboration Module and FoxEE, the Resource module provides you with lots of flexibility and options.