How to use the File Manager in the Reflex Content Management System

One of the most popular features within the Reflex Content Management System is the File Manager. This easy-to-use tool has proved popular as it gives the user complete control over the content of their site.

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The File Manager lets the user upload files directly onto the web server, usually these will be images that are displayed on the website, but other files such as PDF's and Word documents can also be uploaded.
In keeping with the user-friendly nature of the Reflex Content Management System, this process is extremely straightforward and requires no previous technical experience. The File Manager possesses many distinctive features that help make it such a useful and popular tool, these include:
•    A simplified drop-down menu function
•    A user-friendly interface
•    The ability to add file names at any time
•    A unique editing tool allowing users to control the size of the image they are uploading

This combination of features is exclusive to Reflex and help make it a simple yet highly effective content management system. Within this system, the File Manager combines an easy-to-use format with powerful functionality to provide a host of benefits to the user, such as:
•    Complete control over all files uploaded onto the site
•    Ongoing maintenance by the user to ensure the site is always up-to-date
•    Easily replace images and organise the content and appearance of the site
•    Simplified process of resizing and cropping images using the built-in editor
•    Unlimited amount of files can be uploaded to enable greater choice and encourage trial-and-error
•    Option to set a particular file as the ‘Primary’ or main file
•    Automatic saving of original files to create comprehensive audit trail

To upload a new file using the File Manager, simply select the directory you wish to upload it to and click on the ‘Upload New File’ button:

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This allows you to then select a file from your computer – just like opening a file in Word, for example. After you select a file, it will begin to upload and you will see the upload status next to the ‘Upload New File’ button:

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Congratulations, you have now uploaded a new file onto the web server, which can now be named, edited and then displayed on your website.

Now the file is in the directory, you can view the details by clicking on the file and highlighting it.

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Within the ‘File Details’ tab you can now see the full file name, its URL, the type of file it is and its size. There is also a space for you to input a title for your file. To choose a particular file for use on your website, you just need to click on the ‘Make This Image Primary’ button when your desired file is highlighted.

There are a few further tool buttons located at the bottom left of the page. With these you can rename a file, upload and replace an old file or simply just delete one you don’t need any more.

Once an image has been uploaded you can edit it using the ‘Edit File’ tab. This allows you to resize the image and/or crop it to your own specifications:

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Once you have selected the image from the directory, it will be displayed within the ‘Crop Image’ tool. The particular height and width dimensions are displayed above this in the ‘Resize Image’ tool. To crop the image you simply select and move the sliders, which are just above and just to the left of the image. As you do this, the bits of the image that you are removing will appear red. To resize the image you can either manually change the dimensions in the ‘Resize Image’ tool by typing in the height and width boxes, or you can use the slide bar.

Clicking on save image will apply the changes to the image. A file will then be created with '_old' at the end of the name. This is the original image before your changes were made. If you ever need to undo the changes made to the image, simply select the '_old' file and click the 'Revert to old' button.