Today I was suprised about the bad compatibility of the WebDav system component. I wanted to upload some data on an Linux Apache Web Server with installed Web-DAV module, with Authorization based on AuthType digest from my WindowsXP workstation.
In following I describe the activities needed for that simple operation:
- Opened “Network neighbourhood” added new Connection, entered a server name and directory.
- A dialog appered in order to provide the auth-information. Entered my username and my password.
- Same dialog apperead again, my username was replaced with servername\username
- Asked the system administrator => the webfolder doesn’t work with digest authorisation, please use another client
- Tried Eclipse Web-Dav integration, but forgot the trailing “/” in the directory name => Error : Bad request.
- Entered in google: webdav client windows.
- Took the first link: http://www.webdav.org/projects/
- Scrolled a little, selected “WebDav Explorer” and downloaded
- The zip-File contained of severeal batch files and a jar archive.
- Started the program => Couldn’t understand how to use it in 2 minutes, managed to copy one file, but not a group of files.
- Returned to google and selected the second link (FTP Client with WebDav support from bitkinex.com)
- Downloaded a trial version and installed it.
- A huge two-window application appeared on the screen. Managed to input the server data.
- Connected. Tried to copy files. => Errors during copy. The process took 2 minutes. Checked if the files were there => No files on server.
- Used server property (context pulldown-menu) to discover the dialog “Paths on server”
- Entered my directory, reconnected.
- Copied files and verified the existence => Files were there. The program is working only 30-days in a trial version.
- Went back to google and entered “windows commander webdav” in order to find a plug-in for “Total Commander”.
- Found a plugin and downloaded it and installed.
- Created a new connection but forgot the trailing “/” again. => Error : Bad Method.
- Analysed the log => TotalCMD tries to execute PROPFIND “/”.
- Downloaded the code of the plugin. Opened the plugin in Visual Studio.
- Found the corresponding place, on which the plugin calculates the path.
- Understood, that the trailing “/” is neede in the path
- Created a new connection with a trailing “/” after the directory name. => It worked fine, I could transfer files.
- Tried the same thing in Eclipse adding a trailing “/” to the path. => It worked too.
So my questions are:
- Is it that difficult to verify the trailing “/” in a tool?
- Why so many people supply so bad tools, that the extensive reading of manual is needed in order to find out how the program works?
