In a ProVide user’s Home Directory, New Folder creates a virtual folder that exists only inside ProVide, while Add Resource maps an actual directory or file from the underlying file system into the user’s tree. In short: New Folder organizes; Add Resource connects to real data.
New Folder #
Selecting New Folder creates a virtual folder within the user’s file tree. It exists only within ProVide and doesn’t correspond to any real directory on the underlying file system. Use it to structure a home directory the way you want, building a folder hierarchy to organize how files are presented to the user.
Add Resource #
Selecting Add Resource adds actual directories and files from the file system into the tree, at the position where you place them. When you use Add Resource, you’re pointing at real storage, which can live on different drives or partitions.
Example #
Say your files and folders on the Windows server are arranged across several locations, and you configure a user’s Home Directory in ProVide like this:
Root→C:\Example\Folder 1\Folder 4Pictures→ a virtual folder that redirects toC:\Example\Folder 1\Folder 5Other Files→ a virtual folder that redirects toC:\Example\Folder 3Text→C:\Example
Here’s what the user experiences:
- Anything created or uploaded to the root lands in
Folder 4, because that’s the resource closest to the root (/). - Pictures and Other Files are virtual folders (made with New Folder) that only exist in ProVide and point to real paths behind the scenes.
- Because
C:\Exampleis presented as the root of the example folder, the user seesFolder 4as their root, and if they open Other Files, they seeMore Files.txtlocated inFolder 3.
The result: you can pull resources together from different folders, drives, or partitions into one clean tree, and the user never sees the underlying structure. Use New Folder to organize the presentation and Add Resource to connect the real data, and you can shape each user’s home directory exactly how you want.
