Introduction

The Problem

 Although content management systems simplify the task of creating and editing content using web forms,  a web interface is not ideal for managing multiple files or pages simultaneously. Often the drag-and-drop or cut-and-paste method of moving files can be easier and more time-efficient  than relying on  browser-based upload forms.

What It Does & What It Doesn't

 Enfold Desktop for Windows makes it possible for Plone users to use drag-and-drop to move files (images, HTML files, PDFs, etc) into Plone using drag-and-drop or the Windows clipboard. Enfold Desktop provides a view of a Plone site as though it existed on the user's local file system.  It uses webdav technology to synchronize local content with server content. Here are some uses:

• Copy a large number of images into a Plone folder and create a gallery instantly
• Keep items "locked" from editing by other users while you edit it on your local machine
• Make it easy for a reviewer to review and approve lots of items quickly
• Cut-and-paste files directly into a Plone folder
• Edit a Plone page within Enfold Desktop using the editor of your choice
• Select Multiple Files and/or Directories and Publish Simultaneously
• Edit Metadata using the Properties tab in Windows
• Lets you view workflow state of multiple objects simultaneously.

Background

Many notable members from  the Python and Plone community have written code for  the Enfold Desktop tool over the years.  That includes Andy McKay (author of the Definitive Guide to Plone), Alan Runyan (Plone co-founder), Sidnei Da Silva (technical lead at Enfold and frequent presenter at Plone conferences), and Mark Hammond (primary maintainer of the pywin32 package, author of the Oreilly book Python programming on Win32 and keynote speaker at Pycon 2008).  In other words, these are people intimately acquainted with Plone and Python in a Windows environment.

Thousands of hours of engineering and testing have gone into developing Enfold Desktop, and Enfold Systems plans to continue this development effort for the foreseeable future.  Version 4.5 (which was released in October 2008) contains full support for 32 bit and 64 bit Vista.

Although   other webdav clients can be used with Plone , Enfold Desktop is the only one which recognizes Plone extensions and supports the built-in Plone content types.  

It's free; what's the catch?

In the past  Enfold Desktop was sold to individuals as a commercial product.  In early 2008, Enfold Systems revised the terms so that individuals could download Enfold Desktop on their Windows machine for free.  Enfold Desktop was not and is not an open source product; in fact at the moment, companies and organizations can still purchase site licenses (which include paid support plans).

The free version is identical to the commercial version (with the exception of the paid support).  The free version includes a discreet ad at  the bottom of the screen when running desktop.  The ad is embedded inside  a small black stripe at the bottom of the screen when you load Enfold Desktop in Windows Explorer (see illustration below).  The text of the ad is for  Enfold Systems or a Plone-related event; no blinking or animation or anything distracting. In fact, although I work for Enfold Systems and could easily  obtain a license, in fact, the ad  has never bothered me enough to request one.

Users of the free version can still obtain help from  the Enfold Desktop community mailing list  or  the extensive online documentation ... and of course this tutorial.

Requirements &  OS Support

• Works with any Plone installation if the free Server Component bundle of Plone products has been installed (see how to download and install the Server Component product bundle onto your Plone site).  If you have the Enfold Server (a commercial version of Plone for Windows), Server Component has already been installed. Note: Enfold recommends that Plone sites running older versions of Server Component  upgrade to the latest version.
  
•  Plone site needs to be based on Plone 2x or above. 
  
•  Windows version supported: Windows 2000, Windows XP (all server packs), Windows 2003. It will work on Windows NT Service Pack 6, Windows 98 and ME, but these platforms have not been tested.
•  Vista Support:  The 4.5 Release (made in October 2008)  officially supports Vista 32 bit and 64 bit.  The Vista versions have slight interface differences from previous versions. For example, in 64 bit Vista, Enfold Desktop can only be launched from the Start menu (unlike the version for XP, where Enfold Desktop appeared as a virtual drive under My Computer). See the topic Enfold Desktop  and Windows Vista on the Enfoldsystems website.
•  Browser Support: Generally, all are supported, but initially you may need to tell the browser to associate the plone_desktop_config.cmd with the PLONECMD file type in Windows. (Most of the time, this will work automatically).