I can't believe that this feature is not available.

LiquidPlanner is a really great system and hits the sweet spot between power and ease of use. I have a client who could use 15-30 LiquidPlanner seats immediately, but the file storage weakness is a serious deal breaker.

How can you offer such a complete system and advertise group file storage yet allow any user to delete mission critical files without any facility for getting them back? Deletions could occur either through error or malice.

This enhancement really needs to be at the top of your list!

Hi Adam, I understand the problem of not enough time only too well :) My suggestions would be as follows, most important first:

1. Be able to set permissions to prevent deletion of documents. Certainly prevent restricted users from deleting documents they didn't create/upload.

2. Mark deleted docs as permanently archived so they can be undeleted, but allow workspace owners/managers the option to permanently delete them to reduce storage costs. (Charge extra for excess file storage if necessary).

3. Document versioning. If you do this, there is no need to delete documents.

4. A "Document Management" view to show a filterable list just of documents, with a simple means to download (archive) the filtered files.

5. Provide some sort of workspce selectable schedule for an optional message nagging one or more authorized workspace users to download a backup/archive of the latest changes. eg: a utility that allows the authorized user to download a zip of things that have changed in the last n days.

6. Permissions to prevent certain users from downloading/viewing certain docs.

I haven't tested the portal functionality yet, but portal users certainly shouldn't be able to delete critical files.

I guess it would be much simpler to manage the delete/view permissions by user rather than by task. That way, managers could manage, but would feel a lot more secure knowing that restricted users couldn't delete. Of course if you permanently archive deletions (maintaining a link to the task), this is all less critical.

Thanks for the offer to retrieve deleted files. Two questions:

1. How far back in time could you retrieve?
2. How would we describe the file? By task, by name, by description?

Finally, you have clearly lavished great thought on the other features, but from my perspective there is a substantial imbalance indicated by the lack of focus on file management, which is a critical feature and a big selling point when these issues have been fixed.

Just so that you know the context in which these document management features are required, my client is an architectural practice. They need to store drawings, CAD files and contractual documents in almost every task. It would be potentially catastrophic if any of these documents were to be lost. Because of this, I need to look at other options for document storage.

Thanks Charles. I have been looking at various file storage/sharing services and Box.net seems to have a very strong offering, particularly for business users. Perhaps it would make sense for Liquidplanner to integrate more closely with this? (I believe that there is some type of open industry standard called OpenBox or something, to which Box.net conforms).

Michael

It's very very useful to be able the paste links in a task to files stored outside of LP. Does anyone know if its possible to post links to files which are stored on our internal corporate network rather than on an external web service? Presumably some extra software would be required on our server/s?

(Assume all our users would be on-site in our office).

Thanks. The linking feature may well overcome our file storage problems.

You might also want to checkout potential integration with www.Knowledgetree.com. This is available in several versions from SaaS to free open source self-hosted.

Can someone please give me the syntax for linking to a file that is accessible on an internal windows network.

Thanks,