[emtunc]

I just put together a quick article on how you can very easily access network shares with the PlayBook OS2 using the 'Ghost Commander' app.

When I say 'access' I mean:
- Delete
- Download to PlayBook storage
- View (no streaming... yet!)
- Move
- Edit
- Rename

The application specified Windows shares so no idea if this will work on a Mac or Linux machine.

See the article @ http://emtunc.org/blog/02/2012/brows...-the-playbook/

[PBfanatic]

Thanks for the info, killer app

[FF22]

Wait!!! Can it be that simple? I did have trouble figuring out what I was looking at on the Left side until I navigated high enough to actually see my c: drive. I am in the process of copying an entire folder of photos.... We shall see.

Hmm, I don't see any of the stuff I thought that I have moved to the pb. Weird. In Ghost I see the folder and the pictures and it even shows me the pictures. But using Wifi sharing, the photo app and usb, I don't see the folder. Where is it lurking????

I'm still lost. The folder shows up in the various file managers I have on the pb (files&folders, air browser, etc) but it appears to be empty. But it is not showing up at all when I look at my pb using wifi-sharing or usb cord. No folder at all. Even reboot the pb. The folder still shows up as empty in regular pb apps and in ghost it shows with the pictures. So Ghost has created a ghostly folder with ghostly contents.

Okay, more odd - Ghost shows the exact number of files that should be in it. And the total size of all the files.

I guess I should erase it if I cannot use it. But maybe I will hold off until someone has a suggestion or two. Again, I did restart the pb (Battery Icon, restart)

Adding more: Well, Ghost shows the pictures in its native viewer. But if I try using the pb's picture viewer (from within ghost), it only opens the picture app but does not display the picture.

They have to be somewhere (oh, and I did navigate down the Misc folder on the pb to all those mirrored folders. No in there either.

Adding more. Just copied two "photos" from wherever back to another folder on my computer. They are HERE.

Finally, I used Ghost to MOVE the entire folder back to a folder on my desktop. It is gone from the pb but I never knew where! All ideas welcome.

[Xavier85]

Awesome stuff, i'll be trying this out for sure tomorrow, can't wait until then!

[bk1022]

Fantastic! Why doesn't rim integrate this stuff directly into the desktop tools? Why does it take someone else to make use of (what i assume) is a driver included with qnx?

[omniusovermind]

Fantastic! Why doesn't rim integrate this stuff directly into the desktop tools? Why does it take someone else to make use of (what i assume) is a driver included with qnx?

My thoughts exactly, this should have been on the original popular file apps long ago. It always baffled me how after 10 months we're just now starting to be able to access a PC in this way from the PB UI. This is a great find

[PBfanatic]

can't access drives; it ask me to log in again but dont accept my input password, without any error message it keeps on prompting the log in window,

[BaconMunch]

I have sucessfully accessed my video folders on my network share. I understand I cannot view (stream), however when I click copy, the default address is the sdcard which is probably not right, and the folders on the right only show the Android folders. Do I not have access to PlayBook regular folders?

[FF22]

I have sucessfully accessed my video folders on my network share. I understand I cannot view (stream), however when I click copy, the default address is the sdcard which is probably not right, and the folders on the right only show the Android folders. Do I not have access to PlayBook regular folders?

I don't know where you are now and it appears convoluted, but navigate up ALL the way just to follow. Then downward and upward???? Sounds confusing

All the way UP. Tap Local Storage. Then upward again. Scroll up. Find accounts/

Click into it. Then 1000/, then shared/, You are now looking at pb folders.

BE CAREFUL. There is a warning or two. Do not fool around in any of the "nether" regions or you might erased some critical.

[PBfanatic]

after i successfully log in, i can now see folders in the left side, but there is no way for me to navigate it because the app is asking for password again, then i input password and enter, then nothing happens it just promt again to input my password, how can i solve this issue guys, need help, am i the only one have this problem?

[FF22]

I guess do you have the right password - this is a WINDOWS password, I THINK. And who are YOU on the Windows computer is your id????

[PBfanatic]

I guess do you have the right password - this is a WINDOWS password, I THINK. And who are YOU on the Windows computer is your id????

AT FIRST LOG IN, the app accepts my password, then i see folders in left side, when i tried to navigate it, a window pop ups to input password just like the first log in window. i use user id of my pc and my pc password

[jvictor77]

Thanks for the awesome tip - great app! If I want to access another pc - how do I change the ip address?

[emtunc]

Wait!!! Can it be that simple? I did have trouble figuring out what I was looking at on the Left side until I navigated high enough to actually see my c: drive. I am in the process of copying an entire folder of photos.... We shall see.

Hmm, I don't see any of the stuff I thought that I have moved to the pb. Weird. In Ghost I see the folder and the pictures and it even shows me the pictures. But using Wifi sharing, the photo app and usb, I don't see the folder. Where is it lurking????

Hey F2, where are you copying the pictures too?
What folder are you in on the right hand side of the app? (the left side is your PC and the right is your local storage).

I am able to successfully view photos if I copy them over to /sdcard/DCIM/Camera - see if you can copy to the same folder too.

You can also click the 'go up a folder' icon at the top and locate the following directory... this is the same as above except I believe the above acts as some sort of logical pointer to the real location which is:

/accounts/1000/shared/*

where * is the folder you want to put your content in... in this case, it would be 'camera'.

edit: Weird... the native pictures app did not recognise the photos when I put them in the /accounts/1000/shares/camera folder BUT it did work in the /sdcard/DCIM/Camera folder.

[emtunc]

AT FIRST LOG IN, the app accepts my password, then i see folders in left side, when i tried to navigate it, a window pop ups to input password just like the first log in window. i use user id of my pc and my pc password

If you keep receiving prompts it is because you have not set the correct permissions for the user account you are trying to access the shares with.

Go on your PC, right click the folder you want to access, click Properties, 'Sharing' and the 'Security' tab.
Make sure your user name is listed and has 'Full Control' permissions.

[emtunc]

Thanks for the awesome tip - great app! If I want to access another pc - how do I change the ip address?

On the app, click on a blank area on the left side pane. Now swipe from the top bezel down to bring up the menu and select 'Location' then hit 'Home'.

[nah.uhh]

Es file explorer working for me. Video streaming too

[PBfanatic]

Es file explorer working for me. Video streaming too

so ES file explorer also works the same?

[nah.uhh]

Don't know about the same,the app itself is a little slow due to heavy graphics BUT it works better than anything else I've tried

Bonus is it comes with a media player that will stream your media properly

If by the same youre asking if it can connect to samba/windows shares, than yup..no issues with seeking through streams

Edit: es file explorer uses the android player for videos. But it does have its own music player

[PBfanatic]

Don't know about the same,the app itself is a little slow due to heavy graphics BUT it works better than anything else I've tried

Bonus is it comes with a media player that will stream your media properly

If by the same youre asking if it can connect to samba/windows shares, than yup

Edit: es file explorer uses the android player for videos. But it does have its own music player

THANKS, i'LL sideload it later

[nah.uhh]

Np
Try out dual file manager xt in app world for what Imo is the best file manager (straight forward & fast lightweight interface) for accessing your bridge/smartphone & copying to and from it.

To go "up" a folder in dual file manager (so that you can get to the blackberry folder) you hit the back button.

[PBfanatic]

If you keep receiving prompts it is because you have not set the correct permissions for the user account you are trying to access the shares with.

Go on your PC, right click the folder you want to access, click Properties, 'Sharing' and the 'Security' tab.
Make sure your user name is listed and has 'Full Control' permissions.

my problem still the same,

[FF22]

Hey F2, where are you copying the pictures too?
What folder are you in on the right hand side of the app? (the left side is your PC and the right is your local storage).

I am able to successfully view photos if I copy them over to /sdcard/DCIM/Camera - see if you can copy to the same folder too.

You can also click the 'go up a folder' icon at the top and locate the following directory... this is the same as above except I believe the above acts as some sort of logical pointer to the real location which is:

/accounts/1000/shared/*

where * is the folder you want to put your content in... in this case, it would be 'camera'.

edit: Weird... the native pictures app did not recognise the photos when I put them in the /accounts/1000/shares/camera folder BUT it did work in the /sdcard/DCIM/Camera folder.

Ah. Yes, I just moved an ENTIRE FOLDER into the /sdcard/DCIM/Camera folder as you mentioned and they show up.

Ah, another success/discovery. I moved a folder from pics from computer to /sdcard/Pictures and that placed this new copied folder into the correct place on the pb. So "folders" are identified slightly differently. Pictures=Photos (on the pb). The native app shows them, too.

Just moved the folder I had trouble with last night. to the /sdcard/Pictures folder (on the right pane) and they are showing properly. So the structure is not exactly the same. Ghost treats the PB's storage/folder structure and even names slightly differently and it looks as if the /sdcard is the MAIN PB folder and "stuff" has different names. For instance, Movies/ seems to be the pb's video folder.

[jvictor77]

On the app, click on a blank area on the left side pane. Now swipe from the top bezel down to bring up the menu and select 'Location' then hit 'Home'.

Thanks a lot!

[dimm0k]

Great HOWTO! Will definitely give a shot tonight!