Hybrid metadata and folder based file access
A hybrid file system provides access to files based on metadata-defined paths, user-defined paths, and/or hybrid metadata-defined paths. A metadata-defined path may be defined based on file metadata, and may provide access to files that are tagged with the same metadata that is used to specify the metadata-defined path. Some of the same files may be alternatively accessed using user-defined paths that provide access to the directories where the files are stored. Some of the same files may be alternatively accessed using a hybrid metadata-user-defined path that appends a directory structure to the metadata-defined path in order to provide direct access to a subset of files from the metadata-defined path that are placed into the metadata-user-defined path without accessing other files from the metadata-defined path.
1. A method comprising:
storing a first file to a first directory that is accessible via a first path;
storing a different second file to a different second directory that is accessible via a second path that is different than the first path;
determining that the first file, that is accessed via the first path, and the second file, that is accessed via the second path, are part of a particular workflow;
tagging the first file and the second file with a first set of metadata as identifiers of the particular workflow in response to said determining, wherein the first set of metadata is different than the first directory, the first path, the second directory, and the second path;
defining a metadata access path to access both of the first file from the first path and the first directory, and the second file from the second path and the second directory, wherein defining the metadata access path comprises forming the metadata access path from the first set of metadata that is tagged to the first file and the second file, and wherein the metadata access path is different than the first path and the second path; and
providing access to the first file and the second file in response to a user accessing the particular workflow, wherein providing the access comprises mapping from the metadata access path, that is associated with the particular workflow, to the first path for the first file and the second path for the second file.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a first access request that is directed to the first path;
providing access to the first file in the first path in response to the first access request; and
wherein providing access to the first file and the second file comprises responding to a second access request that is directed to the metadata access path.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the access further comprises:
retrieving an instance of the first file from the first directory, that is accessed via the first path, in response to the user accessing the particular workflow;
retrieving an instance of the second file from the second directory, that is accessed via the second path, in response to the user accessing the particular workflow; and
distributing the instance of the first file and the instance of the second file to a device of the user.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
storing a third file to the first directory that is accessible via the first path;
tagging the second file and the third file with a second set of metadata, wherein the second set of metadata is different than the first directory, the first path, the second directory, and the second path; and
providing access to both the second file in the second directory and the third file in the third directory in response to an access request specified with the second set of metadata.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein providing access to both the second file and the third file comprises:
excluding access to the first file in the first directory.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the metadata access path further comprises:
linking the metadata access path to the first file in the first directory and the second file in the second directory based on the first file and the second file being tagged with the first set of metadata that matches the first set of metadata of the metadata access path.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
creating a taxonomy with a plurality of metadata tags, wherein the plurality of metadata tags comprises the first set of metadata tags and other tags that are unrelated to file properties and that are related to file contents;
wherein tagging the first file and the second file comprises associating the first set of metadata from the taxonomy to each of the first file and the second file without modifying the file contents of the first file or the second file.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a modified version of the first file as part of a write request specified with the first set of metadata; and
storing the modified version of the first file in the first directory in response to the write request.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein storing the modified version of the first file comprises:
removing the first file from the first directory as part of the write request specified with the first set of metadata; and
writing the modified version of the first file to the first directory.
10. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the first path and the metadata access path are different paths; and
wherein the first path and the metadata access path provide access to a same single stored instance of the first file without duplication of the first file.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing access comprises:
accessing the first file from the first directory via the first path and the second file from the second directory via the second path in response to an access request that is directed to the metadata access path and that issues as a result of the user accessing the particular workflow.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
computing a checksum for each of a plurality of stored files, wherein computing the checksum comprises computing a first checksum for the first file and a second checksum for the second file;
linking the first checksum and the second checksum to the metadata access path; and
wherein providing access comprises retrieving the first file from the first directory via the first path and the second file from the second directory via the second path based on an access request specifying the metadata access path and the metadata access path being linked to the first checksum and the second checksum.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
computing a checksum for each of a plurality of stored files, wherein computing the checksum comprises computing a first checksum for the first file and a second checksum for the second file;
linking the first checksum and the second checksum to the metadata access path;
creating a first pointer that links the first checksum to the first file in the first path and a second pointer that links the second checksum to the second file in the second path; and
wherein providing access comprises traversing the first pointer to the first file in the first directory and the second pointer to the second file in the second directory.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing access comprises:
converting the metadata access path to the first path and a first identifier used in identifying the first file; and
converting the metadata access path to the second path and a second identifier used in identifying the second file.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first identifier is a first checksum of the first file and the second identifier is a second checksum of the second file.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing access comprises:
mapping a logical path that is specified using the metadata access path to physical storage paths of the first path for the first file and the second path for the second file.
17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
defining access permissions for the metadata access path;
wherein providing access comprises:
accessing the first file and the second file in response to the user or a first user device of the user having access permissions to access the metadata access path; and
preventing access to the first file and the second file in response to the user or a second user device of the user not having access permissions to access the metadata access path.
18. A system comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
store a first file to a first directory that is accessible via a first path;
store a different second file to a different second directory that is accessible via a second path that is different than the first path;
determine that the first file, that is accessed via the first path, and the second file, that is accessed via the second path, are part of a particular workflow;
tag the first file and the second file with a first set of metadata as identifiers of the particular workflow in response to said determining, wherein the first set of metadata is different than the first directory, the first path, the second directory, and the second path;
define a metadata access path to access both of the first file from the first path and the first directory, and the second file from the second path and the second directory, wherein defining the metadata access path comprises forming the metadata access path from the first set of metadata that is tagged to the first file and the second file, and wherein the metadata access path is different than the first path and the second path; and
provide access to the first file and the second file in response to a user accessing the particular workflow, wherein providing the access comprises mapping from the metadata access path, that is associated with the particular workflow, to the first path for the first file and the second path for the second file.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a set of processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
store a first file to a first directory that is accessible via a first path;
store a different second file to a different second directory that is accessible via a second path that is different than the first path;
determine that the first file, that is accessed via the first path, and the second file, that is accessed via the second path, are part of a particular workflow;
tag the first file and the second file with a first set of metadata as identifiers of the particular workflow in response to said determining, wherein the first set of metadata is different than the first directory, the first path, the second directory, and the second path;
define a metadata access path to access both of the first file from the first path and the first directory, and the second file from the second path and the second directory, wherein defining the metadata access path comprises forming the metadata access path from the first set of metadata that is tagged to the first file and the second file, and wherein the metadata access path is different than the first path and the second path; and
provide access to the first file and the second file in response to a user accessing the particular workflow, wherein providing the access comprises mapping from the metadata access path, that is associated with the the particular workflow, to the first path for the first file and the second path for the second file.