On the 'WebDAV Configuration' screen in the Confluence Administration Console, you can:

• Deny a WebDAV client write permissions to a Confluence installation using a regular expression (regex)
• Disable or enable strict path checking
• Enable or disable access to specific virtual files/folders

Note:

• The 'WebDav Configuration' page is only available if the WebDAV plugin has been enabled. This plugin is bundled with Confluence, and can be enabled or disabled by the System Administrator.
• The settings on the 'WebDav Configuration' page do not apply to external attachment storage configuration.

Using a WebDAV Client to Work with Pages

The following sections tell you how to set up a WebDAV client natively for a range of different operating systems. WebDAV clients typically appear as drives in your operating system's file browser application, such as Windows Explorer in Microsoft Windows, or Konqueror in Linux.

Accessing Confluence in Finder on Mac OSX

To use Finder to view and manage Confluence content:

1. In Finder choose Go > Connect to Server

2. Enter your Confluence URL in this format:

   http://<confluence base URL>/plugins/servlet/confluence/default

   For example if your Confluence URL is http://ourconfluence.sample.com/wiki you would enter:

   http://ourconfluence.sample.com/wiki/plugins/servlet/confluence/default

3. Enter your Confluence username and password and click Connect

   Use your username (jsmith), not your email address, unless your email address is your username.

Confluence will appear as a shared drive in Finder. You can use the same URL to connect using a third party WebDav client, like CyberDuck.

Accessing Confluence in Explorer in Microsoft Windows

This section covers the two methods for configuring a WebDAV client natively in Microsoft Windows:

• As a network drive
• As a web folder

If possible, use the network drive method as this will enable more comprehensive WebDAV client interaction with Confluence than that provided by a web folder. However, your Confluence instance must meet several environmental constraints if you use this method. If you cannot configure your instance to meet these requirements, then use the web folder method or third-party WebDAV client software.

If you're using SSL you may need to add @SSL to the end of your server URL, for example:

http://<confluence server url>@SSL/confluence/plugins/servlet/confluence/default

If you run into any problems with the procedures in this section, please refer to the WebDAV Troubleshooting page.

Windows Network Drive

To map a Confluence WebDAV client network drive, your Confluence instance must be configured so that all of the following criteria is met:

• Has no context root
• There's an issue that can prevent Network Drives from being mapped. Please use the Network Folders steps below as a workaround.

The reason for these restrictions results from limitations in Microsoft's Mini-Redirector component. For more information, please refer to Microsoft's server discovery issue.

To map a Confluence WebDAV client network drive in Microsoft Windows:

1. In Windows go to Map Network Drive. 
   See Map a network drive in the Windows documentation to find out how to get to this in your version of Windows. 
2. Specify the following input to map the WebDAV client as a network drive:
   
   • Drive:<Any drive letter> (for example, Z:)
   • Folder:\\<hostname>\webdav (for example, \\localhost\webdav)
3. Click Finish

When prompted for login credentials, specify your Confluence username and password.

Windows Web Folder

To map a Confluence WebDAV client web folder:

1. Go to My Network Places and choose Add a network place and follow the prompts. 
2. In the 'Internet or network address' field, enter the URL for the Confluence WebDAV location (for example, http://<confluence server url>/confluence/plugins/servlet/confluence/default or http://<confluence server url>/plugins/servlet/confluence/default) and click Next
   
   
3. Enter your Confluence username and password
4. Provide a meaningful name for your web folder and proceed with the wizard
5. Click Finish

Screenshot: A Confluence WebDAV Client Web Folder in Windows XP

Setting up a WebDAV client in Linux

There are many tools and mechanisms available for configuring WebDAV clients in these operating systems. Therefore, we have chosen to demonstrate this using the file manager Konqueror, which is part of the Linux K Desktop Environment.

To set up a Confluence WebDAV client in Konqueror:

1. Open Konqueror
2. In the 'Location' field, enter the URL for the Confluence WebDAV location using the 'protocol' webdavs (for example, webdavs://<confluence server url>/confluence/plugins/servlet/confluence/default or webdavs://<confluence server url>/plugins/servlet/confluence/default) and press Enter.
   
   
3.  Enter your Confluence username and password if prompted
   
   

You should be able to click to load many, but not all files. In practice, you would normally save a modified file locally, then drag it to the Konqueror window to upload it to Confluence.

Restricting WebDAV Client Write Access to Confluence

In earlier versions of the WebDAV plugin, separate options for restricting a WebDAV client's write permissions (that is, create/move, edit and delete actions), were available. However, in the current version of this plugin, they have been simplified and combined into a general write permission restriction that covers all of these actions.

WebDAV clients are now denied write permission to your Confluence installation by setting a regex that matches specific content within the WebDAV client's user agent header. Upon setting a regex, it will be added to a list of restricted WebDAV clients. Any WebDAV clients whose user agent header matches a regex in this list will be denied write permission to your Confluence installation.

Example: A PROPFIND method header generated by a Microsoft Web Folder WebDAV client, showing the user agent header field:

PROPFIND /plugins/servlet/confluence/default HTTP/1.1
Content-Language: en-us
Accept-Language: en-us
Content-Type: text/xml
Translate: f
Depth: 1
Content-Length: 489
User-Agent: Microsoft Data Access Internet Publishing Provider DAV
Host: 127.0.0.1:8082
Connection: Keep-Alive

To restrict a WebDAV client's write access permissions to your Confluence installation:

1. Choose the cog icon , then choose General Configuration
2. Choose 'WebDav Configuration' in the left panel
3. Enter a regex that matches a specific component of the user agent header sent by the WebDAV client you want to restrict.
4. Click the 'Add new regex' button
   Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add a regex for each additional WebDAV client you want to restrict.
5. Hit Save

To restore one or more restricted WebDAV client's write access permissions to your Confluence installation:

1. Choose the cog icon , then choose General Configuration
2. Click WebDav Configuration under 'Configuration' in the left panel
3. Select the regex(es) from the list that match(es) the user agent header sent by the restricted WebDAV client(s) you want to restore
4. Click the Remove selected regexes button
5. Hit Save

Screenshot: WebDAV configuration
 

Disabling Strict Path Checking

If you observe any idiosyncrasies with your WebDAV client, such as a folder that does exist on your Confluence site but is missing from the client, you can disable the WebDAV plugin's strict path checking option, which may minimize these problems.

To disable the WebDAV plugin's strict path checking option:

1. Choose the cog icon , then choose General Configuration
2. Click WebDav Configuration under 'Configuration' in the left panel
3. Clear the 'Disable strict path check' check box
4. Hit Save

Virtual Files and Folders

In the unlikely event that you have problems with the WebDAV client's performance or stability, you can enable access to automatically generated (that is, virtual) files and folders.

Note:

By default, these options are hidden on the 'WebDAV Configuration' page. To make them visible, append the parameter ?hiddenOptionsEnabled=true to the end of your URL and reload the page. For example:

<Confluence base URL>/admin/plugins/webdav/config.action?hiddenOptionsEnabled=true

Screenshot: The Hidden Virtual Files and Folders Option
 

To enable or disable access to virtual files and folders:

1. Choose the cog icon , then choose General Configuration
2. Click WebDav Configuration under 'Configuration' in the left panel
3. Amend your URL as described in the note above and reload the 'WebDav Configuration' page
4. Select or clear the check box options in the 'Virtual Files and Folders' section as required
5. Hit Save