Set up a project space:

The simplest way to share files with collaborators in the RCE is to use a "project space" which you all have access to.  You can send a support request asking for a "shared project space." Be sure to include the names of your collaborators.

Once you have a "project space" it will be linked from your RCE home directory under ~/shared_space/ by the name of the project. You may request more than one project space, but limitations on storage allocation apply.

Grant your collaborators access to the files you create in the project space:

By default, when you create files in the RCE, only you can modify them. However, if you are working in a project group, you may want to also grant your collaborators access to modify files you have created. To do so, run the fixGroupPerm.sh script, per the linked instructions for Making files group writeable in your project space.

You will need to run this script after each time you create files in your shared project space. If you are running a script to create the files (e.g. R code, or a Stata .do file), it may be simplest to add a call to the fixGroupPerms.sh script at the end of your code.

Change your default file creation mode (optional):

If most or all of your work in the RCE is done in collaborative project spaces, you may want to change the default file creation mode (i.e. the file access permissions) for your RCE account so that all files you create can be modified by members of the group which owns them.

If you decide to pursue this option, two important caveats apply:

1. This change only affects the default access mode assigned to newly-created files. The application creating the file can override the default to set a more restrictive access mode on the files.

2. The access mode on the files/directories you create apply to whichever group owns the file/directory, which may or may not be your collaborative group.

You can run the command ls -l on a file to view its ownership. Group ownership will be displayed in the fourth column.

If you are creating files under ~/shared_space, then they should automatically be created with ownership by your collaborative group.

If you create files in your home directory, however, they will be owned by the "users" group and the access permissions (e.g. allow read/write/access by the group) will apply to all RCE users.

Restricting access to your home directory itself can help limit the impact of such an exposure.

If you understand and accept these caveats, you can proceed to change your default file creation mode for your RCE account by doing the following:

1. Open an RCE session.

2. Run the File Sharing Config Helper by clicking Applications > RCE Utilities > File Sharing Config Helper

3. Terminate your RCE session and start a new RCE session