I posted this in another thread:
I have been thinking about this, and I have decided to make some mockups of what the app might look like.
When a document is created in an app on iOS 7, an API tells the OS about the new document (file type, when it was created, when it was last modified, preview of the document, and the app it is contained in). This information is placed into a new app that is part of iOS 7 called iDocuments. iDocuments compiles all of the documents from each app on your device.
iDocuments allows apps to share documents and syncs changes made in one app to the other apps. There is Versions support (up to 5 changes), and you can duplicate documents. iDocuments also lets you organize documents of different types and apps together.
App Selection: The first screen that shows up when you open it for the first time is the app selection screen. You see all the apps that have documents on your device, and the number below the icon is how many documents are in the app. Tap the icon to see the documents from that app. The "Other" category includes files received from AirDrop or Mail that aren't supported by any installed apps, duplicates of documents that you have made in iDocuments but haven't opened in an app yet, and any other documents that don't exist in an app yet. If you tap the total number of documents below the apps, it will let you look at documents from all apps on one shelf.
App Shelf: Let's tap on Preview (Preview is available on iOS 7). Here we have all the documents from Preview on a shelf. You can drag them to the trash to delete them, send them to another device with AirDrop, or put them in a project folder (more on that below). The iCloud button in the top-right toggles iCloud documents. You can choose to just look at local documents or see all of your documents from every device specific to the app. (Note: all apps in iOS 7 that support iDocuments automatically upload to iCloud, doesn't have to be supported manually by developer). To get to a different app, tap on the app name at the bottom, and it will take you to the app selection screen (first screen).
AirDrop: AirDrop works just like its Mac counterpart. You can send documents to other devices and also receive documents. Drag a document to the AirDrop icon from the app shelf or a project folder to send it to another device. While in AirDrop, you can receive documents from nearby devices. When a device requests to send it to your device, you must confirm the transfer first. Received documents go into the "Other" folder until opened by an app. When the document is opened in iDocuments, the OS will tell you what installed applications support the document (if any). If you need to install an app to view it, just install it and come back to iDocuments. iDocuments will know that the document is now supported. The iCloud button will toggle Macs that support Back to my Mac. In OS X Lynx, Macs can receive iDocuments from iOS devices.
Document View: Tap a document on the app shelf or in a project folder to view a preview of it and information about it. The size of the file, when it was created, when it was modified, and what apps support it are listed. The folder to the left is the current project folder of the document. (Nothing will show there if it isn't in a project folder.) Tap this folder to go straight to the project folder. The icon to the right will show if the document is stored in iCloud or only on the local device. The iCloud button in the top-right will toggle the document's storage in iCloud. The "share" button lets you perform other actions, such as sending the document through iMessage or Mail, duplicating the document, and browsing previous versions of the document. Tap an app icon at the bottom to launch the app and open the document. The document has been opened in and is stored in the apps that have arrows below the icons. Any changes in one app will sync in the other app for the same document. Both the preview app and pages app are referencing the same document, instead of copying the document and taking up more storage.
Project Folders: When working on big projects, people often want to organize documents of different file types together. Project folders allow documents from different apps to be organized into folders. Drag a file from the app shelf to the folder in the bottom right, and the shelf will slide to the left and reveal the project folder screen. Place it into one of the folders that exists, or drag it to the folder with the plus sign to create a new project folder. Project folders can also be dragged to the folder with the plus sign to duplicate the folder and all the documents within it. Folders can be dragged to the trash to delete them, or sent over AirDrop. Documents in project folders reference the original documents in the apps. Any changes made to them will show up in the app shelf, too. Deleting a project folder does not delete the documents from the apps (However, deleting from the app shelf will delete the document from the project folder). The iCloud button toggles project folders that hold any iCloud documents (Option to show folders that only include local documents).
Project Folder View: Works very similar to the app shelf. Drag documents to AirDrop, trash, and the folder (The folder lets you change the folder of the document). Tap on a document to view it. The iCloud button toggles the visibility of iCloud documents in the folder. The name of the folder is listed on the tab of the folder.
Document View (Projects):
Notes:
-You can get to the AirDrop screen by just tapping the icon (don't need to be sending a file all the time).
-Safari downloads go into the "Other" category of the app screen.
-If Dropbox is installed, any document can be opened in Dropbox and uploaded.
-Documents dragged to the trash are permanently deleted (iOS style), not stored in a trash folder.
-If there are no documents yet on your device, there will be a link to the app store to find iDocument-enabled apps.
-When an app is removed, its documents remain in iDocuments. If it is opened in another app, it will remain in that app shelf. If there aren't any apps that support it anymore, it will go into the "Other" category.
Please let me know what you think of this concept and how it could be improved. I tried to make this as Apple-like as I could. I think this is a lot better than throwing an old-fashioned file manager on the OS where new users could mess up the system. I hope I was able to explain the concept as best as I could.
It would be cool if Apple could come up with an app called iDocuments that uses a skeuomorphic design to portray documents that exist in apps across the system (a file viewer, but limited to documents, doesn't let you mess with system files or app files that aren't document-related). Developers could implement the API in their apps to have the app's documents show up in iDocuments. The design would be friendly enough to allow anybody to manage their documents in iOS. Each app could have a shelf of documents. The documents could be dragged into "project folders" that would allow the user to easily find relating files quickly.
I have been thinking about this, and I have decided to make some mockups of what the app might look like.
When a document is created in an app on iOS 7, an API tells the OS about the new document (file type, when it was created, when it was last modified, preview of the document, and the app it is contained in). This information is placed into a new app that is part of iOS 7 called iDocuments. iDocuments compiles all of the documents from each app on your device.
iDocuments allows apps to share documents and syncs changes made in one app to the other apps. There is Versions support (up to 5 changes), and you can duplicate documents. iDocuments also lets you organize documents of different types and apps together.
App Selection: The first screen that shows up when you open it for the first time is the app selection screen. You see all the apps that have documents on your device, and the number below the icon is how many documents are in the app. Tap the icon to see the documents from that app. The "Other" category includes files received from AirDrop or Mail that aren't supported by any installed apps, duplicates of documents that you have made in iDocuments but haven't opened in an app yet, and any other documents that don't exist in an app yet. If you tap the total number of documents below the apps, it will let you look at documents from all apps on one shelf.
App Shelf: Let's tap on Preview (Preview is available on iOS 7). Here we have all the documents from Preview on a shelf. You can drag them to the trash to delete them, send them to another device with AirDrop, or put them in a project folder (more on that below). The iCloud button in the top-right toggles iCloud documents. You can choose to just look at local documents or see all of your documents from every device specific to the app. (Note: all apps in iOS 7 that support iDocuments automatically upload to iCloud, doesn't have to be supported manually by developer). To get to a different app, tap on the app name at the bottom, and it will take you to the app selection screen (first screen).
AirDrop: AirDrop works just like its Mac counterpart. You can send documents to other devices and also receive documents. Drag a document to the AirDrop icon from the app shelf or a project folder to send it to another device. While in AirDrop, you can receive documents from nearby devices. When a device requests to send it to your device, you must confirm the transfer first. Received documents go into the "Other" folder until opened by an app. When the document is opened in iDocuments, the OS will tell you what installed applications support the document (if any). If you need to install an app to view it, just install it and come back to iDocuments. iDocuments will know that the document is now supported. The iCloud button will toggle Macs that support Back to my Mac. In OS X Lynx, Macs can receive iDocuments from iOS devices.
Document View: Tap a document on the app shelf or in a project folder to view a preview of it and information about it. The size of the file, when it was created, when it was modified, and what apps support it are listed. The folder to the left is the current project folder of the document. (Nothing will show there if it isn't in a project folder.) Tap this folder to go straight to the project folder. The icon to the right will show if the document is stored in iCloud or only on the local device. The iCloud button in the top-right will toggle the document's storage in iCloud. The "share" button lets you perform other actions, such as sending the document through iMessage or Mail, duplicating the document, and browsing previous versions of the document. Tap an app icon at the bottom to launch the app and open the document. The document has been opened in and is stored in the apps that have arrows below the icons. Any changes in one app will sync in the other app for the same document. Both the preview app and pages app are referencing the same document, instead of copying the document and taking up more storage.
Project Folders: When working on big projects, people often want to organize documents of different file types together. Project folders allow documents from different apps to be organized into folders. Drag a file from the app shelf to the folder in the bottom right, and the shelf will slide to the left and reveal the project folder screen. Place it into one of the folders that exists, or drag it to the folder with the plus sign to create a new project folder. Project folders can also be dragged to the folder with the plus sign to duplicate the folder and all the documents within it. Folders can be dragged to the trash to delete them, or sent over AirDrop. Documents in project folders reference the original documents in the apps. Any changes made to them will show up in the app shelf, too. Deleting a project folder does not delete the documents from the apps (However, deleting from the app shelf will delete the document from the project folder). The iCloud button toggles project folders that hold any iCloud documents (Option to show folders that only include local documents).
Project Folder View: Works very similar to the app shelf. Drag documents to AirDrop, trash, and the folder (The folder lets you change the folder of the document). Tap on a document to view it. The iCloud button toggles the visibility of iCloud documents in the folder. The name of the folder is listed on the tab of the folder.
Document View (Projects):
Notes:
-You can get to the AirDrop screen by just tapping the icon (don't need to be sending a file all the time).
-Safari downloads go into the "Other" category of the app screen.
-If Dropbox is installed, any document can be opened in Dropbox and uploaded.
-Documents dragged to the trash are permanently deleted (iOS style), not stored in a trash folder.
-If there are no documents yet on your device, there will be a link to the app store to find iDocument-enabled apps.
-When an app is removed, its documents remain in iDocuments. If it is opened in another app, it will remain in that app shelf. If there aren't any apps that support it anymore, it will go into the "Other" category.
Please let me know what you think of this concept and how it could be improved. I tried to make this as Apple-like as I could. I think this is a lot better than throwing an old-fashioned file manager on the OS where new users could mess up the system. I hope I was able to explain the concept as best as I could.