How to display a list of files in drupal?

Question

I am very green at Drupal and I would like to recreate a list of files like the table that is shown at any module page in drupal.org [example]: it shows a table with the recommended releases and development releases. Each entry has a link to the file and some release notes.

What I would like is to clarify how this should be done, since I am new at drupal and I tend to be a bit confused. I am currently thinking that this is just a View, but I'm no sure.

In addition to this, I would also like to allow the download of these files to a specific role. I have managed to control this to pages, but not to attachments. Any ideas for this issue as well?

Answer 1

For the files, if you want access control on your files, you need to use the private files system which you can setup in the file settings. There are different modules that can help you with different tasks, like uploading etc.

How to best generate a table really depends where the files are coming from. If they are attached to nodes with CCK, it will be quite easy to use views. You can setup the fields, and how it should be displayed. If you want to create a download link, I believe you should use the generic file format.