A computerized file system is accessible over the Internet or other type of network, in which certain "triggering events" pertaining to the operation of the file system automatically generate a notification message to users. Once a user has been authenticated, this user's access rights are determined. An Automatic Notification function checks to see if any "triggering" events have occurred when a user performs a particular task. The Automatic Notification function defines what type of event will become a triggering event, and also defines what will be the triggering action, once the triggering event occurs, and stores this information in a database. The Auto-notification function can comprise programs that are launched to perform certain tasks. The precise type of auto-notification message is fully configurable for each component in the file system.