SharePoint web services: test if file exists

Here is some code http://geek.hubkey.com/2007/10/upload-file-to-sharepoint-document.html

As for why it is that is the way because Microsoft wrote it that way :). Some people have written custom web services that combine them, http://www.sharepointblogs.com/ssa/archive/2006/11/30/wsuploadservice-web-service-for-uploading-documents-into-sharepoint.aspx

Using the built in web services you have to upload the file and upload CAML which contains the columns. Another option if you are using a MS-Office document is to make sure the author fills in the properties in the document then you can have those fields displayed in sharepoint.

I believe you are correct that setting OnQuickLaunch isn't available through the web service. Setting OnQuickLaunch in listProperties for UpdateList is what I would try, but it sounds like that doesn't work.

If your lists didn't already exist, I would suggest creating a feature with a list template with OnQuickLaunch="true" and adding the lists via AddListFromFeature. Your other option would seem to be to write your own service to set the property through the object model.