Document links and email attachment settings

Different types of document links can be configured for the FDA, Web Client, and the Anonymous portal. These links can be shown in the metadata pane or included in emails as link type attachments. You can also specify if the link should go to the latest version or a specific version. If the specific version option is configured, then the user is brought to the version history instead of directly to a document. The default URL can also be set.

For the web client type and anonymous portal links, there are three modes for how the links are executed in the user interface:

  • Normal goes directly to the document location and highlights the document through the Web Client. For the FDA only normal mode is available.
  • Direct mode opens the document directly in the viewer or it downloads directly to the browser if there is no viewer assigned to the user account or the document format is not supported by the viewer.
  • Locked direct (using the UI=Lock option) mode opens the document in the viewer or browser (depending on the file type) but the rest of the FileHold interface (such as the Library tree and menus) is hidden. This option is meant to be used when integrating the viewer with other applications.
  • Direct download downloads the document without viewing the file in the viewer OR show all supported file formats in the viewer (such as PDF file) and download any unsupported viewer file formats (such as Microsoft Word, Excel). There is a managed option Viewer.AlwaysDownloadDefault that can control the behavior of this option. If set to false (default) then supported documents are displayed in the viewer and the remaining unsupported file types are downloaded. If set to true, then all documents are automatically downloaded without viewing.

A second managed option Library.AddNameToDocumentUrl is available to control an information option for the URL. This adds a "name" parameter with the value of the document's name. This is provided to provide some human readable indication of the purpose for the link for anyone viewing the raw value. The default is not not include the name. A value of true will include the name.

The document links can be made visible to all users or to just the administrators in the metadata pane. If the links are made visible to all users, then the link “All URLS” is shown in the version properties. When clicked, the specific URLs are shown. By default, the Web Client, FDA, and direct viewer links are already created when FileHold is installed with the Web Client link as the default.

The available link types for emails are set in the Email Attachments Settings area. Library administrators can determine which link types can be sent in an email.

To create document links

  1. In Web Client, go to Administration Panel > Library Configuration > Settings > General.
  2. In the Document Links Settings area, select the "All links" option visible to everyone check box if all the link types are available to all users in the metadata pane. In other words, all users are able to see the All URLs section in the metadata pane. If this option is not enabled, then only Senior Library Administrators or higher see these links in the metadata pane and users have access to only the default URL.
  3. By default, the Web Client and FDA links are already created when FileHold is installed. The Web Client link is the default. To create a new link do the following:
  • In the Name field, enter a name for the link.
  • In the Context field, select if the link is for the Web Client, FDA or Web Portal (anonymous portal).

It is only possible to generate links for a single web client or self-service portal server. It is still possible to create links to directly access documents on secondary web client or anonymous portal servers, but this must be done outside of FileHold.

  • In the User Interface field, select if the link is a Normal, Direct, Locked Direct, or Direct Download link type link type.

Normal mode is the only option that is available for the FDA.

  • In the Document Version field, select if the link takes you to the latest version or a specific version (version history).
  1. Click the + (plus sign) to save the link and/or to add another link type.
  2. To remove a link type, click the - (minus sign).
  3. To edit a link, click the Edit (pencil).
  4. To set the default URL, select the check box next to the link name or click Edit to set the default for an existing link.
  5. To reorder the links so that they are displayed in a specific order in the metadata pane, click Reorder. In the Document Links Reordering window, drag and drop the link names to reorder. Click Save Ordering to save your changes.
  6. Click Update at the bottom of the page.
Document link settings

Email attachment settings

The email attachment settings allows you to specify if users are allowed to send documents from the Library as attachments or as a Document URL link when emailing documents from FileHold. You can also specify the types of links that can be included in the email. The links available depends on the links configured in the Document link settings area.

If documents are emailed as a document URL / links then only users with proper security membership can access the documents when they click on the link. A login is required and the user is taken to the area of the system where the document is located. The document is highlighted and can then be retrieved via get a copy or check out.

If documents are emailed as attachments, then the document can be modified outside of FileHold. If a document is modified outside of the document management system, then FileHold has no way of knowing what changes occurred.

To set email attachment settings

  1. In Web Client, go to Administration Panel > Library Configuration > Settings >General.
  2. In the Email Attachment Settings area > Send Documents As field, select one of the following:
  • Either Attachments or Links
  • Attachments Only
  • Links Only
  1. If links are allowed, then in the Link Type field, select the check boxes next to the document link name that can be used in email attachments.
  2. Click Update at the bottom of the page.
Email attachment settings

Updating the server name in the link URL

A managed option BaseUrl.Download is available to change the server name that is included in the generated URL. The value should follow this pattern: <protocol>://<server-name>/FH/FileHold/WebClient/ For example, https://dms.example.com/FH/FileHold/WebClient/. You must ensure that all users who get the link will have access to this URL and that any necessary DNS settings have been configured. By default, the server name is set to your local server name.

Related Knowledge Base Article(s):
Knowledge Base
Free Webinar Free Trial Videos Features
Contact Sales Text +1-604-734-5653 Contact Sales