APSE
APSE Attachment Management
17th September 2007
Axon Contact
Andrew Whelan
AxonCentre
Church Road
Egham
Surrey
TW20 9QB
1 Overview
Enhanced attachment management functionality has been developed within APSE, with the following features and benefits:
1.1 Checkout a file attachment:
This enables you to take control of an attachment, to modify it over a period of time, and to re-upload it at a later date. While an attachment is checked out, another user cannot modify it, although it still remains available for download.
1.2 Create a new version of an attachment:
When you check in an attachment, you can check in a replacement, or a new version. If a new version is checked in, then the old version remains on the APSE document, available for download, but cannot be modified.
This should replace the common practice of creating a new version of an APSE document when the only change is to an attachment.
1.3 Subscribe to a file attachment:
If you have a particular interest in a file attachment, you can subscribe to it. If the attachment is replaced, if a new version is uploaded, or if it is deleted, you will receive an email advising you of this action.
1.4 Copy URL to attachment:
This is similar to the ‘Copy URL’ function that enables you to copy and send a URL link to a particular APSE document. The ‘Copy URL to Attachment’ function enables you to send a URL link to a specific attachment.
1.5 Work with attachments independently of the APSE document:
All attachment actions can now be performed without editing the APSE document. Multiple people can work on attachments for the same APSE document without locking each other out of the APSE document.
1.6 Enhanced searching:
If the search criteria matches an attachment, a link to that attachment is returned in the search results. The old functionality only returned a link to the APSE document, which may have contained many attachments.
It is now possible to exclude attachments from a search, or to search only attachments.
1.7 Server benefits:
A number of benefits to the server will be realised following the back-end changes made to attachment management.
2 Creating a new file attachment
1. Open an APSE document in read or edit mode.
2. Click the ‘CREATE ATTACHMENT’ button:
3. In the popup, click ‘Browse’:
4. Select the file to upload and click ‘Open’:
5. Click the ‘Upload’ button in the popup. The upload will commence.
6. When the upload has completed, the file will display in the document:
3 Display file attachment options / details
Click on the twistie (the black triangle) next to the file title to display options and details.
The ‘Comment’ is the last comment made when a file was checked out or in.
If the status is ‘Checked In’ then the ‘Date’ and ‘By’ values indicate who last uploaded or checked in this file, and when. If the status is ‘Checked Out’ then these values indicate who checked it out and when.
If the file has older versions, these will be visible under the ‘Older versions’ twistie:
4 Opening / downloading a file attachment
Either click on the file title, or click on the ‘Download’ button.
5 Deleting a file attachment
If you have access to delete file attachments, there will be a ‘Delete’ button which will delete the file attachment. Any users that are subscribed to the file attachment will be advised of its deletion.
6 Sending a URL link to a file attachment
Click the ‘Copy URL’ button for the file attachment. The URL will be copied to your clipboard, and can be pasted into an email.
7 Checking out a file attachment
1. Click the ‘Check Out’ button (if the file attachment is already checked out then this button won’t be available.)
2. Optionally enter a check out comment, and click ‘Check Out’:
3. The display changes, indicating that you have checked out the file. If you have not done so already, download the file to your computer so that you can make any required changes.
NOTE: remember that nobody else will be able to checkout this file attachment while you have it checked out.
8 Checking in a file attachment
NOTE: You can only check in a file attachment that you have checked out.
Click the ‘Check In’ button.
If you have not made any changes to the file attachment, and you do not wish to upload a replacement or a new version, simply click the ‘Check In’ button in the popup. The display will change indicating that the file attachment has been checked in.
If you wish to upload replacement or new version of the file attachment, click ‘Yes’ where it says ‘Do you want to upload a new version of this file?’
You will then receive further options – indicate if you want to upload a new version, or a replacement, and click ‘Check In’.
Depending on your selection, the file attachment will either be replaced (and the old one will no longer be available), or the new version will be uploaded and the old one will appear as an old version:
NOTE: you need to click the twistie by the ‘Old versions of this file’ line in order to see links to, and details of, older versions of the file.
9 Subscribing to a file attachment
If you subscribe to a file attachment, you will receive an email notifying you when a new version or a replacement of the attachment is checked in, or if the attachment is deleted.
Click the ‘Subscribe’ button:
The display will change to indicate that you are subscribed:
To unsubscribe, click the ‘Un-Subscribe’ button.
To find out what you are subscribed to, click the ‘My Subscriptions’ link under the ‘Tools’ menu:
A page will display showing all of your subscriptions:
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