Documents

Purpose

This article provides a general outline of the use of documents.

Documents are electronic files of any type that can be stored in a VisualVault Document Library (Vault). 

Document Upload

Documents may be stored in many ways including:  

• Web browser upload (single or multiple files)
• Web browser upload via drag and drop (single or multiple files)
• Attach to a VisualVault iForm using a form upload button.  This method allows the designer to specify dynamic folder path locations where the documents will be stored based upon form data values.
• Direct save from Microsoft Office (Word/Excel) using the VisualVault Office Add-In
• Direct save from Outlook using the VisualVault Outlook add-in (drag and drop email and/or attachments)
• Captured directly from scanners (using the VisualVault connector for Kofax Express scanning software)
• Bulk import from the file system using folder watchers (VisualVault V-Scan import tool)
• The API can be used by developers to add Documents

Each document uploaded into VisualVault is assigned a unique identifier called a Document ID.  This unique ID can be based upon the file name or a document naming convention.

View/Download Documents

You can open any document by selecting the file icon in the View column or by using the context menu to right-click on the document and navigate its properties. 

Documents will either open inline to the browser or in the native application that can view the document. If a native application is not available, the user will be prompted to save the document to their local computer. Any time a user views or modifies a document, the action is logged in the document history and user history.

When opening documents that are compatible with Office 365, you also have the option of opening the document in the Office Web App. For more information on this process refer to the article Office 365 Integration.

Document Linking

Each document (and each document revision) has a unique hyperlink that can be used to download the file. Each document also has a revision neutral hyperlink which will always download the latest revision (Viewer role may only download published documents).

Finding Documents

In order to find your documents effectively, you will need to set up an appropriate folder structure, custom document descriptors (Index Fields), metadata, and document relationships. Once this taxonomy has been established, you can locate documents by browsing the Document Library or searching. Search options include Quick Search, Advanced Search, or the Search button on any document list.

Revising Documents

Documents can be revised by creating a new Document revision. Members of the Owner or Editor role can access every revision of a document. Viewer role members may only access the latest released (published) revision of a Document.  Documents may also be moved or copied to other locations within the Document Library using drag and drop or copy/paste actions. Copy and Paste actions are available from the document context (right-click) menu.

Security

Documents stored in a folder become visible to users based upon a combination of the user's permissions and the document status. Security is configured at the folder level, not per individual document. Viewer Role permissions can see only published (released) documents. Users with Editor role or higher permissions can see the latest revision of any document regardless of its status (released, unreleased, pending approval).