This article describes the main features of Xtendis as a way of quickly getting to know the application and the system it is based on.
It is aimed at users who are new to Xtendis or those who are upgrading from a previous version.
For large topics such as searching for documents, working with dossiers, opening documents for editing and so on, a summary is given and links to articles with more detailed information are provided.
The following topics are described:
- The concept
- Logging in and logging out
- The Dashboard
- Settings
- Access rights
- Searching
- Uploading documents
- Managing the system
- Notifications
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The concept
Xtendis is an application that lets you efficiently work with documents that are stored within the system.
Before we explain how to work with the tools in Xtendis, it is important to first explain some of the concepts that are used. This will give you a better understanding of how the tools should be used and will therefore give you the best results.
Structure
In Xtendis, all documents are stored in a logical order in an archive. Multiple archives can exist, each with multiple documents, optionally stored in dossiers.
An archive typically represents a segment to which a group of documents belong, such as:
- Client dossiers
- Contracts
- Debtors
- Employees
- Participants
- Projects
Which archives exist is determined during the setup of your Xtendis environment.
Documents, dossiers, and folders
Documents are typically available in one of the following formats:
- Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
- Images in TIF, PNG, or JPG format
In certain setups, Microsoft Word and Excel documents can have their original version of the document stored together with the PDF or image. When this is the case, the original document can be downloaded, edited in some way, and uploaded as a new version of the original document.
Documents can be shared with other Xtendis users, or even with external users. As part of this process, requests to have a document digitally signed can also be made.
Documents can also be downloaded to use them in some way outside of the system.
Pages in documents in TIF, PNG, or JPG format can be edited by copying, cutting and pasting them, or even turning them into new documents.
Dossiers group together documents that are related to each other, such as all documents for a particular customer or employee. The advantage of using a dossier is that the property values that all documents within that dossier need to share, need to be assigned to the dossier only. Each document that is added to the dossier then automatically 'inherits' these same values.
Folders show documents based on a search query that is set up for that folder. Power users can use advanced ways of using folders for performing tasks such as indexing documents, splitting documents, or creating folders that are not based on a search query.
Security
Xtendis contains 'security zones': parts of an archive in which it is indicated how the rights on the documents in that part of the archive are arranged as explained later in this article. Security zones have a hierarchical structure, comparable to folders on a disk. Just like with folders, users and user groups can have certain rights within a security zone.
Indexing
Dossiers and documents are indexed: a process by which properties are assigned so that the dossiers and documents can be easily found.
The process of indexing can take place as part of adding documents to the system, or at any time when properties of an existing document need to be updated.
When a document is not yet indexed, it cannot be part of the main archive (also referred to as the 'functional archive' or 'active archive') and will therefore be part of what is referred to as the 'temporary archive'.
Further reading
To familiarize yourself with the full concept of Xtendis, it is highly recommended to read the Xtendis 7 concept.
Logging in and logging out
When using Xtendis, you work on documents that are stored within the system. To access these documents you have to log in to Xtendis first.
Figure: The screen for logging in to Xtendis.
Xtendis is made available from a central location and accessed by opening a link (URL) in a compatible Web browser. This link is provided by your system administrator. No installation steps are necessary.
Example: https://demo-7.xtendis.nl/
When accessing the link, the log in page appears on which you can log in to access the system (see the image above).
For more information about the login process, see Logging in and logging out in Xtendis 7.
Logging out
When done working in Xtendis, it is advised to log out of the system.
To do this, click the Log out icon in the bottom left corner of the screen (circled in red in the images below), either on the Dashboard or in the toolbar:
As soon as you are logged out, the Log in screen appears again.
The Dashboard
Once you are logged in, the Home page — also known as the 'Dashboard' — appears. This is your starting point for working with Xtendis. You will return to it frequently to perform specific tasks such as adding documents, searching for documents that you want to work with, or accessing often used folders or documents.
Figure: The Dashboard is your starting point for working with Xtendis.
For detailed information about using the available components on the Dashboard, see Using the Dashboard in Xtendis 7.
The Dashboard as a toolbar
When opening a folder or viewing a document, you leave the Dashboard. However, the left part of the Dashboard permanently stays in view so that you can use its tools to quickly access different parts of the system or quickly perform another action.
To take up minimal space, only icons are shown.
Settings
Xtendis contains various settings that can be configured based on your personal preference. These include setting the language in which Xtendis is shown, the number of results per page that you want to see when performing a search, whether or not you want to receive notification e-mails, changing your password, and so on.
Accessing the settings can be done by clicking the Settings icon (the cog wheel) on the Dashboard or on the Dashboard as a toolbar and choosing Settings from the menu that appears.
How to set up Xtendis to your personal liking is described in Setting up Xtendis 7.
Access rights
The areas in Xtendis that you can access such as archives and dossiers, as well as the documents that you can see and the actions that you can perform depend on the access rights that you have been given. Such rights can be different for each archive.
Note: It could therefore be that you may or may not be able to follow certain instructions described here in the documentation. When in doubt, contact your system administrator.
Searching
One of the actions that you will perform most often in Xtendis is searching for the documents, dossiers, notes, or folders that you want to work with.
In general, searching can be done by doing one of the following:
- A quick search for quickly finding documents
- A standard search
- An advanced search
- Using folders or dossiers
- Using favorites
- Accessing recently viewed documents or dossiers
For detailed information, see Searching for documents in Xtendis 7.
The following is a brief overview of each method (click an image for a larger view):
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Quick search If you know what document to look for and you know some of its details such as its relation name or (part of) the subject or its content, you can enter this in the search box on the Dashboard. Make sure to also choose the archive in which you want to search. Tip: Click the Filter icon to include certain properties, the time period, owner, and/or status. To perform the search, press Enter while the cursor is in the search box. A new page appears on which the search results are shown. Note that different tabs are used for showing the results for documents (in blue), dossiers (in green), and notes (in yellow). The total number of found documents is shown next to the title of each tab. When nothing was found, a notification is shown for that tab. The results for documents are shown first. |
Figure: The search box on the Dashboard.
Figure: The search results for documents (top) and dossiers (bottom). |
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Standard search To perform a more elaborate search, the standard search is typically used. This is accessed via the Find option in the Dashboard toolbar. Choose what you want to find (a document, dossier, note, or deleted document), in which archive you want to search, and any property values that the document, dossier, or note should contain. When clicking Find, the search is performed and the results are shown on the same page. When needed, the search parameters can be adjusted on the left side of the screen and another search can be performed. |
Figure: The Find button on the Dashboard.
Figure: Using the standard search option. |
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Advanced search Advanced searches make it possible to search for documents or dossiers using complex searches that include parameters such as 'equals', 'greater than', and so on. This way, you can finely search for something by specifically including or excluding documents or dossiers. When clicking Find, the search is performed and the results are shown on the same page. When needed, you can adjust the search parameters on the left side of the screen to perform another search. |
Figure: The Advanced search page. |
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Using folders or dossiers A quick way of accessing specific documents is by opening a folder or dossier in which these documents are automatically gathered.
This makes the search results more efficient, meaning that you do not have to manually create the search each time you need it. Example: You could create a search folder in which all documents are shown that are about to expire within the next month so that you can undertake action in time.
Dossiers also hold specific properties such as the date of birth of an employee or the type of employment. Documents that are added to the dossier automatically inherit these properties. |
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Favorites Dossiers or documents that you use frequently can be marked as favorite. They then appear in the list of favorites on the Dashboard so that you can quickly and easily access them without having to use the search function. Marking a document or dossier as favorite is done by clicking its star icon. |
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Accessing recently viewed documents or dossiers Documents or dossiers which you know you have viewed recently can be easily accessed from the Dashboard by clicking Recent. |
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| Searching for text in a document |
When viewing a document in TIF-format, a search can be done for text within the document. Do this by clicking the 'Find in document icon' in the vertical toolbar, entering a search term and clicking Find. The pages on which the text is found are shown as a link. Click a link to navigate to that page. |
Uploading documents
Uploading documents is one of the ways of adding documents to Xtendis.
In short, this is done as follows (for detailed steps, see Uploading documents in Xtendis 7):
Note: References are made to 'files' when they are uploaded from the system, and to 'documents' when the uploaded files are present in Xtendis.
Step 1. On the Dashboard, click Add.
Step 2. On the page that appears, click Select files. Browse to the folder where the documents that you want to upload are stored, select them, and click Open.
Step 3. Make sure that Upload with properties is enabled.
Step 4. In the list of property fields that appears, fill out the fields as needed.
Step 5. Click Index at the bottom of the list.
Managing the system
Managing the system is done by system administrators by managing users and their access to the different parts of the system.
Notifications
Notifications are shown to inform you when something needs your attention such as a download process that you started and which is now ready to be completed, when someone has mentioned you in a note, when your personal index folder contains documents for indexing, and so on.
They are shown in the notifications area of the Dashboard or when hovering over the notifications icon when the Dashboard is collapsed as a toolbar.
Clicking the notification will typically take you to the next step in the process such as starting the download of the documents to the system, opening the note in which your are mentioned, opening the Personal index folder, and so on.
To learn more about notifications, see Working with document notes in Xtendis 7.
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