Sharing documents with Xtendis 7

Working with the documents that are stored in Xtendis is teamwork and involves participation from multiple people. At some point therefore, you might want to share documents with others so that they can process them further, download them, and so on.

Some of these people may be in your organization with access to Xtendis, while other people may be outside your organization without access to Xtendis. Documents can be shared with both groups of people.

How it works

Sharing a document is done by providing the recipient with a link to the document in Xtendis.

Two ways of doing this exist:

1. By copying the link and sharing it with users who have access to Xtendis. Sharing can be done by pasting the link in a chat message, an e-mail, and so on. Recipients can access the document when they are logged in to Xtendis and when they have sufficient rights to view the document.

2. By sending the link via e-mail. In this method, Xtendis creates a special environment in Xtendis in which the document is placed and to which the recipient is granted access. The e-mail address of the recipient needs to be entered as part of this process and an automated e-mail is sent out to the recipient with instructions on how to view the document. The recipient can be anyone, even someone who does not have an Xtendis account.

Sharing versus downloading

The options to share or download a document are very similar but have an important difference.

When sharing a document using the methods described in this article, the document remains in the system. The advantage of this is that you can see and control the content of the document.

When downloading a document, it is stored outside of the system and can be edited, meaning that control is lost over the content.

Depending on your goal, choose either sharing (described here) or downloading a document.

Sharing by copying the link

In this method, the link to the document is copied to the clipboard and pasted in an e-mail or chat message to the recipient.

Use this method when you know that the recipient has an Xtendis account and access to the document (typically a colleague).

Notes:  When you are unsure if the user can access the document, share the document by creating an e-mail. This method can only be used for sharing a single document. To share multiple documents, use the method of creating an e-mail.

Step 1. Locate the document that you want to share by using any of the search features or opening the folder or dossier it is in.

Step 2. Select the document so that it is outlined in blue.

Step 3. In the toolbar on the right side, click the Action icon and from the menu that appears, choose Copy link.

Tip: See also Alternative methods of copying the link below.

When multiple versions of a document exists, a message appears asking to which version you want to link:

Step 4. Click one of the following options:

• Specific version. This creates a link to the current version of the document. The link is not updated when a newer version of the document is created.

• Newest version. This creates a link to the version that is currently the active version of the document. When a newer version of the document is created, the link automatically points to that version. This makes sure that the recipients always see the active version of the document.

The link is copied and a notification about this is briefly shown.

Step 5. Paste the link in an e-mail, document, or chat message to the person you want to share it with.

Note: When a newer version of the document is created after the document has been shared, the link no longer refers to the latest version. When viewing the version of the document that was shared, a warning icon is shown in the vertical toolbar. When hovering the mouse pointer over the icon, a tooltip appears informing you that the version that you are viewing is not the active version. Clicking the icon opens the Version overview panel from which the active version (or any other version) can be viewed by clicking it. If needed, that version can be shared.

Alternative methods of copying the link

The method described above is probably the most used method. However, Xtendis also offers you to copy the link when performing the following actions:

• When viewing the properties of a document in the Properties panel, click the chain icon of the document.

• When adding a document, click the chain icon of a document that has been uploaded.

• When exporting documents, click Copy document links in the Share tab.

Info: This feature requires Xtendis 7.2.9 or higher (see how to check the version number of Xtendis that you are using).

Sharing via e-mail

In this method, one or more documents are made available in a secure location in Xtendis to which the user is granted access. The link to the documents is sent to the user via an automated e-mail.

Use this method when the recipient does not have an Xtendis account, or when you are not sure if the user with an Xtendis account has sufficient access rights to view the documents.

Sharing via e-mail can be done by using either the Share option from the toolbar or the Export option from the Actions menu.

Method 1: Using the Share option from the toolbar Use this method to share a single document. Step 1. Locate the document that you want to share by using any of the search features or opening the folder or dossier it is in. Step 2. Make sure that the document is selected so that it is outlined in blue. Step 3. In the toolbar on the right side, click the Export options icon and in the panel that appears, choose the Share tab. Step 4. Enter the e-mail address of the person you want to share the document with. Tip: Add multiple addresses by pressing Enter after completing an e-mail address. When an e-mail address is not known in Xtendis, it is assumed that the person does not have access to the Xtendis environment. A message then appears informing you that the document will therefore be securely shared externally. Step 5. Enter the subject for the e-mail. Step 6. (Optional) If the document needs to be digitally signed, enable the option Request signature. For more information see Having a document digitally signed in Xtendis 7. Step 7. Click Share. The document is shared and an e-mail is sent to the recipients. A notification is shown to inform you about this. Step 8. (Optional) Click the notification to view all links that you have shared with people who do not have access to Xtendis (see Managing documents shared externally).

Method 2: Using the Export option from the Actions menu Step 1. Locate the documents that you want to share by using any of the search features or opening the folder or dossier they are in. Step 2. Select one or more documents by selecting their check box. The Action button appears. Step 3. Click the Action button and from the menu that appears, choose Export. The Export panel appears. Step 4. Click the Share tab. Step 5. (Optional, only available when a single document was selected) If the document needs to be digitally signed, enable the option Document for signature. For more information see Having a document digitally signed in Xtendis 7. Step 6. Enter the e-mail address of the person you want to share the document with. Tip: Separate multiple addresses by a semicolon (;). Step 7. Enter the subject for the e-mail. Step 8. (Optional) Enter the date after which the file should not be shared anymore. When clicking the field, the date is automatically set to 30 days after today. Adjust this date as needed. Info: This feature requires Xtendis 7.2.1 or higher (see how to check which version of Xtendis you are using). Step 9. Click Share. The document is shared and an e-mail is sent to the recipients. A notification is shown to inform you about this. Step 10. (Optional) Click the notification to view all links that you have shared with people who do not have access to Xtendis (see Managing documents shared externally).

Receiving a link

The way a recipient of a link to a shared document can access the document depends on the way the link was created: copied or sent via e-mail.

Links that were copied

Links that were copied are direct links to the document in the system. The recipient can access the document simply by clicking the link. When the recipient is not yet logged in to Xtendis, this needs to be done first.

Links sent via e-mail

Links that were sent via e-mail can be opened as follows:

• Users who have access to the Xtendis environment can simply click the link. When the recipient is not yet logged in to Xtendis, this needs to be done first. The document is opened in a new tab.

• Users who do not have access to the Xtendis environment are sent an e-mail containing a link to access an overview in Xtendis of all documents that are shared with them. From it, documents can be viewed and downloaded.

Note: Depending on the version of Xtendis and the template for the e-mail, a verification code may first need to be requested for accessing the overview. This code is valid for a limited period of time. When the code expires, a new code can be requested.

Managing documents shared externally

An overview of all documents that have been shared by you with external users can be viewed on the Shared documents page.

The page is accessed by clicking the Shared documents icon on the Dashboard.

The page shows details such as with whom the document has been shared with, the date on which it was shared, and so on.

When selecting a document from the list at the top of the page, a preview of it is shown and it is loaded into the list at the bottom of the page.

From there actions can be performed on the document in the same way as performing actions after performing a search.

The page can also be changed in the same was as a search results page.

For details, see Working with search results in Xtendis 7.

Managing all shared documents

Info: This feature requires Xtendis 7.1.14 or higher (see how to check which version of Xtendis you are using).

Power users with additional rights can not only see the documents that they have shared themselves, but can also see and manage all documents shared by all users.

For these users, the page title changes to a list containing the following options:

• All share actions. For viewing all documents shared by all users.
• My own share actions. For viewing only the documents shared by you.

Resending a shared document

Info: This feature requires Xtendis 7.1.14 or higher (see how to check which version of Xtendis you are using).

Power users with additional rights can re-send a shared document in case the recipient has lost the original e-mail.

Step 1. Access the Shared documents page by clicking the Shared documents icon on the Dashboard.

Step 2. Locate the documents for which you want to delete the link that was shared and select their check-box.

Step 3. From the Action menu, choose Re-send.

Step 4. A message appears asking to confirm the action. Click Yes.

The documents are re-sent and a confirmation message appears.

Stopping the sharing of a document

If you do not want to share a document with an external user anymore, sharing can be stopped by removing the link.

The steps to perform depend on the version of Xtendis that is used (see how to check which version of Xtendis you are using).

Notes:  This process only deletes the link that is shared with the recipient, thereby making the link invalid. It does not delete the document itself. For Xtendis 7.2.1 and higher: When a date has been set for a document after which the sharing of the document should be stopped, the link is automatically removed 14 days after that date.

For Xtendis 7.1.14 and higher Step 1. Access the Shared documents page by clicking the Shared documents icon on the Dashboard. Step 2. Locate the document for which you want to delete the link that was shared and select it in the list at the top of the page so that it is outlined in blue. Step 3. In the list at the bottom of the page, select the check box for the document. Step 4. From the Action menu that appears, choose Move to trash can. A message appears asking you to confirm the action. Step 5. Click Yes. The link is removed and the list is updated. Tip: Alternative steps for power users Power users with additional rights can also perform the following steps: Step 1. Access the Shared documents page by clicking the Shared documents icon on the Dashboard. Step 2. Locate the document for which you want to delete the link that was shared and select its check box in the list at the top of the page. Step 3. From the Action menu that appears, choose Stop sharing. A message appears asking you to confirm the action. Step 4. Click Yes. The link is removed and the list is updated.

For Xtendis 7.1.13 and lower Step 1. Access the Shared documents page by clicking the Shared documents icon on the Dashboard. Step 2. Locate the document for which you want to delete the link that was shared. Step 3. Delete the link by clicking the trash can icon for that document. A message appears asking you to confirm the action. Step 4. Click Yes. The link is removed and the list is updated.