Before a document can be imported into the system and attached to a
record or form, the system administrator must create document types in the
Document Types form. You can include this
information for each document type:
- Associate a default file extension with the document type, which
determines the application to use when presenting the document for viewing. For
example, users might want to attach purchase order documents created as
Microsoft Word (*.docx) files to customer orders. Create a document type called
CustomerPOs, and associate the file extension
"docx" with that type. You can then use that document type when attaching PO
files to customer orders.
- Specify the storage method used for this document type. Documents
can be stored in the application database or linked from a file server or FTP
server. For linked documents, specify the area where that type of document is
stored.
See
Managing File Servers for Linked Documents.
- Specify which forms, and/or properties of forms, can have this
document type attached.
Note: This specification can be different for different users, if
multiple versions of the form exist with different scope type and/or scope
names, or if a different forms database is used. This is because some versions
of the form might contain the property and some might not.
To set up a document type:
- In the
Document Types form, specify this information:
-
Document Type
- Specify a name for the document type. This name could
describe the type of application used, for example, Acrobat, Word, or Graphic,
the file extension, for example, PDF or JPG, the storage method, for example,
FTP or URL, the name of the file server, or some combination of these.
-
Description
- Fully describe the document type.
-
Storage Method
- Specify where files of this type will be stored: in the
database or on a linked server.
-
File Extension
- Optionally, specify the file extension that is associated by
default with this document type. For example, if the
Document Type is
Acrobat or PDF , the default file extension could be pdf. If the
Document Type is
Graphic , the default file extension could be png. This default file extension
is overwritten if the document you import has a different file extension.
-
Media Type
- Optionally, specify a default media type for this document
type. The default media type is populated in the Attached Documents form when
this document type is selected.
- If you specified a
Storage Method of
Link, specify this additional information:
-
File Specification
- Specify the root path where files are stored on the server:
- For a shared file server path, use this format:
\\server\share\
You can also use this format to specify a single file;
for example:
\\server\share\filename.ext
- For an FTP URI, use this format:
FTP_Server/folder/
This field can include record-specific variables and
property values. For example, a UNC path of
\\MGserver1\MyShare\CustomerDocuments\P(CustNum)\*
returns all of the files found in a folder that matches the currently selected
customer number on the parent form.
Note: Any part of the specified path or filename can
consist of variable or property value replacements, as in this example.
-
File Server
- Select a file server or FTP server that is defined on the
File Servers form. If no server is
specified, the local server is assumed and Windows authentication is used.
- If you specified a
Storage Method of
Link, you can optionally specify the forms
and/or properties on forms to which the linked document type are to be
attached:
- To make all files of this document type available only for
certain forms, regardless of which properties appear there, specify each
Form Name in the grid,
using a separate row for each form. Then specify a single asterisk
(*) in the
Property Name field
for each form. You must use the actual form name, and not its caption.
- To make all files of this document type available for all
forms that contain certain properties, specify each
Property Name in the
grid, using a separate row for each property. Then, for each property, specify
a single asterisk (*) in the
Form Name field. You
must use the actual property name, and not its caption or label.
- To make all files of this document type available only on the
specified form and then only if it contains the specified property, specify
both the
Form Name and the
Property Name, using a
separate row for each combination.
-
To make all files of this document type available for all
forms and all properties, specify single asterisks in both the
Form Name and
Property Name
fields.
Note: This combination overrides all other
Form Name-Property Name combinations.
- Save your changes.