AX2180
Axiom Software supports the ability to store file attachments that are associated with particular plan files. For example, you may be using a file group for capital planning, and as part of this process you want to store supporting documents for each capital request. Users can upload file attachments to be associated with a particular plan file, and then other users with access to the plan file can view these attachments.
You can store any type of file as a file attachmentâfor example, regular Excel files, Word files, PDF files, various types of image files, etc. Whether a user can open a particular type of file attachment depends on whether the user has a program that can read that file format installed on their machine. If the file is Excel-compatible, then the attachment is opened in the current Axiom Software session; otherwise it is opened using the appropriate program on the user's computer, if present.
Enabling file attachments for a file group
File attachment features are only available if they have been enabled for a particular file group. To enable file group attachments for a file group, select the Enable Plan File Attachments check box in the file group properties. This setting is located on the Options tab of the Edit File Group dialog.
If this check box is selected, then the File Attachments button is available on the ribbon while in plan files for that file group, so that users can view and manage attachments.
If you later clear this check box after attachments have been saved, those attachments will not be deleted, however the File Attachments button will no longer be present while in plan files for that file group. The GetPlanFileAttachment function will continue to work.
Security for file attachments
Whether a user can view or manage attachments depends on that user's rights to the plan file, as determined by Axiom Software security (and potentially elevated by process management or the legacy workflow feature).
- If a user has read-only rights to a plan file, then the user can view attachments for that plan file.
- If a user has read/write rights to a plan file, then the user can add, edit, and delete attachments for that plan file.
Administrators can always view and manage attachments for any plan file.
File attachments are stored in the Plan File Attachments folder within the file group folder in the Axiom file system. Each plan file has its own attachment sub-folder that is named using the plan file code. For example, attachments for plan file 21000 in the Budget 2020 file group would be stored as follows:
\Axiom\File Groups\Budget 2020\Plan File Attachments\21000
Administrators can access this area using Axiom Explorer. If needed, administrators can import and delete attachment files directly, and delete or create attachment folders. Non-administrator users cannot access these folders directly. They can only manage attachment files by using the management features in the software.
Viewing attachments for a plan file
Users can view attachments for spreadsheet plan files in either of the following ways:
-
While they are in a plan file, users can click the File Attachments button to view and open the attachments associated with that plan file, using the Browse Attachments dialog.
-
The GetPlanFileAttachment function can be used in any Axiom file to open a particular plan file attachment, or to open the Browse Attachments dialog for a specified plan file.
For form-enabled plan files, users can view attachments by using the File Attachments panel in the task bar. Other form-specific features are also available. For more information, see Using file attachment features in an Axiom form.
Managing attachments for a plan file
Users with the appropriate rights can manage attachments for a spreadsheet plan file in either of the following ways:
-
While they are in a plan file, users can click the File Attachments button to add, edit, or delete attachments for that plan file, using the Manage Attachments dialog.
-
The ManagePlanFileAttachments function can be used in any Axiom file to open the Browse Attachments dialog for a specified plan file.
For form-enabled plan files, users can manage attachments by using the File Attachments panel in the task bar. Other form-specific features are also available. For more information, see Using file attachment features in an Axiom form.
By default, a file attachment can be no larger than 10MB in size. Upload of the attachment is prevented if the attachment exceeds this size. This size limit is controlled by the MaxFileAttachmentSizeKB system configuration setting.
Reporting on file attachments
The Axiom.PlanFileAttachments system table is available to bring a list of file attachments into an Axiom file. For example, you could create an Axiom query that brings in a list of all file attachments for a particular file group or for a particular plan file. The Axiom query could include a GetPlanFileAttachment function (or for a form-enabled plan file, a GetResourceLinkTag function) that automatically generates a link to the attachment.
