File Extension Based Uploading

Owned by Damith Samarakoon
Last updated: Feb 08, 2024
5 min read


THIS FEATURE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AT THE START OF YOUR PROJECT AND SET AS REQUIRED.  ONCE SET, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED THAT CHANGES ARE MADE.


This configuration option allows you to combine or separate revisions of the same document number based on the file extension or file format of the document being uploaded.

1. Go to configure.

2. Click Modules.

3. Click Publication Space.

Or

4. Under Publication Space Module click Settings.

5. Click the Numbering tab. 

6. Scroll down to File Extension.

Show Other Formats in the Same Row

1. When the show other formats in the same row is ticked, the additional file format display type options displays.  There are two options:

  • To display the additional file against any revision
  • Only display the additional file when the revisions match

With the option set to Only when revisions match, the additional file isFile Extension 1.png shown when the revisions match in the additional files columns

When the revisions for the other file format does not match the latest upload it will not be shown

When distributing a document with multiple file formats please note that it will only distribute the main file format shown in file format column. In the above example it will be the docx format.  It will not distribute the other file formats for the same document.

To do so you will need to show all revisions for that document whereby you will be able to see the different formats and select all the formats and perform a distribution.

Combine or Separate 

1. Select whether you want your files to be combined or separate and which file extensions are exempt.

Eg: A101.pdf and A101.dwg

Combine

Documents will be superseded regardless of file format.

With this setting turned on when a document is uploaded with the same document number in different file formats - they will be treated as revisions of the same document.

In this example, we have uploaded FE1.txt and FE1.pdf. Both are treated as the same document.

This is what the document looks like on the Publication Space.

This is the history of this document.

You will note that the original file was the .txt file, and later the .pdf file was uploaded.

If Combine is set on your project and documents have been uploaded to publication space and then you change the setting to Separate, when you try to upload different formats you will get the below Validation Failed error.  You will be required to rename the documents/revisions before being able to do so.

Eg


Separate

Documents will be considered as separate files.

With this setting turned on every file that is uploaded - even with the same document number - will be treated as different or new uploads to the system.

In this way you could for eg, upload A101.pdf and A101.dwg and have them stored on the system as 2 separate files.

If you previously set files to combine and upload different formats that are combined together and later try to change the setting to separate, you will be required to rename the documents/revisions before being able to do so.


Eg

We do not support placeholders with Separate file formats being uploaded at the same time to create multiple records in the Publication Space

Recommended use  and steps with this configuration is to

  1. Create the placeholder

  2. Upload the first format via drag and drop or import to supersede the placeholder

  3. Then upload all other formats in 1 upload via drag and drop or import - which will create separate entries.


Exceptions

Depending on the needs of your project you may wish to only combine or separate documents of specific formats.

For eg you may want to Combine all uploads of .txt and .doc and .pdf files with the SAME document number as revisions of the same document. However, if the .dwg file of the same document number is uploaded you do not want them to become a revision of that same document.

Combine + Separate These Files

To add an exception click on the edit button and start typing in the file format you wish to exclude from the Combine rule.

In this example we have said Combine all file formats of the SAME document number except the DWG and XLSX file formats.

 You can see in the image below that document FE1.pdf, FE1.dwg and FE1.xlsx have been uploaded to the system a 3 different files - although they contain the same document number.

Separate + Except These Files

The reverse would apply for this configuration where all uploads will be treated as separate files except the ones provided in the exception rule in file formats.

For example 

With the configuration set up this way if you uploaded FE1.pdf, FE1.dwg and FE1.xls.

FE1.pdf would be uploaded as 1 document.

FE1.dwg and FE1.xls would be uploaded as a separate document but as revisions of the same document number.