Understanding WebPal Docs

This overview serves as an introduction to the standard WebPal document manager user interface. For more information on WebPal docs and its features, see our docs page.

Folders

Files are stored in a standard folder structure located on the left hand side of the screen. Folders and their contents can be accessed in two different ways. Clicking on the folder will give you the contents of that folder in a detailed listings view to the right of the folder tree. Clicking on the triangle located next to the folder will open that folder to display its sub-folders, but will not change the detailed listings view.
 

Sorting Files

At the top of the detailed listings view you will find four labels: Name, Pages, Size and Modified. You may click any of these labels to sort your files and folders. Beside the Name label you will find a small white triangle in either an upward or downward position. This arrow indicates how the files and folders are currently being sorted, and whether it is in ascending or descending order.

 

Admin & Settings

In the top right hand corner of the screen you will find three links. All users will have a link to "Settings" which will allow you to change your password. As an admin user, it will also give you the ability to manage users and their respective permissions (add, edit and delete). The "Home" and "Logout" buttons are self-explanatory. 

 

Properties

Clicking on a file will update the "Properties Panel" located in the bottom left corner of the screen. This gives users and overview of the file including when the file was last changed and who changed it, the title of the file and any comments added. There are also options for "Needs Review" and "Draft Only" which are simply visual aids to help those users who are using the document manager to collaborate and version files.
 

File Listings

Files are listed in a detailed view on the right hand side of the application. Each file will have an icon, noting the file type, as well as name, size and date modified attributes. Clicking on a file will highlight the row thus selecting it for use. By default files are sort alphabetically by name unless otherwise specified by the user (see "Sorting Files" above).

 

Action Bar

The action bar is located at the top of the screen. It contains a variety of actions which help users to manage their files and folders. Basic actions include: adding new documents, adding new folders, sharing, deleting, moving and copying files to a new location, as well as downloading, (as described in the "Downloading Files" below and "Viewing and Downloading" section) and renaming files. The last button located above the action bar, is the search function which will allow you to search for files and folders by file name.

 

Downloading Files

In the action bar, you will see a downward arrow icon which when clicked will prompt you to download the file to your local computer. Alternatively, you can click the download button in the preview window to the right. To download multiple files, hold the shift or ctrl button and select each file you would like to download. Once you've selected all of the files, click the "download" icon in the action bar or the download button. This will zip all the files into a single package and prompt you to download the newly created zip file to your local computer.

Adding Files to WebPal

There are three ways to add files to WebPal. 

 

Option 1:

1. Using the folders pane on the left, browse to the folder where you want to add your new file by clicking on the folder name.
2. Click the "Add" button in the action menu at the top of the screen. You will be given four options:
   1. Upload Document - this will open the browser to upload a document. Follow step 3 to upload a document.
   2. WebPal Doc - create an editable word document
   3. WebPal Data - create an editable spreadsheet
   4. WebPal Text - create an editable basic text file
      
      NOTE:See the full list of the file formats supported by WebPal here.

​​

1. 
    
2. Using the "Upload Document" option, the below window will open to browse your computer files and select the file you want to upload. Once selected, you can choose to add a title and a comment to the file (the title field is used when performing a search). Once you're ready, click the "Add Doc" button.
   
   

 

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Option 2:

To upload multiple files at a time, dragging and dropping the items is the quickest option. 

1. Using the folders pane on the left, browse to the folder where you want to add your new file(s) by clicking on the folder name.
2. Drag the file(s) to the folder you wish to upload to. This will highlight the folder green which means you may drop the file into the folder. 
   
   
    
3. The same "Add Document" window will open as Option 1. Enter a title and comment if applicable and click "Add Doc".
    

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Option 3:

1. Using the folders pane on the left, browse to the folder where you want to add your new file(s) by clicking on the folder name.
2. Right click on the folder and select "Add Document". 
   
   
   
    
3. The same "Add Document" window will open as Option 1. Enter a title and comment if applicable and click "Add Doc". 

 

NOTE: You can also note whether file require reviewing, whether the document is a draft or a final version, and view or add comments in the properties panel on the right. 

 

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Viewing and Downloading

Viewing Files and Folders

Files are stored in a standard folder structure located on the left hand side of the screen. Folders and their contents can be accessed in two different ways:

1. Clicking on the folder will give you the contents of that folder in a detailed listings view to the right of the folder tree. Clicking on the triangle located next to the folder will open that folder to display its sub-folders, but will not change the detailed listings view.
2. Simply double click the folder or select the file from the main docs window. 

NOTE: To view the files and folders as preview thumbnails, select the "Toggle File View" icon with the three bullet points. 

To view files, in addition to double clicking the file you would like to view, you can also view it by:

1. Select the file, right click and click "View".
2. Select the file and click the "View" button in the preview window on the right. 

The file you have selected will then open in a new tab within your browser.

 

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Downloading Files and Folders

To download files and folders follow these steps below:  

1. Using the "Folders" pane on the left, or in the main docs window, browse to the folder that contains the files and/or folders you want to download.
2. To download a single file, click the downward arrow icon in the action bar, which will prompt you to download the file to your local computer. Alternatively, you can click the download button in the preview window to the right.
3. ​To download multiple files, hold the shift or ctrl button and select each file you wish to download. Once you've selected all of the files you would like to download, select the "download" icon in the action bar or the download button in the preview window to the right. This will zip all of the files into a single package and prompt you to download the newly created zip file to your local computer.
4. If you want to download an individual folder, simply right click on the folder and select "download as .zip".

Sharing Documents & Folders

Learn how to share your documents with authorized personnel or the general public. This feature is available only to those users with read & write permissions.

 

How to Share Files:

To start, select the files(s) and/or folder(s) you want to share. There are three ways to share files and folders:

1. Click the "Share" icon in the action bar. Select either "Share selected documents by email" or "Create shared drive". 
   NOTE: Creating a shared drive will create a new drive within WebPal and will grant access for WebPal users. This folder will appear as a drive in the user's account.
2. Right click the file(s) or folder(s) you want to share. Select "Share" and click either "via email" or "as a shared drive".
3. Click the "Share" button in the preview panel on the right. This will automatically open the share via email window.  

 

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On the notification screen you are presented with three options:

1. Permissions

 

Share these documents - this is the list of documents that you've added. 

Share these folders - this is the list of all folders that you've added. 

Allow users to - set the below preferences for the document(s) or folder(s) you are sharing:

View online
Download as PDF
Download as original
Upload a new version

Expiry - specify a date to which this invitation expires, so that the recipient no longer has access to the file. Leave this option blank if you do not want to set an expiry date.

Folder Permissions - set the below recipient permissions for the document(s) or folder(s) you are sharing:

View and download documents
Update documents
Move or delete documents
Add documents
Create folders
Share documents and folders

 

2. Users

 

There are three types of recipients to share files with. The first is to choose the group(s) you have been assigned to. The second is to select user(s) from your WebPal server. You can also add guest recipients' who are not currently users of WebPal. Simply enter their email address and select the email once you have entered it. Guest users who have previously had files shared with them will be saved to the recipient list. 

 

3. Message

 

From
This is the email address that is associated with your WebPal account.

Subject
This is the subject line of the email that will be sent to the users being notified.

Message
This is the message that will be included in the body of the email sent to the users being notified.

 

When you're ready, click the submit button and you're done!

 

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How to Access Shared Files:

• Once a file is shared, the recipient will receive a new email with access to the file(s). The file(s) will either be linked or attached to the email, depending on whether the "Attach document to email" option has been selected.
• If the recipient is a WebPal user, they will also have access to any shared file(s) in their "Shared With Me" folder at the top of the folder pane on the left. 

 

Document Versioning

WebPal offers document versioning, which allows you to upload new versions of a document, but still access or revert back to previous versions of the file.

 

How to Add a New Version

There are multiple ways to add a new version of a file - follow these steps below: 

 

Option 1:

1. Using the folder pane on the left, select the folder where you want to replace your file.
2. Drag the file(s) to the folder you wish to upload the new version to. This will highlight the folder green which means you may drop the file into the folder.
   NOTE: Ensure the file(s) name and format matches the original file(s), otherwise the file(s) will be added as a new file(s).
    

Option 2: 

1. Using the folder pane on the left, select the folder where you want to replace your file.
2. Find the file name you would like to upload the new version of. Right click on the name of the file and select the "Upload New Version"
3. The "Add Document" window will open. Enter a title and comment if applicable and click the "Upload New Version" button.
    

Option 3:

1. Using the folder pane on the left, select the folder where you want to replace your file.
2. Select the file name you would like to upload your new version to. 
3. Open the versions panel on the right, as shown in the screenshot above.
4. Click the "Upload a New Version" button.
5. The "Add Document" window will open. Enter a title and comment if applicable and click the "Upload New Version" button.

 

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How to Revert Back to Previous Versions

1. Select the file you would like to upload your new version to.
2. Open the versions panel on the right.
3. Click the arrow next to the previous version you would like to revert back to.
4. A new window will open which will ask you to confirm revert to previous version. Click "OK". 

 

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How to Download Previous Versions

1. Select the file you would like to upload your new version to.
2. Open the versions panel on the right.
3. Click the download button next to the file you would like to download. This will automatically download the file to your downloads folder.

Supported File Types

Any file format can be uploaded to WebPal and will be downloadable and shareable as-is. Additionally, the following document formats will be rendered on the WebPal Server as viewable pages and can be read or viewed online in WebPal without downloading.

Text Documents

• Microsoft Word 6.0/95/97/2000/XP (.doc and .dot)
• Microsoft Word 2003 XML (.xml)
• Microsoft Word 2007 XML (.docx, .docm, .dotx, .dotm)
• Microsoft WinWord 5 (.doc)
• WordPerfect Document (.wpd)
• WPS 2000/Office 1.0 (.wps)
• OpenDocument formats (.odt, .ott, .oth, and .odm)
• OpenOffice (.sxw, .stw, and .sxg)
• .rtf, .txt, and .csv
• StarWriter formats (.sdw, .sgl, .vor)
• HTML Documents (.htm, .html)
• Adobe (.pdf)
• DocBook (.xml)
• Unified Office Format text (.uot, .uof)
• Ichitaro 8/9/10/11 (.jtd and .jtt)
• Hangul WP 97 (.hwp)
• T602 Document (.602, .txt)
• AportisDoc (Palm) (.pdb)
• Pocket Word (.psw)
• WebPal Doc 
• WebPal Text

Spreadsheets

In addition to, Calc 3 can open the formats used by OOo 1.x (.sxc and .stc) and the following spreadsheet formats:

• Microsoft Excel 97/2000/XP (.xls, .xlw, and .xlt)
• Microsoft Excel 4.x–5.0/95 (.xls, .xlw, and .xlt)
• Microsoft Excel 2003 XML (.xml)
• Microsoft Excel 2007 XML (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm)
• Microsoft Excel 2007 binary (.xlsb)
• Lotus 1-2-3 (.wk1, .wks, and .123)
• OpenDocument formats (.ods and .ots)
• OpenOffice 1.x (.sxc and .stc)
• Data Interchange Format (.dif)
• Rich Text Format (.rtf)
• Text CSV (.csv and .txt)
• StarCalc formats (.sdc and .vor)
• dBASE (.dbf)
• SYLK (.slk)
• Unified Office Format spreadsheet (.uos, .uof)
• .htm and .html files, including Web page queries
• Pocket Excel (pxl)
• Quattro Pro 6.0 (.wb2)
• WebPal Sheets

Presentations

• Microsoft PowerPoint 97/2000/XP (.ppt, .pps, and .pot)
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx, .pptm, .potx, .potm)
• StarDraw and StarImpress (.sda, .sdd, .sdp, and .vor)
• OpenDocument formats (.odp, .odg, and .otp)
• OpenOffice (.sxi and .sti)
• Unified Office Format presentation (.uop, .uof)
• CGM – Computer Graphics Metafile (.cgm)
• Portable Document Format (.pdf)

Graphic files