This article describes how to use file requests in the DRACOON Web App.
File requests were called upload shares or upload accounts in previous versions of the DRACOON Web App.
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What is a file request?
- A file request is a public web page through which files can be uploaded to a specific data room or folder in DRACOON.
- File requests are useful when you want someone who is not a user of a particular data room (e.g. an external partner) to provide files for you and upload them to it.
- The web page for uploading via the file request is accessible under a unique address (URL), which DRACOON generates when creating a file request. You can send the link for this directly with DRACOON by e-mail to desired recipients or pass on the link manually. The recipients call the link then in their browser and can upload files over the indicated web page into your DRACOON. The web page is automatically displayed in the language which the users have set in their browser (if a browser language is used in which DRACOON is not available, such as Chinese, the web page is displayed in English)..
- File requests can be protected by a password, which must then be entered before uploading.
- Numerous other setting options are available - for example, availability can be limited by an expiration date.
Settings specified when creating the file request can be changed subsequently if necessary.
Create new file request
- Highlight the data room or folder for which you want to create a file request.
- Click Request Files in the right sidebar.
If you are currently in the data room or folder for which you want to create a file request, click the three-dot button to the right of the path bar, and then click Request Files in the menu.
- The Request Files dialog box is displayed: In the dialog box, you can set an expiration date and a password for the file request, if necessary, by selecting the corresponding check box.
Specifies that the file request is time limited. The date determines the last day when the file request can still be used. After that the file request will be deleted (but not the uploaded files).
If you do not set an expiration date, the file request will remain active until you manually delete it under File Requests (left sidebar).- The expiration date applies only to the file request itself, not to the files uploaded via it. If you want all files uploaded via the file request to automatically have an expiration date, you can set this under Limit availability of uploaded files (see below).
- Your configuration manager may have a Default expiration period for file request defined. When creating a file request in this case automatically set a corresponding expiration date (e.g. (for example, set to 30 days after creation). You can change or remove this automatically assigned expiration date for a or remove it for a new file request if necessary.
By default, a file request allows anyone to upload who knows the link to it. If you want to restrict a file request to a specific group of users, you can protect it with a password. The users of the file request must then enter the password before they can upload files via it..
Um to enable password protection, activate the setting Password, and enter any password below it that meets the password policy. Alternatively you can click on the button to automatically create a random secure password, which you can then copy to the clipboard using the (to the right of it) to copy it to the clipboard for forwarding.
Additional setting: Send password via SMS
For security reasons, the password for file requests should not be passed on together with the link for the file requests web page, but in a separate way. DRACOON offers therefore the possibility to send the password by SMS. If you wish this, activate the check box Send password by SMS and then enter in the field Mobile phone number the desired phone numbers to which DRACOON should send an SMS with the password. If you want to send the SMS to several phone numbers, enter them one after the other and separated by a semicolon (;).
SMS sending not available? If the Send password via SMS checkbox is not present, then SMS password sending is not enabled for your DRACOON environment. If necessary, contact your configuration manager, to enable the SMS password sending in the settings.
Restriction on SMS sending for encrypted data rooms: Please note that for file requests from encrypted data rooms the password cannot be sent via SMS.
In these cases, you must therefore manually provide the recipient with the password for the file request by other means, e.g. via chat.The reason for this restriction is that the file request password must be sent in plain text via the SMS gateway. Since the password is also used to decrypt the uploaded files in encrypted data rooms, there would be a security risk here. DRACOON's strict security concept stipulates that decryption passwords must never leave the user's terminal device and are never stored anywhere in clear text. This principle would be violated if decryption passwords were sent in clear text via SMS..
Password forwarding without SMS: If you do not send the password via SMS, please remember to manually communicate it to the intended users of the file request, otherwise they will not be able to use the file request. For security reasons, it is best not to send the password together with the file request link, but in a separate way, e.g. via chat, if you send the link by e-mail.
File request name Name of the file request. By default, this is the name of the room or folder in question. However, you can also assign a different name.
The name is displayed in the overview of all file requests (click on File requests in the left sidebar) and on the public web page of the file request.
Show name of creator publicly Specifies that the name of the DRACOON user who created the file request is displayed publicly on the file request web page.
This way e.g. the contact person for the file request can be communicated.
List uploaded files publicly If activated, it is visible for everyone on the file request web page which files have been uploaded by all users via this file request so far. This allows, for example, users to check if someone has already uploaded an expected document and it does not need to be uploaded again.
If the file request is password protected, the already uploaded files are listed only after entering the password.
Limit storage space Sets a disk space limit for the total amount of all files uploaded via this file request. You can enter the size of the space provided in the field that becomes visible after the setting is enabled.
The limit refers to the shared uploads of all users. Once the limit is reached, no further uploading is possible. This setting can be used to prevent the upload of huge files or to prevent the data space from being completely filled by uploads.
Limit number of files L
Specifies that users can upload a maximum of only a certain number of files via this file request. You can enter the number in the field that becomes visible after activating the setting. If you enter "1" there and make the file request known to only one user, you can thus achieve that the user can only upload a file once. Once the limit is reached, no further uploads are possible - unless you increase or remove it later.
The defined number refers to the total number of uploaded files of all users - it does not apply per user. If the limit has already been reached by certain users, no further users can upload any more files.
Limit availability of uploaded files Specifies that files uploaded via the file request are automatically deleted from DRACOON after a certain number of days/months/years. You can enter the number of days/months/years in the field that becomes visible after activating the setting.
By activating this setting, all files uploaded via the file request will automatically receive a corresponding Expiration date. If necessary, for individual files from users of the data room (but not by the uploading persons) the expiration date can be removed or changed.
Add internal note Gives you the option to store an internal note about the file request. Here you can document e.g. the purpose or intended user group of the file request.
The internal note is displayed in the overview of the created file requests for each file request in the right sidebar and can be viewed by all DRACOON users who are allowed to use file requests in the data room.
Example:
Add public annotation Specifies that an additional file request annotation is displayed on the public web page for the file request. You can enter the text of the annotation in the field next to the setting after you enable the setting.
You can use the annotation to provide users with additional information about the file request, for example, a note about specific requirements for uploaded files.
- Click the Create File Request Link button to generate the file request with your selected settings.
After creating the file request: activate notification, copy file request link or send it by e-mail right away
After creating the file request, you can enable file request notification if needed so that you are automatically notified by email when your file request is used.
You can also copy the file request link to the clipboard for sharing or email it right away.
If you want to be notified when your file request is used (i.e. when someone uploads a file via the file request), you can enable the file request notification. You will then receive a notification email every time the file request is used (e.g. every time a file is uploaded via the file request).
- In the dialog box that appears after you create the file request, click the button with the bell icon to enable notification for this file request:
You can also enable notification at any time later by clicking File Requests in the left sidebar, highlighting the desired file request, and then clicking Enable Notification in the right sidebar.
At the same point, you can also deactivate the notification again if required by clicking Deactivate notification. This is useful, for example, if many files are uploaded via this file request and you therefore receive a lot of notification emails for this file request, which you find annoying.
- In the dialog box that appears after you create the file request, click Copy.
- The link to the file request web page is copied to the clipboard. You can now pass this on to the desired recipients who are to upload files.
If you have set a password in the file request settings and have not sent it by SMS in the settings, in addition to the link, you must also manually give the password to the recipients so that they can use the file request. For increased security, you should send the password in a separate way, for example, via chat message if you send the link via email.
You can insert the link for the newly created file request manually into an e-mail draft in your mail program and then send it - however, it is more convenient to use the e-mail dispatch of DRACOON right after creating the file request:
- In the dialog box that appears after you create the file request, type the e-mail address of the desired recipient in the Recipient field and press ENTER. Repeat this for all other desired recipients.
- A text for the e-mail is suggested in the Message field. Modify the suggested text if necessary or add additions if desired.
If the mail recipients are of a different language, select the desired language in the language selection field. The mail message is then automatically sent with a subject in the set language and the suggested message text is in the selected language.
The selected language affects only the e-mail sent by DRACOON and has no influence on the web page of the file request - this is always displayed in the language which the users have set in their browser (if necessary in English, if the browser language is not integrated in DRACOON, such as Chinese). - Click Send.
- DRACOON sends an e-mail with the specified text and the link for the file request web page to the specified recipients.
Who may create new file requests?
Users need the Manage file requests permission in the relevant data room to be able to create a file request for it or for a folder in the data room. This permission is included in the Edit permission grouping.
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