Keep all files that relate to the contact in a central location. Store any emails, images, PDF's, documents, scanned post items, letters and statements files. Files saved to the contact are searchable within Synergy, and version control can be used with documents stored in Synergy.
Setup required before use | Who can use it? | Where is it? |
User Assistant project manager Project manager Director access Assistant system administrator System administrator | Contact > Documents tab |
What is the contact documents tab?
Use the contacts documents tab to store statements sent to the client, emails that are not project related, or other documentation sent to the client like letters and marketing material. Keep all your contact documentation in a central location, making the files searchable within Synergy. The documents stored have version control enabled, to allow tracking for your documents to see who updated a file and when. Roll back to a previous version of a file if incorrect changes have been made to a document.
Contact folders are automatically created when you add a new contact record using the contact folder template. If the contact folder template is updated you can apply changes to an existing contact using the action 're-build folders'. This feature will add any new folders from the template that are missing in the contact record.
Actions available
The default folder structure is used each time you create a new project, contact or staff record from the folder templates. The folder templates are setup by your Synergy Administrator.
Add extra folders to store your files in by:
Go to: Documents tab.
Click the add folder button at the top of the folder panel.
Type the folder name.
Choose if the folder is at the top level in the structure, or will by a subfolder by: Top - leave the 'parent folder' field to be blank. Subfolder - select from the list the parent folder to which the new folder will be linked to.
Save.
Tip: Add a folder into a set point in the existing structure by selecting the edit
button > add subfolder option.
Edit the folder by:
Find the folder that you want to update.
Click the action button > and select 'edit'.
Type a new folder 'name' as required.
Save and close.
A folder can be deleted if it does not contain and files or sub folders. If files exist in the folder then move the items to an alternate location before trying to delete the folder.
Delete a folder by:
Find the folder that you want to delete.
Click the action button > and select 'edit'.
Click the more actions button in the top right and select 'delete'.
Click the 'delete' button on the confirmation pop-up.
The list of folders is refreshed and the item has been deleted.
After the record has been created any changes made to the folder template is not automatically applied. If your administrator has changed the default folder structure and you want to apply the changes then you can use the re-build folders option to do this. The re-build folders option will add any missing folders to the structure. No folders are deleted or modified by this action, only the missing folders are added.
Rebuild the folders by:
Go to: Documents tab.
Select the page action button in the top right and select 're-generate folders'.
The page is refreshed and any missing folders from the template have been added.
File actions
Add files into Synergy using either drag and drop if you are on a desktop computer, or by selecting multiple files to upload in a browse window on your device.
Open the folder that you want to save the files within.
In File Explorer on your computer locate the files you want to upload to Synergy.
Highlight the files in the File Explorer window and drag and drop them onto Synergy open in a web browser.
Note: The files should be dropped onto the drag and drop panel at the end of the list of documents shown.The file upload starts automatically.
The page refreshes once compete to show the newly added files within the open document folder.
Tip: This method is only available when using a desktop computer. When using a tablet or phone, please see the alternate method below.
Browse for files to upload to Synergy from your device (computer, tablet, or phone). The multiple files upload page lets you define which folder the files will be saved within, change the file name, and to add tags to make the file searchable within Synergy.
Upload multiple files by:
Open the Documents tab.
Click the 'upload' button in the top right corner.
Click the 'add files' button to open the browse window.
Locate the files your want to upload on your device. Select one or multiple files to be uploaded from the folder.
Edit the file details in the upload documents page (optional). Amend a single line by updating the fields on that row, or check the multi row box to apply the updates to all the documents to be uploaded. Fields that can be updated are: Name - The file name from your device is shown. Change the file name to be used in Synergy if required. This can be amended in the single row method only. Folder - Choose which folder the files will be saved within. Each file can be saved to a different folder location if required. The default folder is the top level of the folder structure, and the files can be moved later if required. Click into the folder field and a list of project folders is shown. Select the save to location. Tags - Type tag(s) to describe the file, and when entering multiple tags separating the tags with a commas (,). Tags are used to add extra details to the file that are searchable within Synergy. If using the multiple file details edit row, click the 'update selected rows' button to apply the changes.
Click the 'upload' button in the top right to start the file(s) upload to the Synergy project.
The documents list opens to shows the new files in the project after the upload is complete.
Bulk edit options for the files
Edit all the rows shown in the upload page to save all the files to the same folder, or add the same tags to the files.
Add the files into the 'upload documents' page using the steps above.
Check the multi-select box in the bottom left corner of the page.
The multi update files row is shown at the end of the list of files to be uploaded. Edit the common file details by: Folder - Click the folder field and select the which location the files should be saved to in Synergy. Tags - Type the tags to be added to the files shown. When multiple tags need to be added, separate the tags with a comma.
Click the 'update selected rows' button (on the right side) to apply the changes.
When ready click the 'upload' button to import the files to Synergy.
Save a copy of the current file version (most recent) by:
Go to: Documents tab.
Select the row action button > and choose the 'download' option.
The current file version is downloaded.
Tip: Use the document properties (view) page to download copies of any previous file versions.
Move a file between folders by one of the following methods:
Go to: Documents tab.
Apply either the 'default' or 'email details' view to the tab to see the file and folder panel at the same time.
Choose which method to use to move the files: Drag and drop Check the box next to each of the files that you want to move. Click on one of the selected items and drag it onto the required folder. Bulk move Check the box next to each of the files that you want to move. At the end of the file panel click the multi select actions button > select the 'move' option. Select which folder that you want to move the files to and click save. Single file move Select the row action button > choose the 'view' option. The current folder the file is saved within is shown. Select an alternate folder for the file and click the save and close button.
The page refreshes to show the updated list of files still in the folder.
Use tags to store extra searchable information against file(s) in stored in Synergy. For example you can use tags to label where photos were taken, add a client name to a set of documents, add the project site address or location to a file and much more. Add tags to documents by:
Open the folder that contains the files you want to tag.
Check the box next to each of the files that will have the same set of tags applied.
Click the multi select actions button > select the 'bulk tags' option.
In the tags box type each required tag into the box. Separate each new tag entered with a comma, or click the enter key to start typing the next tag. If the tag already exists then it is shown in a list, and you can choose to use the existing tag instead of creating a new tag.
Save.
Tip: Add tags to a single file by selecting the row to open the file, and adding the tags in the view document properties page.
The current version of a file can be sent to a Synergy contact via email as an attachment. The send process allows you to select multiple contacts to send the email TO, and add a custom message to be included in the email sent for your client. Project documents can be 'sent' to any contact listed on the project contacts tab. Staff documents can be emailed to other staff within your Synergy organization. Contact documents can be emailed to any staff or contact record.
Send a file via email by:
Open the Documents tab.
Select the folder that the file resides within in the folder list.
For the file you want to send, select the row action button > 'send' option.
In the 'To' box select the contact(s) that the file will be emailed to.
(Optional) Add a message that will be included in the email for all the entered contacts.
Click the 'send' button.
The email has been sent and you will be returned to the documents list. The selected contacts (or staff) will receive an email from Synergy with the file included as an attachment.
Use the view document properties page to view the previous file versions, review the document audit history, or change the file details. For any image file types a small thumbnail image is shown to let you preview the current version of the image file.
Click on a file name in the list view to open the document properties page, or select the row action button > and choose the 'view' option.
Actions available
Download and open a previous version - In the download history panel locate the version you want to view, and click the row action button and select 'download'.
File name change - Type the new required file 'name' and save. E.g. add details to the file name to describe the file or image version.
Folder move - Select the new location for the file in the 'folder' drop down list and save.
Add notes in the description - Use the description field to store any extra notes about the file, the current version, or why the rollback to previous version feature has been used.
Rollback to a previous version - Use this feature when more than one file version exists. This is used when a user has updated a file in error, or uploaded the wrong file to Synergy. Rollback to a previous version by: Locate the file that should be the current version in the document history table. i.e. Version 2 should be the current file not the file showing as Version 3. On the row for version 2, select the row action button and choose the 'rollback to this version' option. The history table is updated and version 2 has now been copied and it shown as the 'new' file version 5.
Add tags - Tags allow you to store extra searchable information against the file or image. Click into the tags box and the recently used tags in Synergy are shown, click on one of these items to use that tag. Or type a word or phrase into the tag box to create a new tag for this file. When multiple tags are required use a comma (,) to separate the tags, or press the enter key when typing and the form knows you are starting to type a new tag.
Tip: More of the standard row actions are available in the 'view' page within the page actions button.
The 'lock' file feature is available to stop users from uploading any further file versions. Use this to stop your staff from making any further changes to files when the document is final and has been sent to the client. Locked files also cannot be deleted by staff.
Lock a file by:
Opening the folder that the file is located within.
Locate the file in the list and select the row action button > choose the 'lock' option.
The list is refreshed and the file row now shows the 'locked' symbol.
The locked file (and previous versions) can be downloaded, but no further future versions can be uploaded.
Tips:
If the file was locked by mistake then use the 'unlock' option found in the row action button to reverse this process.
Only the administrator or higher access levels can use the 'lock' or 'unlock' file feature.
Delete a file when it has been uploaded in error, or is no longer required. The file cannot be deleted if it is currently checked-out for edit, or if the file has been locked.
Open the Documents tab and use one of the following methods: Single row - Click the row action button and select 'delete'. Open file - Click on a row to open the document edit page. Click the page action button and selected the 'delete' option. Multi-row - Select the checkbox(es) on the row left for each item you want to delete. Then click the multiple rows action button and choose 'delete'.
The documents list refreshes and the file(s) have been removed.
Version control actions
Each document that is uploaded to Synergy automatically includes version control. Version control on files allows you to:
Link newer versions of an updated file to the current file stored in the document library.
Work on a document as a team, using the 'check-out' feature to make sure only one staff member can edit the file at a time.
Check-in a file when changes are finished and this process lets you upload the new file version.
Request another staff member finish working on a file using 'request check-in'.
Undo a new version upload using the 'rollback to this version' option.
Use the check-out feature when you want to start to update a file. Checking out a file locks the file to only be available to be edited or updated by you. Checked out files are locked to you to allow you to update the file contents. Other Synergy users will only be able to download copies of the current file version until you have finished making changes to the file and have checked-in the new version of document.
Go to: Documents tab
Locate the folder that contains the file that you want to update.
Click the row action button > and select 'check-out for edit'.
The file is locked to you for edit, and is updated to show the checked out symbol in the list view.
Update the file as required, then save the updated file to your local device.
Next steps:
Check-in the updated file to create a new file version in Synergy.
Or cancel the file check-out to allow other users access to edit the file and upload new versions.
Use the check-in option after you have finished updating the document or file and have made all the required changes. Other Synergy users cannot update the file until you have checked-in of your new version of the document. This option is only shown for files that are currently checked-out. When you check-in a file it will lets you select the file to be uploaded as the new version.
Go to: Documents tab.
Switch to the 'checked out documents' view.
Locate the file in the list that you want to check-in.
Click the row action button > and select 'check-in'.
Click the 'choose file' button and browse to the location where you have saved the new version of this document. The document that is to be imported can be saved with any file name.
Highlight the file to import and click the 'Open' button on the 'Choose a file' window.
Click the 'save' button.
The list refreshes and the imported file is now the latest version of the document.
The original document version can still be found in the document properties window.
The edited and checked-in document will appear as the latest version of the file.
Tip: When a file has been checked-out accidentally, use the cancel check-out option to reverse the check-out and return to using the previous file version.
Use the upload a version feature to create a new file version. This allows you to create the new version when the file is not checked out to you, or when the file has been saved locally to a computer using a different file name. The previous version of the file is still available to view or download in the document properties window.
The file can be saved on your PC, device or network with any file name applied, and the file can be selected and imported as the new version of the file.
Import a new file version by:
Go to: Documents tab.
Locate the document for which the imported file will be the current version.
Click the row action button > select the 'upload new version' option.
Click the 'choose file' button and browse to the location where you have saved the new version of this document. The document that is to be imported can be saved with any file name.
Highlight the file to import and click the 'Open' button on the 'choose a file' window.
Click the 'save' button.
The list refreshes and the imported file is now the latest version of the document.
Tip: Use the rollback feature in the documents properties window to return to a previous file version.
If the file is checked out then this option is available to let you remove or cancel the checkout of the file. When the check-out is can canceled the file returns to the previous version of the file. Checking in the file using this feature allows other staff to be able to check-out the file and make any required changes.
Switch to the 'checked out documents' view.
Locate the document that you have checked out.
Select the row action button and select the 'cancel check-out' option.
The document has been checked in.
Tip: The cancel check-out feature can only be used on documents checked out to you (not checked-out by other staff).
If the file is being edited by another user, then you cannot check-out the file to make any changes. Request the user to check-in the controlled file so that you can then open the file for edit.
This option will send an email message to the user that has this file checked out. The automatic email created will be addressed to that user, and request that they check-in the file so that you can make changes. This option is only when the file is checked out to another user.
Go to: Documents tab.
Navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to edit. If it is being edited by another user the checked out symbol is shown against the row.
Select the row action button and select the 'request check-in ' option.
An email message is automatically sent to the user that has this file checked out. That email will ask the user to check-in the file so you can make your required changes.
Check back in the document library later on to see if the user has now finished their work on the file.
When a user has checked in and edited file in error, you can use the ' rollback to this version' feature to undo the changes and restore the previous file. The restored file is added as the latest version number, and the old version with the incorrect change remains.
How the rollback process works
A user has checked in an edited file as version #5.
After checking in the file the user realizes that the changes made were incorrect, and they need to return to version #4.
The user opens the file properties by clicking the row action button and choosing the 'view' option.
In the document history panel the user clicks the row action button on the file version number row (like version 4) that they want to return to > and they select the 'rollback to this version' option.
This creates version 6 for the file. Version 6 is a copy of the version 4 file, and will be opened when users click check-out or download the file.
Tip: Download the file version first to check the details, and make sure that the fie is the one you need to rollback to.
Search
Use the search or filter options to limit the number of documents shown.
Click the search button and type a keyword into the search box. To return to seeing all items by clicking the clear button.
Tip: Learn more about searching with the global search.
Filter
Filter the list by selecting the search button. Select a filter, or type the required filter text and click the 'search' button to apply the filter. The filter options are:
Start and end date - The modified date of the document is searched. This is the date that the file uploaded to Synergy, or a new file version was created. Use this filter to find all the files you updated this month or last month etc.
Tags - Search for documents or files that have tags applied. Tags are a way to add extra search information to any file. Type the tag name then click the 'enter' key or type a comma (,) separate and end the first tag and to start typing the next tag. Multiple tags can be search for together, and the results are shown with an OR rule. Meaning it looks for all items that have 'tag 1' applied or 'tag 2' applied, and both tag 1 and tag 2 results are shown in the list.
File type - Select a file extension from the list to see all the matching files of that type. e.g. See all the files that are PDF type.
Tip: Return to the default view by choosing the clear button in the search bar.
Columns available
Folder file indicator The folder image changes to show when the folder contains files or not. Folder without files , folder with files . The folder panel is shown in the default and email details views.
Folder name The name of the folder is shown. Click the folder to view the contents. Click the edit button to change the folder name or the access level required to be able to view the folder contents. The default folders shown are setup in folder templates, which can be configured for project folders, contact folders, and staff folders. Delete or rename the folders added from the default template as required. The folder panel is shown in the default and email details views. The folder name can also be seen as a column in the files panel in the other search views.
File type An image is shown to show the file type. The color of the image varies based on the file type, e.g. green for images, red for pdf's, blue for word, and white for unknown types. This column is included in all the file view options.
Name File name of the item uploaded and saved into the Synergy document library. The file name can be edited in Synergy if required. This column is included in all the file view options.
Size The file size is shown as KB, MB, or GB. This column is included in the default, search, recently updated, downloaded and not downloaded shared documents, and the checked out documents views.
Versions The number for the latest / current version for the file. This is the version that will open by default when the view or download options are used. Check this column to see if previous versions of the file exist to roll-back to, or open to review previous versions of the file by selecting the row and using the 'document history' panel. This column is included in the default, search, recently updated, and checked out documents views.
Last updated date The last modified date of the file or the date of the most recently uploaded version of this file. This column is included in the default view. This column is included in the default, search, and recently updated views.
Checked in / checked out / locked Check if the file is checked in and available for you to update, or if another user has already checked out the file to edit, or if another staff member has locked the file to prevent further edits. This column is shown in all views.
Tags This columns is shown in the search view to let you see the tags defined for each of the files in the list. Available in the search, and recently updated views.
From Who sent the email is shown. This is the name or full from email address. Shown in email view only.
To Who was included in the email to field. The multiple addresses the email was sent to are comma separated. Shown in email view only.
Subject The subject of the email. Shown in email view only.
Attachments The number of file attachment that were included in the sent email. Shown in email view only.
Checked-out by View the Synergy staff member that has the file checked out. Shown in the checked-out documents view only.
Checked-out date View the date and time that the file was checked out to the Synergy staff member shown in the checked-out by column. Shown in the checked-out documents view only.
Tips:
Columns change in the 'files panel' based on the view selected in the top right corner.
Click on a column name to sort the list by the contents of that column in either ascending or descending order.