Sharing Files

For sharing file download link, if user wants to share file(s) then user will select one or multiple files and will then click [Send files] button to share the files.

The File share window appears as shown below:

  • Select link type – The sender of the download link will first select the link type from the ‘Link type’ drop-down. 

The link can be of two types:

Free Link (Anyone with the link)

If sender selects the link type as free link, then anyone receiving this link (either as the direct recipient through email or as a forwarded link from the recipient) will be able to click this link and download the folder(s)/file(s) (whose download link is being send).

[Screenshot shown above]

Password-Protected Link (only users with password can download)

If sender selects the link type as password-protected link, then anyone receiving this link (either as the direct recipient through email or as a forwarded link from the recipient) will not be able to click this link and download the folder(s)/file(s) (whose download link is being send), directly. The recipients will first have to enter a custom password (assigned by the sender) to get authorization to download the folder(s)/file(s) sent via the download link.

Screenshot below displays the enhanced ‘Send link’ dialog box with the link type selected as ‘Password-Protected link’:

As soon as sender selects this link type a textbox will appear under the link drop-down. The sender will enter a custom password which needs to be entered by the recipient to download the file, upon clicking the download link. 

While downloading if the recipient is having the password which has been shared with him/her separately and manually by the sender (via text message, email, telephone, chat or verbal communication) then he/she needs to enter the password to download the files/folders or else if the recipient is not having the password to download the files/folders, then he/she can request for the password by clicking on a link on the “Enter Password” pop-up screen to get the password. After clicking on the link, the recipient will receive a separate email from the application which will contain the password. By entering this password user will be able to download the files/folders.

The benefit of this is that the folder/file can now only be downloaded/opened by the intended recipient who knows the password. This will make the process of sending files more secure as unauthorized access is negated.

  • Enter recipient email ID(s) - The sender of the link will then enter the recipient email ID(s) (multiple email IDs can be entered separate by semicolon or comma) and click the [Share] button to share the link to the recipients’ email ID.
  • Change expiration date: The default no. of days after which the link will expire is 10 days. But sender can ‘Change expiration date’ menu button to select the no. of days after which the download link will expire. After clicking this button, a calendar will open from where sender can select the date & time after which the link will expire. This date cannot be the before the current date (the date on which the link will be send).
  • Copy link – Instead of using the “Share” option from the application, the sender can also ‘Copy’ the download link and send the download link through message, chat, third-party email ID (like through Gmail or Outlook) by using their own email ID. In this case, the sender does not need to enter the sender email ID in the ‘Add email’ textbox and share from the application.


Workflow of recipient accessing the download link for without password file & password-protected files shared from application

After user sends the download link of the folder(s)/file(s) via the application, the recipient will receive the folder/file download prompt in his/her email ID (which is entered by the sender in the ‘Send link’ dialog box). This email prompt will remain like what it currently is (will be different for each application from where the file is being sent – like different for SKYSITE & ARC Facilities).

 

Screenshot below displays the folder/file download prompt as received by the intended recipient in his/her email (File download email received from current SKYSITE Archives is taken as an example):

 

  • Recipient will now click the [Click here] link to initiate file downloading.

If the file is shared while selecting the Link Type as ‘Anyone with the link’ (i.e. Free link), then the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen will open after user clicks the download link in the email. After the download screen opens, either the download will start automatically or will start after user clicks the [Download] button.

 

Screenshot below displays the folder/file download screen for a free link (File download screen of SKYSITE Archives is taken as an example):

In case, the file download link type selected by the sender is ‘Password Protected’, then after recipient clicks the download link in the email, the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen will appear but on top of it a textbox will appear asking the user to enter the custom password (to allow downloading of the file), otherwise the application will not let the recipient to download the folder/file.

Screenshot below displays the pop-up box where file download password can be entered on the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen:

  • Now, recipient will enter the password received separately and manually from the sender (via text message, email, telephone, chat or verbal communication) and click the [Submit] button to make the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen active again.

Note: This is the same password which the sender entered while sending download link from the application.

  • If the recipient is not having the password to open the files/folders i.e. the sender has not sent the password manually, then he/she can request for the password by clicking on “Click here” link on the ‘Password Submission’ pop-up screen to get the password automatically from the application. After clicking on the link, the recipient will receive a separate auto-generated email from the application which will contain the password. 

Screenshot below displays the application delivered password, sent to the recipients email ID:

  • Recipient will note down this password, then return to the Download folder(s)/file(s) screen to enter that password on the ‘Password Submission’ pop-up screen to download the shared folder/file in the user’s local system.

Screenshot below displays the folder/file download screen for a Password protected link (File download screen of SKYSITE Archives is taken as an example):

  • In the end, recipient will click the [Download] button to download the file/folder into his/her local system.

Note: The download might start automatically without the need for the user to click the [Download] button.

 

Workflow of recipient accessing the download link for files shared through “Copy” link option

As shown is the above section (Section 3.2) user can share the files/folders via ‘Share’ option from the application or else user can copy the download link of the sharable files (generated automatically in the application) and have to share the link with the recipient through third-party message apps, chats or emails (send via own means).

 

Screenshot below displays the application’s Share files/folders screen:

To share the file/folder via “Copy” link option, user needs to click on the  [Copy] button placed adjacent to the application-generated download link. 

 

After clicking user will get a pop-up message as “Copied to clipboard”.

 

Screenshot below displays the application’s Share files/folders screen with the “Copied to clipboard” pop-up message:

Now, user will have to share the download link through their own email ID or any third-party message apps or by any other means. 

  • Click [Copy] button to copy the auto-generated shareable link of the folder/files to clipboard
  • Paste in any third-party message app (send via own means) for sending to the intended recipient

For example, user wants to share the download link through his/her personal email ID. Then user needs to open his/her personal email ID, then have to compose a new email to the recipient and paste the copied download link within that new email and in the end will send it to the recipient.

 

Now, if the file is shared while selecting the Link Type as ‘Anyone with the link’ (i.e., Free link), then the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen will open after recipient clicks the download link in the email. After the download screen opens, either the download will start automatically or will start after recipient clicks the [Download] button.

 

Screenshot below displays the folder/file download screen for a free link (File download screen of SKYSITE Archives is taken as an example):

In case, the file download link type selected by the sender is ‘Password Protected’, then after recipient clicks the download link in the email, the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen will appear but on top of it a textbox will appear asking the user to enter the custom password (to allow downloading of the file), otherwise the application will not let the recipient to download the folder/file.

Screenshot below displays the pop-up box where file download password can be entered on the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen

Now, recipient will enter the password received separately and manually from the sender (via text message, personal email, chat etc.) and click the [Submit] button to make the ‘Download folder(s)/file(s)’ screen active again.

Note: This is the same password which the sender entered while sending download link from the application.

 

Now, if the sender has not shared the password with the recipient via any means, then for a ‘Password Protected’ shared files/folders, recipient will not be able to download the shared files/folders as request to get password automatically from application is not available. He/she will have to get in touch with the sender (ask the sender separately) to get the password.

 

After recipient enters the password on the ‘Password Submission’ pop-up screen, the Download folder(s)/file(s) screen appears from where recipient will be able to download the shared folder/file in his/her local system.

Screenshot below displays the folder/file download screen for a Password protected link (File download screen of SKYSITE Archives is taken as an example):

  • In the end, recipient will click the [Download] button to download the file/folder into his/her local system.

Note: The download might start automatically without the need for the user to click the [Download] button.