Advanced preferences
Email Settings
Send e-mails from
Some email services reject messages sent using the ShareFile mail server or flag the messages as spam. If you are getting any reports of email delivery problems, setting the preference to user sending message might resolve the issue. Once the preference is set, the name of the user sending the message appears in the From field and that user’s email address is used when the message recipient replies to the message. This option might trigger message rejection as well, so do not use this option unless you are experience deliverability issues.
SMTP Server
By default, system notifications are sent from ShareFile mail servers to clients. At times this might not be ideal, especially when dealing with recipient mail servers that employ aggressive spam filters or whitelists. In these cases, setting a custom SMTP server allows you to send system notifications from your own mail server instead. Once these settings are configured, all emails sent through your account are sent through your mail server, instead of ShareFile’s servers. By setting a custom SMTP on your account, your users recognize your email address as the sender and any failed emails come back to you. To use a custom SMTP, an employee user must have the Allow this user to modify account-wide policies permission.
If you use Microsoft Office 365 and would like to utilize custom SMTP, view this set up guide from Microsoft.
Setting up custom SMTP
-
Navigate to Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > Email Settings > SMTP Server.
-
Click Configure SMTP Settings. The Custom SMTP Configuration page appears.
-
Enter the appropriate information to enable this feature.
Required fields:
- Enable Custom SMTP – This option must be selected if you want to use these settings.
- Email Address – This is the from email address of sent emails.
- Server – This is the host name of the email server that is used to send emails.
- Port – This is the port number to be used. Port 25 is the default. The following ports are also allowed: 26, 443, 465, 587, 2525.
- Username – This is the user name needed to access the server.
- Password – This is the password needed to access the server.
- Notify Email on Failure – This email address is sent notices if ShareFile Mail is unable to send an email with the given settings.
Optional fields:
- Use SSL – Choose between Implicit, Explicit, or Off.
- Failback to ShareFile – If selected, messages that fail to send using the custom settings prompt ShareFile to send future emails through standard email settings.
- Authentication Method – Select an authentication method here if a particular one is required by your server.
4. Click Save and Sent Test Email to complete the setup.
Troubleshooting your SMTP setup
Email Notifications / Messages are Delayed - This issue might occur when you are utilizing certain filter services or programs processing messages on your local mail servers. Before contacting ShareFile about delays in our system, verify that your messages are not being delayed by local filter services. One means of verifying that information is to review the full header details of a message and reviewing the time messages send between services or filters.
Email Notifications / Messages Do Not Arrive - This issue might occur if you have IP restrictions or policies on your local mail servers. See Firewall configuration to ensure you have whitelisted the custom SMTP IPs. Likewise, review your mail server authentication methods to ensure that ShareFile can communicate with your servers.
Too many connections from your host - This issue might occur when you have exceeded the maximum allowed connections on your SMTP server. To resolve this, you must update or increase your maximum allowed connections in your SMTP configuration, or use consolidated notifications to limit the number of connections you receive on a typical basis.
Notify users of their own activity
By default, even if a user has upload or download notifications for a folder, they do not receive notifications about their own activity in those folders. Enabling this option causes users with folder notifications set to receive updates about their own activity.
Upload Receipts
After enabling this setting, Request a File links that require recipients to enter their name and email before uploading emails a receipt email to the person uploading a file. Only request links that require name and email send upload receipts.
Email Notifications
When you set upload or download notifications for certain users on folders, users receive notifications about the uploads or downloads in real time by default. Users can change this default behavior by clicking the Personal Settings link in their account. However, if you want to set a default value for this setting for all users on your account, you can do so using this setting.
Changing this setting does not affect existing users in the system. It is only applied to newly created users. You can update this setting for individual users at their individual profile page.
Users can receive email notifications in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Japanese, or Portuguese.
Q&A Email Text
This feature determines whether the Folder Q&A feature sends the text of the questions and answers in the body of the notification emails. When set to no, the emails do not contain the question or answer text, but do include a link to sign in and view that information instead.
Encrypted Email
This option is used to enable the encrypted email feature. Setting the option to No prevents users from sending or responding to encrypted email messages.
Secondary Email Addresses
By default, all users on the account can configure a secondary email address for their profile. Setting the value to No removes the ability to configure a second email address for all users, including both employees and clients.
Permissions
Client Shares
By default, all clients who have download access to a particular folder have a Send button that allows them to send any of the files in the folder to a third-party recipient. However, in some use cases, companies do not want clients to be able to send files to third-parties, even though the client can download the files and send them to third-parties outside of the system. If Yes is selected, the Share button appears for clients inside all folders. If No is selected, the Share button only appears for employee users.
Folder Access List
To enable Folder Access List, navigate to Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > Permissions then select Yes to Show “People on this Folder” tab to non-administrators.”
When enabled, all users will be able to see the Folder Access List for folders they have access to. Otherwise, only users with Administrative rights on the folder will be able to see the list of other users for the folder.
File settings
Use File Settings to configure the following items:
- Share settings
- Request settings
- Set the Default Retention policy
- Enable Sorting
- Enable Versioning
Share Settings
The following provides ShareFile admins with the information necessary to manage the Anyone (public) and Anyone (public, must enter name and email) default share link options.
Access and manage your share settings by navigating from your ShareFile dashboard to Admin settings > Advanced Preferences > File Settings > Share settings.
Request settings
The following provides ShareFile admins with the information necessary to manage the Anyone (public) and Anyone (public, must enter name and email) default request link options.
Access and manage your request settings by navigating from your ShareFile dashboard to Admin settings > Advanced Preferences > File Settings > Request settings.
Retention policy
For accounts on the Professional plan and higher, the File Retention policy causes files to automatically be deleted some days after they are uploaded. This option can be configured separately for each root-level folder in the system. This setting determines the default file retention policy used when a new root-level folder is created. Never is the default value.
Sorting
By default, files and folders are displayed so that the most recent items are listed first. Users can choose a different order for files and folders by clicking the Title, MB, Uploader, or Creator headings. ShareFile remembers the order that they choose and uses this option to display files in the same order within that folder in the future. You can choose a different order in which files and folders display. To do so, choose a category to use to display files and whether they are to be displayed in Ascending or Descending order.
Versioning
If Yes is marked, when a user uploads a file to a folder that already contains a file with the same name, both versions of the file are saved so you can follow the progress of the file and prevent any data loss from overwriting. If No is chosen, uploading a file with the same name as an existing file causes the system to overwrite the older version of the file on your account.
You can set a maximum number of versions of files that the system saves. For example, if you choose to save up to 10 versions of a file, and you have 10 versions of a file stored on your account, any new uploads cause the oldest version of the file to be deleted.
Editing
When using Microsoft Office Online for viewing and editing, Office Online keeps a temporary copy of the file being viewed and edited for the purposes of rendering and making changes to the file. It is recommended that all administrators communicate this information to users along with reviewing the Microsoft Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. An Office 365 subscription is required for editing.
For more information on Microsoft Office previewing and editing, see Co-editing in ShareFile.
Cloud rendering
If Cloud Rendering is enabled, ShareFile keeps a temporary copy of the files (images, audio, PDFs) involved in your workflow.
When the workflow completes, ShareFile moves the files to the selected on-prem folder. If a user views any file related to a completed workflow, ShareFile makes a temporary copy of the file from on-prem to the ShareFile cloud cache. A file is available for up to one week in the cloud cache after the last time the file is viewed.
If Cloud Rendering is disabled, users are not able to use Feedback and Approval or Custom Workflow features with files stored on a customer managed storage zone. It is recommended that all administrators communicate this information to their users along with reviewing the ShareFile End User Services Agreement and Privacy Policy.
Enable ShareFile tools
You can enable or disable access to individual apps and tools on your account. Any changes in this menu impact all users on the account.
Show Apps Page in Navigation Bar allows the Apps link to be present in the upper right corner of your account. You can customize which tools are shown in this list. You can enable or disable the tools listed in this menu.
Folder templates
This tool allows you to create a default set of subfolders that can be added to new or existing folders on your account to allow for easy folder structure setup when the same subfolders are frequently used. An example of this is if you have separate folders for specific projects or clients on your account and information in each folder is always organized into the same subfolder categories. Applying a folder template to the folder automatically creates the default subfolders within the selected folder to streamline folder setup.
Important:
- Folders associated with a template cannot be deleted until the template association has been removed.
- Folder template features rely on permissions that users must be granted.
- When deleting a subfolder from the folder template, all instances of that folder within your account and all files contained within said folders are deleted. Folders deleted from a change to the template can be restored from the Recycle Bin.
Limitations
Users with a large amount of folders or deeply nested folder structures might not be able to apply folder templates to subfolders in bulk or rename existing folders in bulk.
There might be a delay while ShareFile processes template changes across your account. If you are editing templates that have been associated with many folders on your account, allow the web app time to process these changes before navigating away from the folder template menu.
Instructions
Create folder template
To create a template, navigate to Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > Folder Templates.
You can enter a name for this template which allows you to identify the template if you set up more than one on the system. This title is not displayed in the folder screen. You can also enter a description which is displayed on the Dynamic Folder Templates page to help you further identify a specific template, if you create more than one on your account. When you are done, click Create Template.
On the next screen, click the title of your template to highlight it, and then click Add Folder. You can set up as many subfolders as you would like. To create a subfolder of a folder in the template, you can click the name of the folder that the new subfolder will be in, then click Add Folder. Once you are done, click Finish.
Add a template during folder creation
You can add a template when creating a folder. To do so, create a folder and use the Apply Template drop-down menu to apply a folder template. When you create the folder, the subfolders in the template are automatically set up inside the new folder.
You can also use a template to add subfolders to a folder that you have already created. To do so, navigate to the folder you want to modify and hover your mouse over the drop-down menu carat directly to the right of the folder’s name, then click Edit Folder Options. In the folder template section, apply a template from the drop-down menu. To remove a template from a given subfolder, check the Do not use a folder template option in the menu.
Apply folder templates to subfolders in bulk
You can apply folder templates to subfolders in bulk. You must be an Employee user with the Allow this user to edit folder templates permission. You must also be a member of the super user group to use the Apply Templates to Folder button.
To apply templates, click Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > Folder Templates. Locate the template you want to apply in bulk and click the Apply To Folders icon. At the menu, you can designate which folder you want to apply the template to. The template is then applied to all subfolders within the folder you choose. Once you have selected the folder, click Apply. Depending on your template, you might see a status screen as your templates are applied. Click Apply to finish.
Folder template permission requirements
To create folder templates, you must be an employee user with the Allow this user to edit folder templates permission enabled. You must also have access to set up root level folders on the account or have upload permissions in one or more folders where you can add subfolders.
To apply folder templates to subfolders in bulk, you must be an employee user with the Allow this user to edit folder templates permission enabled. You must also be a member of the Super User Group to use the Apply Templates to Folder button.
To apply a template to a folder, you must have Admin permissions on a folder to access the Advanced Folder Settings menu where you can view template association.
To edit or delete a folder associated with a template, you must first remove the template association. To do so, navigate to the folder in question and click the Advanced Folder Options using the drop-down menu beside the folder name. In the menu, scroll down to the folder template section and click Remove Association. You can now able to edit and delete the folder.
When deleting a subfolder from the folder template, all instances of that folder within your account and all files contained within the folders are deleted. Folders deleted from a change to the template can be restored from the Recycle Bin.
Remote Upload Forms
Remote Upload Forms let you place HTML code on your website that allows visitors to upload files from your website directly into your account. You can specify the folder that uploaded files get saved to, and what additional information to collect from the person uploading files.
Warning:
ShareFile does not provide extra code or advice beyond the provided sample. ShareFile cannot provide customer support for remote upload form code that has been modified beyond the template generated in the web application at the time of creation.
Users must be an employee user with the “Manage Remote Upload Forms” permission to create a remote upload form.
You can create a form in the ShareFile console by going to Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > Remote Upload Forms, then clicking Add New Form.
Note:
The data filled in the remote upload form is stored as a note against the file that is uploaded on the form.
To prevent Remote Upload Forms from expiring, please make sure the account-wide Request Link setting for “Maximum Access Expiration Period” is set to Never prior to creating a Remote Upload Form. More information on this setting can be found here.
Adding a new form
Form Description: This is the name of the form in the remote upload wizard page of your account. This name is not be shown on the form itself.
Choose Destination: Choose whether to store uploaded files in a specific Folder or a File Drop. If the File Drops feature is enabled on your account, you can designate a created File Drop as the upload destination. When choosing the File Drop option, use the list to choose from a list of File Drops that you have already created.
Choose Upload Folder: Choose the folder where you want uploaded files to be stored. This folder must be a folder in the Shared Folders section of your account. If this folder has not been created yet, you must create it before using the remote upload wizard.
Return users to: When a website is correctly entered into this field, a user that has uploaded a file to the Remote Upload Form is taken to the website chosen. Note that any address in this field requires https:// to function properly.
Request Uploader Info: When checked, users must enter their email, first and last name, and company before adding files to the form. If this box is not checked, uploaders appear as Anonymous.
Custom Fields: You can add more fields using the + Add Custom Field option. You have the option of marking these fields as required.
Once you have completed the form, click Save and Get Code. You can then copy the raw HTML iframe for your Remote Upload Form.
This code remains available in the Remote Upload Forms section of your account. You can retrieve it by clicking the View Code icon, or delete it from the list by choosing the Remove icon.
FAQ for Remote Uploads for FINRA enabled accounts
There are a few differences when creating a Remote Upload Form for an account that has FINRA Archiving enabled account.
When creating a Remote Upload Form on an Archiving enabled account, why is the Add Custom Field(s) option not available?
This is intentional.
After generating the code for the Remote Upload Form with uploader information required, the page only has the upload space but no fields to enter uploader Information?
This is intentional. FINRA policy requires all content on an archiving account to be static. Those fields are added to the notes of a file, so they would not be static.
Those fields are not valid for archiving enabled accounts because they are not in compliance.
File drops
If the File Drops feature is enabled on your account, you can designate a created File Drop as the upload destination. When choosing the File Drop option, use the list to choose from a list of File Drops that you have already created. See File Drops for more information.