Sharing, E-mail and PDF

Share via OneDrive

Instead of using e-mail attachments, you can share individual files for reading and editing in Microsoft OneDrive also to people without an M-Files user account. In this case the editor/reader does not need to have a Windows Live ID either.

Share the file with these functions under Sharing, E-mail and PDF: Share via OneDrive or Share via OneDrive as PDF. The files can be shared in their original format (for instance .docx) or as PDF files.

The link can be sent in its full or in a shortened form. The shortened form is more convenient, but with confidential files, you should use the full form. Everyone who has access to the link, can read and edit the file. You can also copy the link from the dialog box for other uses.

Note: If changes to a file are made in M-Files, the version of the file that is shared is not automatically updated in OneDrive. If you want the modifications made in M-Files to be visible in the OneDrive version, you need to share the file again and send a new link to the recipients.

You can manage the shared files via your OneDrive account (https://onedrive.live.com/). Previously shared files and currently redundant files should be deleted from time to time.

If you want to share, for instance, brochures and price lists in a way that the shared versions are automatically updated, you should utilize the interaction between vaults for this kind of publication.

Send link by e-mail

With this function, M-Files creates a new e-mail message with a link to the file. The recipient must have access to the M-Files vault and the file.

Send (original or PDF version) by e-mail

You can send the file directly in PDF format, whereby the file will be converted to PDF format prior to sending. When the PDF file is ready, M-Files creates a new e-mail message with the PDF file already attached. Alternatively, you can send the file in its original format by choosing Send Copy by E-mail. In both cases, the file is sent as an e-mail attachment without any linking to M-Files.

Save as PDF

You can save a file directly as a PDF file by using the M-Files functions. This enables you to save the file in M-Files using the Save as PDF function without needing to open the file.

If you save a single-file document as a PDF file, M-Files creates a new document in PDF form with a metadata card. If you save a file in a multi-file document as a PDF file, M-Files suggests saving the file in the same multi-file document by default.

Convert to PDF

You can also convert a file to PDF. In this case, the original file (e.g., a Word file) is replaced with the corresponding PDF file.

You can use the function Convert to PDF (adds separate file), when you want to keep the original version and then have a PDF of it. If converting a single-file document using this function, M-Files will convert it to multi-file document at the same time with PDF converting.