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Configuring a File Store

A File Store is a shared library of folders and files that people browse, add to and pick from. Setting one up means deciding what kind of store it is, which columns people see, who may do what in it, and where they will reach it from. Where the files physically live is not part of a store's settings: that is the installation's storage backend, which your hosting administrator sets.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Data:

  • File Stores — the stores and their settings
  • Datastores — where a File Store Selection field is added to a datastore

Admin Panel → User Administration:

  • User Groups — the security groups a store's permissions are granted to

What a store's settings hold

  • A name, which is what people see when they browse or pick from it.
  • Its path type: virtual or physical. A virtual store is a library the platform manages: folders, files and the earlier versions of each file are records, and the files themselves go to the installation's storage backend. A physical store lists a folder on the web server's own disk. Use virtual unless you have a specific reason not to; a physical store only makes sense on an installation that stores files locally, and it does not keep versions.
  • The columns to show when somebody browses the store, chosen from a list such as icon, file name, type, size and version, plus date and owner details. A store with no columns chosen cannot be browsed at all; it shows "There are no fields in this filestore - please go to the filestore settings to add some."
  • Permissions, per security group, covered in Structure and Permissions.

Setting up a store

  1. Decide who the store is for. One store per audience keeps permissions simple: a store that two groups need to see differently is usually two stores.
  2. Open File Stores and add a store with a clear name and a virtual path type.
  3. Choose the columns people should see. File name, type, size and version are a sensible start.
  4. Grant permissions to each security group that needs the store: Read for everybody who should see it, and Upload Files, Create Folders, Edit Existing Files/Folders or Delete Files/Folders only for the people who maintain it.
  5. If people should pick files from the store on a form or record, add a File Store Selection field to that datastore, point it at the store, and set how many files may be picked.
  6. Test it as a member of each group, as described below.

How people use a store

Browsing a store shows its folder tree from a Home breadcrumb, with Add Folder and Upload Files buttons for people whose groups hold those permissions. A File Store Selection field opens the same browser inside a form, so a person can pick an existing file rather than uploading a copy.

The File Store Selection field has a setting for permitted file types, but it is not yet enforced. To restrict file types today, use a File Upload field, which has its own allowed-file rules: see File Uploads.

Testing

  1. Sign in as a member of a group with Read only. Confirm the store opens, and that Add Folder and Upload Files are not offered.
  2. Sign in as a member of a maintaining group. Create a folder, upload a file, then upload a replacement and confirm the earlier version is kept.
  3. Sign in as somebody with no permission on the store. Opening it should say "You do not have access to this file store."

What goes wrong

  • "There are no fields in this filestore": no columns are chosen in the store's settings.
  • "You do not have access to create folders in this file store." or a similar message for uploading, renaming or deleting: the person's groups lack that permission on this store.
  • A physical store shows nothing on S3 or Azure: physical stores read a folder on the web server, which object storage does not have. Use a virtual store.

Worked example

A school sets up a virtual "Staff Policies" store. All Staff get Read; the Business Manager group gets Upload Files, Create Folders and Edit Existing Files/Folders; only the Head's group can delete. A File Store Selection field on the incident form, limited to one file, lets staff attach the relevant policy without uploading a copy. Testing as a teacher confirms there is no Upload Files button.

Recommendations

  • Use virtual stores, which keep versions and work on every backend.
  • One store per audience, rather than folders with different expectations.
  • Grant Read widely and write narrowly.
  • Test as a member of each group, never as an administrator.