Databases - Auto-Create Folder on Record Creation

The Auto-Create Folder feature marries functionality between your Resource and Database modules, saving manual creation of folders to house any resources that relate to a Database record. 

Click from the below to jump the the relevant section to learn more about this feature:

• Auto-Create Folder on Record Creation
• Enabling Auto-Created Folders
• Auto-Created Folder Access from Database
• Return to Record from Folders

Auto-Create Folder on Record Creation

When a Database/Register has a Sequence ID field enabled, the database can now be set to automatically create a Folder or folder structure. This will occur anytime a new record/entry is added to one of your project databases, making it easier to manage a larger number of supporting documents.

When a record is added within the selected database, a folder is then automatically created with the same custom permissions:

- View on the Record will give Access (view) permission to the folder
- Edit will give Publish (upload) permissions to the folder
- Admin on the Records module will enable Admin on all folders automatically created.

Enabling Auto-Created Folders

To enable this feature on a Database, your Database/Register must contain a Sequence field. This is in order to ensure no duplicate folders will be created.

With this field enabled, you can go to your Database Settings.

Here, there is a setting called Auto-Create Resource Folders, which is Off by Default.

Selecting On will enable you to choose exactly where in the Resources area the folders will be automatically created.


If you wish to clone an existing structure of folders that will be created as sub-folders on record creation, use the Clone Existing Structure setting to select which structure to copy. 

 

Note that the parent folder of the cloned structure will not be cloned. So only sub-folders within the selected Folder will be cloned as part of this process.

You can then select how the permissions should be applied to this new cloned folder structure. 

- Keep Original will apply the original permissions for the existing folder structure to the newly cloned version.

- Map Record Permissions will apply the permissions of the record to the new folder structure, so users will have the same level of permissions to the new folder and contents as they do to the corresponding record. 

- Merge Permissions will apply the highest level of permission between the cloned folder & records to the new folder and the files within. 

If you wish to have specific files copied to each new Auto-Create folder/s, a new setting in your Database settings allows this. Under Copy Resource Options, is a setting called 'Copy content of original resource's auto-created folder(s) to the new folder(s).' 

If enabled, any resources that are within the original auto-created folder/s will automatically be copied to the new folder once each new record (and subsequent folder) is created. 

If you need specific release forms or procedures to always appear within any of your folders, this is an easy shortcut to ensure that they are always available. 

Auto-Created Folder Access from Databases

Once your records have been created (and approved), the Auto-Folder link will automatically be available on the record. If you click this icon, you will be taken to the Folder in a new tab. 

Return to Record from Folder(s)

As the above example shows, from the Auto-Created Folders you can click on the 'Linked Record' icon or action to take you back to View the source record.

An icon will show in the folder the user is in, and links from the folder menu will also be available for any sub-folders under the Auto-Created structure. These will take you directly to view the record. 

Only users who have View permission or above over the linked record will see these icons/actions.

If record is deleted but the folders remain, the icons & actions will no longer display on any of these folders. 

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You can read more about your Databases module here. 

Please note that the 'Database' and 'Records' terminology referenced above may appear differently in your platform as these are customisable terms.  

If you have any further questions please contact your Customer Success Manager.  

Related:

Generating a Sequence ID