How to Share a Folder with Others (Mobile App)
This article will walk through how to set up a folder in your archive and share it with others so they can view the materials in the folder and contribute to the folder.
The Permanent.org shares feature allows you to share a file or folder from your archive with another archive. This allows members with access to that archive to view materials in that file or folder.
This feature can be helpful if you are the documentarian or curator of your family, group, organization, or community's photos and files. For instance, say your family held a family reunion this summer, and you were the main photographer at the event. When the event is over and you've uploaded your favorite memories to a folder on Permanent.org, you may want to share that material with others who attended the reunion. You'll be able to create a share link to that folder, which will allow your family members to preview the photos without a Permanent.org account, or view all of the photos in the folder if they create an account on Permanent.org. This gives your family members access to the materials in that folder, but doesn't allow them to view or make changes to other parts of your archive.
Below are instructions for setting up and sharing a folder in your archive.
Set up the Folder
You will first need to create a folder in the Private Workspace of your archive where you would like the collaboration space to exist. For instance, you may already have a folder in your Private Workspace called "Vacations," and you want to create a subfolder in that folder for the beach vacation you took this summer. You can open the "Vacations" folder, then create a new folder within that folder called "Beach 2022."
Please note that the sharing feature is only available for private files in the Private Workspace. If you would like the shared folder to be a part of your Public Archive, you will need to publish the folder after you have gathered all of the materials. Learn more about public archives here.
Navigate to the location you would like to create the shared folder, then tap the plus button in the bottom right corner. Next, tap New Folder.
A new window will appear where you can name the new folder. Type in the name, then tap Create. The new folder will appear in your workspace.
At this point, you can add any files that you would like to upload to this folder by tapping the plus button again, then tapping Upload.
Share the Folder
The Permanent mobile app uses share links that are able to be sent via text or email to preview and provide access to files and folders in your archive. To create a share link, tap the folder action menu to the right of the folder you created, then tap Share Management.
Link Settings
This will open the Shares page, where you can view who has access to the shared folder, manage access, and manage settings on the share link. To create the share link, tap Get Share Link.
You may want to change the settings of your share link before you share it with others. You can change the following settings for your share link by tapping the Link Settings button:
- Share Preview: turning Share Preview on will show a preview of the files in this folder with others before they've logged into their Permanent account. Turning Share Preview off will blur the files in the preview.
- Auto Approve: turning Auto Approve on will automatically approve access to the folder for whoever has the share link and is logged into Permanent. Turning Auto Approve off will allow you to accept or reject access to the folder when another Permanent member requests access to it.
- Default Access Role: set the default access role for any Permanent member who is added to the shared folder. Learn more about access roles here.
- Max number of uses: the link will become inactive after the max number of uses has been reached.
- Expiration date: the link will become inactive after the expiration date has been reached.
We suggest turning Share Preview and Auto Approve on to allow for more seamless viewing of your materials.
On the Link Settings screen, you can also revoke the link. Revoking a share link will deactivate it, so that anyone with the link will no longer be able to access your shared folder. However, if someone has already requested and was granted access to view the folder with their archive, they will still have access to the folder.
Share Link
Once you have changed any link settings you wish to change, you can tap the Share Link button to copy and share the link with others. This will open the share card that is native to your device. From here, you can choose to copy the link, send it via a messaging app, or send it through another app on your phone.
Share Preview Page
When your family members follow the share link, the share preview page will open in their mobile browser. The share preview page allows them to preview any files in the folder you have shared, but they will not be able to open the files to view them full sized or view any metadata.
To gain full access to the items, they will need to create a Permanent.org account. Once they have created an account, they can follow the link again to request full access to the material you have shared. This will allow them to view the files at full size, as well as view any metadata you have added.
Managing the Shared Folder
Once you have set up the share link, you will see the link and any members of that shared folder when you open the file action menu. You can easily copy the link or share it via another app by tapping the share icon next to the share link. You can also open the Shares page by tapping Manage Sharing in the top right corner of the file action menu.
View and Accept Pending Access Requests
If you have not turned on the auto approve access request setting on your link, you will be notified by push notification when someone requests access to the file you have shared. This means that they have a Permanent.org account and they would like to have full access to view the materials you have shared.
To accept the access request, navigate to the folder you have created, then open the folder action menu. Tap Manage Share to view the share page. This will list any pending access requests and allow you to accept or deny them.
Changing Access Roles for Share Members
When someone is added to your shared folder, their access role is automatically set to viewer to ensure that no changes are made without your permission. If you would like for them to be able to edit or contribute to the shared folder, you will need to change their access role after they have been added to the shared folder.
You can view the access roles for each member of the share by opening the file action menu by tapping the menu to the right of the file, and you can change their access role through the Manage Sharing page.
To change a member's access role, tap the menu to the right of their archive's name when you're viewing the Manage Sharing page, then tap Edit.
A new window will appear where you can change the archive's access role. To save your changes, tap Update.
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