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Command Bar

The File Browser's Command Bar contains many useful functions for navigating and managing files in your Rapid site's Sharepoint.

A screenshot showing how an ellipsis will appear in the Command Strip instead of the expected menu buttons, if the screen width is too small. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to show the location of the ellipsis icon.

If the screen width or browser window are too small, the Command Bar may hide certain menu items. To reveal the hidden menu items, select the ellipsis (...) icon in the Command Bar. The hidden menu items will appear in a drop-down menu.

A screenshot showing the menu items that appear when clicking on the ellipsis. The ellipsis button and the menu items dropdown menu have all been annotated with a red box to indicate their location. The menu items that appear in this example are: "Email Files", "Delete", "Upload Files" and "Create Task with Attachments".

Each of these menu items and their functions are explained below.

Create a New Folder​

To keep files organised, you may wish to add additional folders to the current file directory. This way, new files that are uploaded can be added to these folders, just as though you were using your operating system's file browser.

To add a new folder:

  1. Press the + New button.

A screenshot that demonstrates the appearance of the "+ New" menu button. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the button's location in the Command Bar.

  1. Select Folder.

A screenshot that demonstrates the appearance of the Folder menu item that appears in the "+ New" dropdown menu. Currently, it is the only item that appears. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the location of the menu item.

  1. A new folder item will appear inside the File Browser display area, alongside any other folders or items that may be saved in this directory.

A screenshot that demonstrates what the field for typing a new folder name looks like. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the location of the field. The field has an icon of a folder, followed by the default text "New Folder".

  1. Delete the New Folder text by pressing Backspace ⌫ on your keyboard (Windows & Linux) or Delete ⌫ (Mac).

  2. Type the desired name for your folder instead.

  3. Press Enter ↵ or Return ↵ on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click elsewhere on the page, and the text field where you were typing will disappear. The folder name you typed into the field will be saved automatically.

Illegal File Names

When creating a folder, Sharepoint will prevent you from using an "illegal" name. For example, certain symbols and characters are not allowed in a folder name. If a folder contains a / for example, the File Browser will issue a warning in red, and will not allow the folder to be created.

A screenshot demonstrating the message that appears when an illegal folder name is typed into the naming field. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to show the illegal character that has been used (a "/" ). The message reads: "You can't call a file or folder by the name of "New Folder/Example". Please choose another name.

Upload Files via the Command Bar​

  1. Click the Upload files button in the Command Bar.

A screenshot demonstrating the location of the "Upload files" button in the command bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the button's location.

Upload Files

When an item is selected, this button will be "pushed" to a position further along the Command Bar.

  1. Select the intended file to upload and click Open in the pop-out window from your operating system's file browser.

A screenshot demonstrating how to select a file from the operating system and then click "open" on the pop-out window. The screenshot is annotated in red. A red box surrounds the item that should be selected, then a red arrow directs the user that they must click the "Open" button afterwards.

  1. The file will now upload.

A screenshot of the file now uploaded. The screenshot is annotated in red to show how the file will appear in a list within the component. The File's name is "Example Attachment.docx", followed by a download icon, which is a cloud with an arrow pointing downwards. In this example, the file states it was "Last Modified an hour ago". The "Modified By" column is blurred out to protect the privacy of the user. The file size is 0.0MB as it is an empty document.

Renaming Files and Folders​

You may need to rename a file, folder, or multiple files and folders in your Sharepoint. The File Browser allows you to do this without leaving your Rapid site.

  1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you wish to rename

  2. Press the Rename button that appears in the Command Bar

A screenshot of the Command Bar that shows the "Rename Button". The screenshot is annotated with a red box to indicate the button's location. The Rename button has an icon of a field being edited by an "editing" cursor.

  1. Any files or folders selected will now have a field appear in their name column. Microsoft files will have a field name, followed by a filetype tag, indicating the type of document it is.

  2. Click on the field that you wish to edit. This field will behave the same as typing into a Single Line Text field in any Rapid form.

A screenshot demonstrating what the text field looks like when renaming a file. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the location of the text field.

  1. Delete the old file or folder name by pressing Backspace ⌫ on your keyboard (Windows & Linux) or Delete ⌫ (Mac).

  2. Type the desired name for your folder instead.

  3. Press Enter ↵ or Return ↵ on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click elsewhere on the page, and the text fields where you were typing will disappear. The file names you typed into the fields will be saved automatically.

Illegal File Names

When naming a file or folder, Sharepoint will prevent you from using an "illegal" name. For example, certain symbols and characters are not allowed in a file name. If a file or folder contains a / for example, the File Browser will issue a warning in red, and will not allow the file or folder to be renamed.

A screenshot demonstrating the message that appears when an illegal file name is typed into the naming field. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to show the illegal character that has been used (a "/" ). The message reads: "You can't call a file or folder by the name of "Example Attachment/Example". Please choose another name.

Emailing Files​

The Files Browser allows you to send files via email, and to also compose the email before sending it.

  1. Select the file(s) that you wish to E-mail
Folders Cannot Be Emailed

Selecting a folder in the File Browser and then pressing the E-mail Files button, will merely cause an empty email to be generated. This occurs whether the folder contains other files, or if it is empty.

  1. Click E-mail Files button in the Command Bar

A screenshot demonstrating the "E-mail Files" button and how it appears in the Command Bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the location of the button. The button has an icon of an envelope.

  1. The Microsoft 365 email app will open, allowing you to send an email with the file(s) attached.

  2. Press the Edit Email button to edit the draft email that has been generated. It has an icon of a pencil.

A screenshot showing how to edit the draft email that is generated. The screenshot is annotated by a red arrow that points to a red box. Inside the red box is the Edit Email button. These annotations are to highlight the location of the button.

  1. You can now compose your email, choose it recipient, and then send it.

A screenshot demonstrating how the email will appear in the Microsoft 365 pop-up. The file as been attached to the email, and both the message body and the "To" field are empty.

Deleting Files​

Deleting files using the Files Browser component will delete them from Sharepoint as well. To delete a file or files:

  1. Select the file(s) you wish to delete

  2. Press the Delete button in the Command Bar

A screenshot demonstrating the appearance of the "Delete" button in the Command Bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to show the button's location. The button is red and says "Delete". It also has a red icon of a trash can.

Creating A Task with Attachments​

Sometimes you may wish to create a new Task that is connected to a file in your Sharepoint directory. The File Browser includes a button so that, once a file or files are selected, a task can be generated with the selected file(s) attached to it.

  1. Select the file(s) you wish to link to a new Task

  2. In the Command Bar, press the Create Task with attachments button

A screenshot that shows the location of the "Create Task with attachments" button. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to show the button's location in the Command Bar. The button also has an icon of a paper clip.

  1. The "New Task" Create Screen will open on the right side of the site

A screenshot of the new tasks screen. tasks is empty, aside from some pre-filled date data and the parent field now containing the name of the item where the files are being stored. The

Task Parent

Creating a Task this way will cause Rapid to fill the Parent field with a lookup link to the current item where the files are located. In this example, the files that are being used to generate a task are located inside a project item titled "Office Building Construction". Once the new Task is created, it will also link back to this item.

  1. Fill out the Task information and details as desired

  2. Press + Create at the top of the Create Screen

  3. The task will now be generated, and the selected files will appear as Attachments in the Files tab of the Task item, or in the Attachments component of the item.

[Task Files]

If the files do not appear on a Task, this might be because your System Administrator has not added a page component to the Tasks page for viewing files. To view the files, you can use the Parent field to navigate back to the item where the files are stored.

Opening Files​

Downloading Files​

Files can be opened by downloading the files and then opening them with your operating system or browser. This can be achieved using the in-line download button on a file that appears in the Files Browser component.

A screenshot that demonstrates the location of the in-line download button. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the button's location. The button's icon resembles a cloud with an arrow descending from it.

Opening Files in Sharepoint​

You can also open the Sharepoint folder that stores an item's files. This is useful if you wish to move files to a different location in your Sharepoint directory.

  1. Press the Open in Sharepoint button on the Command Bar. Its icon is the Microsoft Sharepoint logo (several spheres with an S emblazoned over them).

A screenshot demonstrating the location of the "Open in Sharepoint" button in the Command Bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the button's location. The icon of the button resembles three circles grouped together, with a dark square badge on top, and an S label on the badge.

  1. In a new browser tab, Sharepoint will open.

A screenshot of a browser tab displaying the Sharepoint website. Inside the website are the files that were displayed on the Rapid site. Note that several sections of this image have had names or other private information blurred out. The purpose of this image is to show that files attached to a Rapid item can be accessed and used in Microsoft Sharepoint.

You can now view your files directly in Microsoft Sharepoint.

In both Microsoft Sharepoint and the File Browser component, a breadcrumbs component allows the user to navigate to other folders within the Sharepoint directory.

[Example]

A user may wish to view not just the files of this particular project, but to quickly navigate and find files in other projects without leaving the current web page. Using breadcrumbs is a fast way to achieve this.

To navigate to a different folder, the user can click on any of the previous breadcrumbs in the site by clicking their name in the breadcrumb trail.

A screenshot of the breadcrumbs section of the Jumbotron. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the series of links know as "breadcrumbs". The series of links reads: "Projects > Office Building Construction". The words "Officer Building Construction" are bold, an annotation explains that this is the current page name (item) and represents the current page being viewed. These words do not act as a hyperlink, as they are the current page. The word "Projects" is written in regular text. An annotation explains that the is the previous page name (for a table) and represents the table where the item is stored. Clicking this word would cause the user to be navigated back to the table.

[Terminology]

The term "Breadcrumbs" comes from the fairytale Hansel and Gretel collected by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, the two children leave breadcrumbs behind them to find their way home. In web design, this term has come to mean a series of links that allow you to return to previous webpages that you have visited. Essentially, this type of component allows you to "retrace your steps".

Changing Folder​

You may decide to change which folder stores the files for a particular item. This could be because you wish for two different items to point to the same Sharepoint folder, or there is an existing folder that you want the item to point to.

The Files Browser component allows users to change the Sharepoint folder that is attached to a Rapid item.

  1. Press the Change Folder button in the Command Bar

A screenshot demonstrating the location of the "Change Folder" button in the Command Bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to highlight the location of the button. The button has an icon of a folder, with an arrow pointing inside the folder.

  1. Rapid will open a list of all the storage locations linked to your Rapid site. For instance, in this example there are two main storage locations: Internal and Marketing.

A screenshot demonstrating how the storage locations appear in Rapid when changing them. The command bar now only has a single button that reads "Select Current Folder". Beneath it are two drop down menus: "Internal (1)" and "Marketing (1)". The number symbolises the different sub directories inside these storage locations.

  1. Select the directory.

  2. Choose a sub-directory. For many simple sites, there will only be a "Documents" button here.

A screenshot that demonstrates what the "Documents" button looks like inside the dropdown menu. The button is blue and simply states "Documents". The user's mouse cursor is hovering over the corner of the button.

  1. Navigate through the folder directory that appears, and find the folder you wish to point the current item towards. Note: double-clicking on a folder opens it.

A screenshot of the folder directory that appears after choosing a storage location. The section is titled "root", meaning it the root or base directory folder, and all other folders sit below it. There are a variety of folders in the view. The purpose of the image is to demonstrate that the entire document storage of a site can be accessed this way.

  1. Press the Select Current Folder button in the Command Bar to set the current folder view to be your new document storage folder.

A screenshot demonstrating the location of the "Select Current Folder" button in the Command Bar. The screenshot is annotated with a red box to indicate the button's location. The button contains an icon of a floppy disk.

[Careful]

This means that whatever is visible inside the File Browser component when you press Select Current Folder will be exactly the files and section of the Sharepoint directory you will see each time the item is opened.

Sharing​

At the time of writing, the Share button performs identically to the Email Files button.

Additional File Components​

Rapid Platform has several additional components that are useful for storing and manipulating files. Other useful components include: