HighQ Drive 2.0 and later supports the ability for internal Collaborate users to synchronise files stored in My files or team sites, to a location on their local computer and vice versa. Please contact your IT department to determine whether your firm will permit HighQ Drive to be installed.
Administrative access to your computer may be required in order to install HighQ Drive.
Requirements
Currently, the HighQ Drive application can be installed on Windows and Mac computers. macOS HighQ Drive can be installed on existing x86- and M1-based Macs with Catalina or Big Sur.
All information on this page is applicable to macOS HighQ Drive.
Installation
The HighQ Drive application can be downloaded from the user's profile:
Click Install HighQ Drive and the HighQ Drive application will be downloaded to your computer. Open the downloaded file and follow the installation steps.
You must:
- Enter your instance domain/URL.
- Enter your instance username/email and password.
- Enter the 6 digit passcode sent to your email address.
- Tap to allow the app to access your HighQ account.
Follow the following steps to configure HighQ Drive:
Step 1: Enter the URL of the Collaborate Instance
Enter the URL of the instance of Collaborate that HighQ Drive will connect to within the Account tab and click Connect. (This will be different for each Collaborate instance.) The URL will include both the domain portion and the application name after the forward-slash. For example:
https://collaborate.highqsolutions.com/sitepoint
Step 2: Enter your email address and password
On the next screen, enter your email address and password and click Log in (this step will be bypassed if Single Sign-On is enabled and applicable to the user):
If the user's password is changed in the future, it will not be necessary for the user to go through this process again.
Click Allow to give the app authorisation to access your account:
The tab will now show the full account name.
Step 3: Activate access
A 6-digit passcode is sent to your email address. Enter this code in the setup window, then tap Allow to give permission for the app to access your HighQ account.
Optionally, Configure Drive Settings
HighQ Drive will have been fully configured and will begin syncing content.
In the General tab, users can change the folder location on the computer where files will be synced.
The default location is set as the HighQ Drive folder under the user's folder path.
There are a few other advanced settings (displayed on the Advanced tab), that most users will not need to configure.
HighQ Drive may be installed on multiple computers so that files may be synced across all of those computers, with files/folders in Collaborate acting as a hub.
Initial sync
As soon as the app is installed and authenticated, it synchronises all files from your My Files folder in your HighQ account (personal document storage).
Tap the HighQ Q icon in the top menu bar to display a dedicated HighQ Drive menu, indicating the synchronisation progress - once complete, this menu displays an 'Up to date' status text below the amount of personal storage space used.
Tap Pause Syncing in the taskbar menu to pause the synchronisation at any time.
If paused, any documents updated on the HighQ cloud will not be synchronised to your device, and any files edited on your local machine are not synchronised with the HighQ cloud.
Using HighQ Drive
File Syncing Behavior
HighQ Drive automatically syncs files between your My files folders and the HighQ Drive location on your computer. Any changes made in one location will be synced to the other; for example:
- Adding a file or folder
- Deleting a file or folder
- Moving a file or folder (in HighQ Drive)
- Renaming a file or folder
Any changes to files are synchronised immediately.
All files and folders are synced from My files - it is not possible to selectively sync certain files and folders in My files.
However, you can sync selected folders from other sites that you have permission to access.
HighQ Drive Interface
The HighQ Drive interface includes a number of features to make it easy to sync files and track the progress of syncing.
For example, click the HighQ Drive icon to open the menu; this also includes some useful information:
This includes:
- How much content has been synced and what percentage of your storage has been used.
- Whether syncing is currently active or has been paused. To temporarily pause syncing, click Pause syncing.
- Access to the list of recently changed (and recently synced files).
Click the More Actions icon to see additional options. For example, you can:
- Click View online to access the File Information page for that file on Collaborate
- Click Share link... to share a link to the file; this displays the following screen:
You can also:
- Use Open Drive folder... to access the HighQ Drive folder
- Use Visit HighQ Drive on the web to access your My files or team sites space
- Change previously configured preferences
Upload files to a site that requires file approvals
Some sites may be configured to only allow accept files that are approved.
As of June 2023, you may upload files to sites that require approval, but they are subject to the approval process.
Upload the file normally.
If the site requires authentication, a notification is displayed:
The file is submitted for approval and must be approved before it is made available on the site. The ! badge indicates that the file is waiting for approval:
Other users do not see the file and you cannot access the file from the site until it is approved.
Open the Sync notifications window from the toolbar to the current status of the file:
Click the More actions icon to Open drive folder.
If the file is approved, it is made available on the site, as with any uploaded file.
If you edit the file on the site, it is submitted for a new approval.
You cannot upload a second version of the file if the first has not yet approved.
If the file is rejected, you receive a notification, and the file is removed from your file list on the site.
The HighQ Drive folder
When accessing the HighQ Drive folder, all of the contents of that folder are displayed. Each file or folder displays a flag to show if it has been synced:
- Files and folders with the green checkmark have been synced,
- Files and folders with the blue circle flag have not yet synced.
Files that you do not have permission to update will not be synced and any file that cannot be synced will be shown with an exclamation point:
and the HighQ Drive icon may show with the same flag and an alert.
Every time a file in the HighQ Drive folder is saved, a new version will be added to Collaborate, even if the file remains open in the application used to edit the file.
As of November 2022, HighQ Drive displays file relationship tags and metadata ('Duplicated from', 'Is a child of', etc.).
View metadata for a synchronised file
As of February 2022, it is possible to view selected metadata in the Finder.
Only general created/modified dates, like/comment count, favourite status, and task metadata is available.
To view metadata, open Finder and select HighQ Drive in the left-hand column:
Navigate to the file you are interested in:
Right-click the file, select HighQ Drive, then More info:
The window shows the available metadata groups in the left-hand column. By default General metadata is shown:
Select Share in the left-hand column to show the share details of that specific file. In this screen, you can change who has access to the file, the download rights of the file, when the file link expires and you can select if you want notifications when recipients edit, download, view or print the file. Additionally, in the Active and Expire tabs, you can see who currently has, and who had access:
Select Versions in the left-hand column to show a summary of all saved versions of the document, including version number, added date, author and any notes added to a specific version:
Select Audit History to show a summary of all changes made to the document, including the name of the person who made the change, the nature of the change, the related action date and the originating IP address from where the action was executed:
Select Tasks from the left-hand menu to view tasks and sub-tasks related to the document. Select any task from the list then Open sub-tasks at the bottom of the main window to show any available sub-tasks in a new window:
The status of tasks shown in the main tasks window and the status of individual sub-tasks can be updated to reflect their progress.
Click OK or Apply to save any changes.
Configuration
Click the HighQ Q icon in the top menu bar then select Preferences to display the Preferences screen:
Sync site folders
In the Preferences window, there is a Site Folders tab. You can choose to sync folders from team sites (other than My files). To stop synchronising any folder, uncheck it and click Done.
Adding sites for synchronisation
By default, My Files is synchronised but if you wish to add either partial or entire team sites to provide local access from your computer, you can do this in HighQ Preferences. Select the HighQ Q icon in the menu bar, then select Preferences:
Select the Site Folders tab to add team sites:
Tap the Select button to see all available sites on that instance. Choose a site to see its folder structure, then either sync the entire site by selecting the site name or select individual folders that you want to sync.
To sync only the files located in the root folder of the site, select the root folder/site name and the Sync files in root only checkbox under the folder selection panel:
Tap Done to add the folder selection to the Site Folders screen. Entries in italics are in the process of initial synchronisation:
If you encounter a site that is restricted in some way, a small padlock icon is displayed next to the site name. If you select a restricted site, a window lists the restrictions. Click Continue to start the authorisation process:
If you do not have login credentials, please contact your administrator.
You can continue to add sites in the Site Folders tab and also unselect them at any time to stop syncing:
Accessing synchronised files
All of your synchronised documents can be accessed in the Finder application. HighQ Drive will be shown with all other local and cloud file storage locations. Tap HighQ Drive in the left-hand column of the Finder window to show the contents of your My Files area:
You can navigate through personal and site folders in the Finder view to locate documents:
Double-click a synchronised document to open it with the associated application (i.e. a DOCX file opens in Microsoft Windows).
Right-click (or tap with two fingers) on any synchronised document to access a Quick Actions menu:
- Refresh the Finder view.
- View the document online (open it within the HighQ viewer in the browser).
- Make the document Available Offline/Available Online (toggle between keeping a locally synchronised copy of the document or an on-demand synchronised placeholder).
Sharing links to files
You can share links to files with anyone in your organisation. Any documents stored in your sites may be shared from the Finder window. Right-click (or tap with two fingers) on a file, then select Share link from the quick actions menu:
As of June 2022, you can share a file from any HighQ site, not only from My Files.
A Share link window allows you to add restrictions:
- Limit who can access the link
- Limit download rights, specifying if the recipient can download, edit, print or view
- Set an expiry date, after which the link will no longer be accessible/valid
Enabling on-demand synchronisation
On-demand synchronisation allows you to maintain access to synchronised files and team sites, without filling your hard drive with documents you do not need all of the time.
If on-demand sync is enabled, the site and folder structure is maintained on your computer, but each document is replaced with a zero KB placeholder file (identifiable with a .HQC file extension). These files provide access to the original document, a local copy is only synchronised when it is required:
To enable on-demand sync, open HighQ Preferences from the menu bar and select the Advanced tab. Select Enable on-demand sync.
Select Remove synced files after x days to automatically revert to a 0 KB placeholder file after a specified time:
If on-demand sync is enabled and you add a new team site or folder, the initial sync adds only 0 KB placeholder files. Double-click a file to sync a local copy on your device.
Alternatively, entire sites, folders and files can be synced. Right-click (or tap with two fingers) the site, folder or file and select Available offline.
Site, folders or files that have already synchronised can be replaced with 0 KB placeholder files. Select Available online only:
As of June 2022, if you upload a file that already exists in the target folder, then the upload will follow site settings and either:
- Create a duplicate copy of the file.
- Add a new version of the file.
Or ask you for your preference (i.e. add new version or a new copy).
Favourites in HighQ Drive
You can save files, folders and sites as favourites.
View and sync Favorites from your instance
Tap the HighQ Q icon in the top menu bar then select Favourite.
The Favourites window opens. Select All, Sites, Folders or Files to filter by the type of Favourite.
Favourites that are synced with your computer are shown with a green checkmark:
Click the More actions button to see further options.
If the item is not synced:
If the item is synced:
- Sync - Synchronise the item so it is available on your computer
- View online - open the favourited item in your browser (you may need to sign in to your instance)
- Remove from favourites - Remove the item from your favourited list.
- Show in Finder - Open the Finder to view the location of the item on your computer
- Un-sync - Stop synchronising the item
- Refresh - Refresh the synchronised item with the latest changes
- Share link... - Share a link to the online item
- More info - See more information about the item
Adding Favourites in HighQ Drive
Right-click on the file, folder or site, select the HighQ Drive icon, then Add to Favourites:
Favourites are denoted by a small star added to the icon.
General settings
The general settings tab of the HighQ Drive Preferences tab allows you to:
- Change the local storage location of synchronised HighQ documents (Drive location)
- Change the default security/sharing options when sharing links to files with other users, to restrict:
- Which users the file can be shared with, or who can access it.
- The download rights the recipient will have.
- The time the link is valid/accessible.
Advanced settings
Advanced settings allow you to:
- Change proxy settings.
- Manage the type and frequency of log settings.
- Manage on-demand sync settings.
Quitting, Restarting and Uninstalling HighQ Drive
If necessary, click Quit HighQ Drive to close HighQ Drive. To restart HighQ Drive, select it from the Dock, Launchpad or Applications section in Finder.
HighQ Drive can be fully uninstalled at any time using the standard method for uninstalling programs. For example, open Launchpad, then click and hold the app.
Changing Instances
If a firm has multiple instances of Collaborate and a user has an account on each one, you can sync files to any instance using HighQ Drive, but HighQ Drive can only sync to one instance at a time. If the configuration of HighQ Drive is changed to point to a different instance, any files already in the HighQ Drive folder will be deleted.
This will NOT cause the files in the previous instance's folders/files to be deleted.
Troubleshooting
Below is a list of settings can that prevent site folders from being visible in HighQ Drive:
In Collaborate versions 5.4 and higher:
- If the Hide this site in HighQ Drive and Office Plugin checkbox within Site > Admin > Site settings > Security is not selected
- If the site has Document Workflow enabled via Site > Admin > Module settings > Files
- If the site has Check In / Check Out enabled via Site > Admin > Module settings > Files
- If the site has DRM (Digital Rights Management) enabled via Site > Admin > Module settings > Files
- If the files module is disabled on the site from Site > Admin > Site settings > Modules
