A Smart folder is a logical aggregation of files that don't exist in that folder however it is a set of files that have come from different locations. It is 'Smart' because there is no physical folder present with actual physical files in it but the contents of the Smart folder are dynamically aggregated based on the query criteria. This can help users who perform contract reviews of documents for individual teams, users who group content and users who manage approval workflow.
Enabling Smart Folders at System Level
At a system level, Smart folders are enabled by default however it can be switched off if required by a System Admin.
If a Smart folder is disabled at any time the Smart folders will disappear from the user view.
To change this or view the options available a system administrator can click on their Profile>System Admin>System Settings and scroll down to Smart Folders. The options are Disabled, Enabled, default OFF in every site and Enabled, default ON in every site.
Click Save to save your changes.
Site-level settings
Further settings are available for Smart folders at site level. Navigate to Admin>Files and scroll down to Advanced Settings.
The available options are ON (default) and this takes the system configuration settings, ON or OFF.
Create a Smart folder
To create a Smart folder you need to be in the Files module and the Smart folder can be added anywhere in the hierarchy.
Note: Only administrators of the site can create a Smart folder. This is because administrators have access to all the documents within the site in order to define the rules.
Click New and then choose the Smart folder option.
The Smart folder window opens. In the Details tab add a Name for your Smart folder, a Description if required and choose the Location for your Smart folder to be placed.
The Rules tab can be used to define the type of files that are collated into your Smart folder. The rules apply to the standard metadata for the files but you can also apply them to the custom metadata. If any custom columns are deleted which have been used in the Smart folder query, you will be advised that the Smart folder query rule is invalid. It's also important to remember that a Smart folder can be moved or copied within a site but not across sites, as the rules depend on custom metadata and also that the File metadata iSheet should be the same in the sites.
Use Add Conditions to add further rules.
The Permissions tab allows you to set permissions for your smart folder. By default, the Smart folder will inherit the parent folder permissions from where you have placed it (including DRM settings) however you can untick this option and choose your own permissions.
Smart folder permissions will always override the permissions of the file in its original location.
In a Smart folder you cannot add a new file, you can only aggregate them based on the particular criteria the Smart folder is looking for. You can edit a file and create a new version, but this is created in the original file location and not in the Smart folder. Any changes that are made to files in Smart folders will happen to the original file in its original location only.
In the Settings tab, you can choose your folder render view, choose how your files are sorted, choose whether email metadata should be set to On or Off and choose the iSheet view to apply custom metadata to.
Click Add to create your Smart folder. The folder will display and all files that fulfil and match the criteria entered in the Rules tab will be displayed. In the folder index listing a cog icon will display to show a Smart folder as shown in the image below.
You can also select Add another smart folder however you will need to Add the current one first, then once this is added successfully you will be able to continue adding the next Smart folder.
To view all Smart folders, you can use the search and filter option in the files module and choose to display all Smart folders in your site. You can also use the view option in exactly the same way as you would when using the Files module.
Smart folder content is not included in the index page and document bundle however the folder is included as a placeholder so that auto-numbering can be maintained in the export. Also, the file folder count will not be displayed in the navigation as the content is dynamic.
Smart folders - points to remember
- If a Smart folder is deleted it only deletes the Smart folder and its query, it does not delete the files displayed under it
- Any action taken on files in the Smart folder is taken on the file at its original location
- Actions specific to a Smart folder e.g. like and favourite will only be valid in the Smart folder view
- Smart folders are supported with Solution templates
- If the target instance has not enabled iSheets then the Smart folder custom metadata rules will not be transferred
- If users are not exported with the Solution template, the Smart folder User Lookup rule will be exported and imported with unallocated users
