Sharing Files and Folders
There are different ways to share files in BCBox:
- Using a Public download link to access a single public file only
- Making an entire folder public and using a Public folder share
- Creating an expiring, single-use Invite
- Assigning user permissions, then using a Share link
Files marked as public in BCBox can be shared using a direct URL to the file.
To do so, click on the "public" switch for the file and confirm that you're making it publicly accessible. (Note: the MANAGE permission is required to make a file public.)
Publicly sharing a file makes it accessible to anyone on the internet, so use this feature at your own risk.
The url will not change, making this is a good option for links published on a website.
By default, the link will download the latest version of the file. If your storage server has versioning enabled, you can also target specific versions by appending a ?versionId=<coms version ID> parameter to the URL.
Considerations when sharing files publicly
Next, click on the corresponding "share" icon to the right. This opens a popup where you can copy a link for sharing, or a QR code that be scanned.
The "public" switch can also be found inside the file permissions dialog, which can be accessed through the "people" icon.
If an entire folder is set as 'public', the 'Public share link' will allow people to a simplified list of all the files in that folder without needing to log-in to BCBox.
Note
- Setting a folder as 'public' will make all the contained subfolders and files publicly available to anyone on the internet.
- Exceptions to this 'public' status cannot be overriden for subfolders or files in BCBox (or the COMS api)
- After a periodic sync with the storage server, the 'public' flag shown in BCBox will accurtely account for S3 Bucket Policies and ACL's applied using external tools such as S3 Browser, CyberDuck.
Considerations when sharing files publicly
An invite link restricts access to specific users, but you do not need to configure user-specific permissions ahead of time. Instead, each link is configured with a set of permissions, which are then auto-assigned to a user that clicks on the invite link.
To setup an invite link, click on the "share" icon for the corresponding file or folder, then "invite link" in the popup dialog:
- Make invite available for - how long until the invite link expires.
- Access options - permission to assign to the user receiving the link (see folder permissions or file permissions for details).
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Restrict to user's email
- If enabled, invite links will only be valid for users signing in to BCBox with an account linked to the specified email address. The invite link will also be emailed to that user.
- If this option is not enabled, the invite link will be displayed below the form and can be given to any user but they are also required to sign-in to BCBox.
Click on "Generate invite link" to create the invite link. If "restrict to user's email" is enabled, an email notification containing the link is emailed to the provided email address. Users that do not have the same registered email will not be able to use the link.
The invite link can then be copied, or scanned as a QR code. Invite links are single-use; they are no longer valid once they have been used by a user.
Note
If you want to invite multiple users, you should explore the 'Bulk add/remove' feature in the Permissions settings for a file or folder which includes the option of sending an email invite.
Share links are for users that have already been assigned permissions to a folder or file.
Before sharing the link, you'll first have to assign permissions for the user you want to add:
Once permissions have been set, click on the "share" icon for the corresponding file or folder. This opens a popup that displays a link for sharing and a QR code that can be scanned.
Any user that has been assigned permissions to the file or folder can use the link, after logging in to BCBox. They will be taken to the BCBox File Details page