Project files

The Files tab gathers all files and links of a project in one place: those added directly on the tab and the attachments added in tasks and milestones, risks, budget items, actuals, products, baselines, reviews and project charters, with information on which item each of them is attached to. Files and links can be organized in folders, and each of them can be attached to a project item without uploading the document again.

The tab is available when it is ticked in the project menu (Functionalities, see Project functionalities) and the user has the Files project permission (see Access to files). Project templates have their own files tab, so a template can carry a ready set of documents for every project created from it (see Files in a template).

The table has the Name, Date (of adding), User (who added it) and Association (the items the entry is attached to) columns. The Filter by name box narrows the list by a word. When the project has no entries, the tab says No files added to the project. Click Add to add an item.

Adding a file, link and folder

Files, links and folders added on this tab belong to the whole project and are at once available as attachments in project items.

1. Open the Files tab in the project.
2. Click Add in the top right corner and choose an option:
   • File — opens the file picker. You can select several at once; each goes on the list as a separate entry,
   • Link — opens a window where you enter the address and the name of the link,
   • Folder — opens a window with the Folder name field.
3. Confirm the window. The new entry appears in the list.

The Add button is available to users with the Admin permission for files. Others browse the list, open links and download files by clicking the name. A file can be at most 10 MB, and some file types may be blocked in the application configuration — then a message about a forbidden extension appears.

Folder structure

Folders organize documents in a project, for example by separating contracts from meeting notes. Folders can be nested.

• To move an entry into a folder, grab it by the handle on the left of the row (visible on hover) and drop it on the folder name.
• To move an entry back, drop it on the Drop here to move to root level area.
• Folders are moved the same way as files. A new folder is created at the root level, and you nest it by dragging.

Moving a file between folders only changes where it is kept on the list. The file stays attached to the same project items. Users with the Admin permission for files can drag.

Attaching a file to an item

When you add an attachment in a project item, you can use a document that is already in the project instead of uploading it again. The same file is then visible in both places and counts as one entry on the Files tab.

1. Open the item that should get the attachment (for example a task, risk or budget item).
2. Click the paperclip. A list of options opens.
3. Choose Add existing. A window with the project files and links opens.
4. Browse the folders, tick the entries you need (you can tick several) and confirm the window.

The Add existing option is visible only to users with the permission to view project files. Adding a new file and a new link is always possible. The same mechanism works in tasks and milestones, risks, products, budget items, actuals, baselines, project charters and reviews.

Checking where a file is used

The Association column shows, for each entry, the names of the items it is attached to. One entry can be attached to many items, and an entry added directly on the tab does not have to be attached anywhere. Click an item name to go straight to it: the application opens the right project tab and the item panel. An association with a budget actual is shown as Actual with a date.

Renaming

Renaming changes the name displayed in the project. For a file it does not change the name of the downloaded document, and for a link it does not change the address.

1. Find the entry on the Files tab.
2. Open the entry menu (the three-dot icon on hover, or the right mouse button) and choose Rename (for a folder Rename folder).
3. Enter the new name in the Rename file (Rename link) window and save.

For a file, the window shows the name without the extension; the extension is added back on save, so the file type does not change by accident. For a link, the whole name is edited. The name cannot be empty. The new name is visible everywhere the entry is attached. The menu is available to users with the Admin permission for files.

Deleting

Deleting removes a file or link from the project and from all items it is attached to. It stops being available as an attachment. The operation cannot be undone.

Some items can no longer be changed, so an attachment cannot be removed from them. This concerns baselines and project charters with the status Awaiting approval, Approved or Rejected, and archived reviews. The result depends on where the entry is attached:

• if none of the linked items blocks the operation, the entry is deleted entirely,
• if only some of the items block it, the entry disappears from the others and stays in the blocked ones. The window then offers Delete partially, and after the operation the message The file was partially deleted. Some links were skipped. appears (for a link The link was partially deleted…),
• if all items block it, it cannot be deleted and the message The file is linked only to items that cannot be edited, so it cannot be deleted. appears.

1. Find the entry on the Files tab.
2. Open the entry menu and choose Delete.
3. Read the message, which says whether the entry will be deleted entirely or partially, and confirm.

Deleting a folder removes all its content, nested folders included. The same three rules apply: if part of the content is attached to items that cannot be edited, the folder stays together with that part (The folder was partially deleted. Some content was skipped.), and when everything is blocked, the folder stays unchanged. Users with the Admin permission for files can delete.

Access to files

Access to the Files tab is granted by the Files project permission, set in a user’s permissions in the project or in a project role. It has three levels:

• No access — the tab is not visible,
• View — you can browse the list, open links and download files. The Add existing option is visible in project items,
• Admin — you can also add files, links and folders, rename, move and delete them.

The permission covers all files and folders of the project; there is no access to a single file or folder. The default permissions of a project participant do not include files until they are granted. For permissions, see Project permissions.

Note: a file can be at most 10 MB. A file attached to an item that can no longer be edited (for example an approved baseline or an archived review) cannot be deleted entirely, only partially (see Deleting).