FOI Request functions

The content of this website is last updated to F2 version 11. cBrain are working hard on supplying you with the newest documentation of F2.

This section describes a number of the functions on the “FOI” tab.

Add records to an FOI request

To add more records to the FOI request, click on Add records on the “FOI” tab.

add records menu item
Figure 1. Add records

The “Choose records” search window opens, and the relevant records can be searched for. To add a single record to the FOI request, click on OK after the record has been found and selected in the result list.

To add multiple records to the FOI request, use the Add records menu item. Selected records from the result list are then added to the “Chosen records” field. Once all the wanted records are found and added to the “Chosen records” field, click on OK.

choose records search dialogue
Figure 2. The “Choose records” search dialogue

The records then become part of the basis of the FOI request.

F2 FOI Request, Advanced can be configured to include approval documents in the basis of the FOI request and in the FOI request report. Approval documents can be added or excluded individually, just as record documents or attached documents. Configurations are performed in cooperation with cBrain.

If a record is added to the basis of the FOI request, but has already been added previously, an error message appears and the record is not added a second time. See the figure below.

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Figure 3. Error message

F2 shows an additional error message for users who have ticked the setup option “Show error message when mass operations fail”. This option can be activated in “Setup” on the “Settings” tab in the main window.

mass operation failed
Figure 4. Mass operation failed

Import from another FOI request

To import material from another FOI request, click on Import from another FOI request on the ribbon of the “FOI” tab. An import may be needed if another office contributes material to the basis of the FOI request and has created their own FOI request case.

import records menu item
Figure 5. Import from another FOI request

In the “Import from another FOI request” dialogue, select the wanted FOI request in the list and click on OK. Records from the selected FOI request are then added to the basis of the original FOI request.

import from another foi request dialogue
Figure 6. The “Import from another FOI request” dialogue

Records that are already included in the FOI request basis cannot be added a second time. If one or more imported records are already included in the original FOI request, a dialogue appears informing the user that the import failed.

import from another foi request failed dialogue
Figure 7. The “Import from another FOI request failed” dialogue

Include or exclude elements

FOI request elements can be excluded from the FOI request report if necessary. To exclude an element, first select it in the basis of the FOI request and then click on Exclude in the “FOI” tab. In the basis of the FOI request, it is possible to see if an element is “Included”, “Partly included”, or “Excluded” in the “Status” column.

If an excluded element must be included again, select it and click on Include.

include exclude element
Figure 8. Include or exclude elements
It is possible to set up a filter for the entire organisation that automatically removes unwanted content in an FOI request report. This filter can also include approval documents. The configuration is performed in cooperation with cBrain.

Export and import elements

An FOI request element must be exported from F2 in order to perform extractions. This action may be relevant if an element contains sensitive personal data that cannot be included in the FOI request report.

Select the wanted element in the basis of the FOI request and click on Export PDF.

export pdf
Figure 9. Export PDF

Save the element locally on the PC or on another device. Then open it using a programme in which the element can be edited or extracted. Remember to lock and/or ensure protection of the document before it is saved again.

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Figure 10. Edit PDF
If a PDF file is edited or contains extractions, ensure that the PDF file is locked and/or protected so that other users or external recipients cannot edit the FOI request report. This can be done in programmes such as Adobe Acrobat or LibreOffice.

Once the element has been edited, it must be imported back into F2 where it will replace the previously exported element. Select the exported element in the basis of the FOI request and click on Import PDF.

import pdf
Figure 11. Import a PDF

A dialogue opens in which the edited element can be selected from a location on the PC. Click on Open to import the edited element to the FOI request case, replacing the selected element.

Remember that the element must be locked or otherwise protected before it is imported to prevent other users from accidentally reverting the editing, so other users cannot revert the editing.

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Figure 12. Select the edited element from a location on the PC

Once the edited element is imported, it appears on the “FOI” tab along with the image50 icon. The status of both the imported element and the associated record is shown as “Partly included” since the element will not be included in full in the FOI request report.

icon for imported element on the foi tab
Figure 13. Icon indicating an imported element in the FOI basis

Add comment

Comments can be added to all FOI request elements. This function may be used for stating the reason why an element was excluded or edited.

add comment
Figure 14. Add comment

Select an element and either click on Comment in the ribbon of the “FOI” tab or select Comment using the context menu. The “Edit comment” dialogue opens as shown below. Enter the comment here and click on OK to save it.

edit comment dialogue
Figure 15. The “Edit comment” dialogue

When a comment is added to an element, the image56 icon appears in the “Remark” column in on the “FOI” tab. Place the cursor over the icon to view the comment.

comment in basis of foi request
Figure 16. A comment in the basis of the FOI request

If needed, the comment can be edited. Select an element and click on Comment. The “Edit comment” dialogue opens. The comment can be removed by deleting all the text in the dialogue and clicking OK.

When a comment is added to a record, it appears in the record overview in the FOI request report and on the record detail page in the “Comment” field. If a comment is added to another element such as a document or an annotation, the comment appears on the record detail page for this element. See the example below.

report record comments
Figure 17. Example of a record with a comment

Show duplicates

F2 indicates when duplicate documents appear in an FOI request. Duplicates may occur if a document exists as an attachment to several records, and the records are then added to the same FOI request. When this happens, F2 appoints one of the identical documents as the original document.

In the result list, the columns “Number of duplicates” and “Record ID for original record” can be added to the result list on the “FOI” tab.

display of duplicates
Figure 18. Display of duplicates
Column Description

Number of duplicates

The column shows the number of duplicates for a given document.

Record ID for original record

The column shows which record contains the original document.

Select the original document

F2 automatically selects an original document for every duplicate, but it is possible to manually select another document. To do this, select the wanted document and click on Select as original document in the “FOI” tab.

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Figure 19. The ”Select as original document” menu item

Remove duplicates

F2 FOI Request, Advanced can be configured to include the option of removing duplicates from the FOI request report. This means that a duplicate element only included once in the report. If the configuration is enabled, go to the “Edit FOI request” dialogue and tick the “Remove duplicate documents” checkbox.

F2 FOI Request, Advanced can also be configured so the “Remove duplicate documents” checkbox is ticked by default. Configurations are made in cooperation with cBrain.

Information about duplicates in the FOI request report

If duplicate documents are removed using the “Edit FOI request” dialogue, it is indicated in the final FOI request report. The report also shows if a document is a duplicate or an original.

Information regarding duplicates is displayed in the FOI request report types that contain documents:

  • Full FOI request

  • Overview: Cases, records, documents, etc.

The “Record Details” section of the original document states the number of duplicates. On a duplicate, the “Record Details” section states its duplicate status and the details of the record containing the original document. The section also states whether the duplicate has been removed from the FOI request.

The figure below shows an example of duplicate comments in an FOI request report.

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Figure 20. FOI request report