The record’s document area
| The content of this website is last updated to F2 version 12. cBrain are working hard on supplying you with the newest documentation of F2. |
To the right of the record metadata fields is the document area which shows any documents attached to the record. When a document is selected from the document area, a preview is shown in the record editor pane. A document is edited by double-clicking on it, which opens its associated programme.
You can rearrange the order of documents in the document area by dragging one document to a location above or below another. This is useful to ensure the correct order of the attachments when printing the entire record as a PDF file.
Expand document area
You can expand the document area pane by clicking Expand documents in the bottom of the area.
To minimise the pane, click Collapse documents.
You can adjust the width of the document area by clicking and dragging the grey separator left or right. By default, a given record window’s document area retains the width you chose the last time you adjusted a record of the same type. You can adjust this setting in the "Personal settings" dialogue.
Attachment icons
The icons that represent attached documents depend on the programmes installed on your PC. F2 displays the icon of the default programme with which the file type is associated. This is the programme in which an attached document opens.
Context menu for attachments
Right-click on an attached document to display its context menu. The menu items in the context menu depend on the selected document and which modules and configurations are included in your F2 installation.
| F2 is configured in cooperation with cBrain. |
The following table describes the functions of the context menu.
| Icon | Function | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Edit document |
Available when you have write access to the record. This function opens the attached document in its associated programme, e.g. Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. You can edit and save the document in the opened programme. When the document is closed, the record is automatically updated. |
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Show in read mode |
Open the attached file in read mode in its associated programme e.g. Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Since the document is in read mode, you cannot update the document in F2 using this function. |
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Anonymise document |
Opens the document in Cleardox from where you anonymise the document. The document must be in PDF format. Read more about Cleardox (documentation available in Danish).
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Show PDF |
Opens the document in PDF format. |
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Export file… |
Opens a Windows File Explorer window which lets you save the document locally.
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Replace content |
Opens a Windows File Explorer window which lets you replace the attached document with another document. You can only replace content while the record is in read mode. |
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Insert my signature |
Merge your signature phrase with the document. Requires the F2 Signed Approval module. |
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Check out/Check in/Cancel check out/Open check out folder |
Lets you check out a document from F2 to a local folder and work on it offline. The document can be checked back into F2 when the work is done. For further information, see the section Check out and check in documents. |
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Delete |
Deletes the attachment from the record. Deleting an attachment opens a dialogue in which you must confirm the action. The dialogue gives you the option of creating a new version of the record. On the new version of the record the attachment will be deleted, but you can always retrieve the deleted attachment on the previous version of the record. Only users with sufficient rights can delete an attachment, and the record must be in edit mode. |
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Attach as PDF |
Generates and attaches a PDF copy of an attached document directly in the record window. The copy is given the same title as the original document. Its placement in the record window’s document area is determined by the system settings that control whether documents are placed at the top or bottom. |
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Upload new PDF… |
Upload a PDF version of the attachment. This is used when an original document has restricted access, but it is necessary to have e.g. a summary that is accessible to all users. |
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Regenerate PDF |
Forces the system to recreate the PDF version of the document. This may be useful if the PDF version looks different than expected. |
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Show document versions |
Opens the "Document versions" window to show a list of available versions of the document. |
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Cancel user’s editing |
Visible if another user is currently editing the document. The function cancels the user’s ability to save the document in F2. |
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Properties |
Opens the "Properties" dialogue which shows the document’s properties. |
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Copy link to document |
Copies a link to the document to the clipboard. |
| Other functions may be available in the context menu due to configurations and modules such as F2 Metadata Remover (documentation available in Danish). |
Check out and check in documents
You can check out a document of F2 and save it locally. This makes it possible to work on a checked-out document while F2 is offline. You must have "Write access to documents" to be able to check out a document.
This is how the "check out" function works:
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Put the record with the document in edit mode.
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Right-click the document and select Check out.
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The document is saved to a folder with the following path: %AppData%\cBrain F2\Check Out\\{unique ID}\.
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The document is temporarily locked in F2. This is indicated by a padlock icon on the checked-out document in the document area. If another user attempts to edit a checked-out document, F2 blocks the editing and displays an error message.
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To return the edited document to F2, open its record in edit mode. Right-click the checked-out, locked document in F2, and select Check in. F2 automatically identifies the local copy of the document and adds it to the record, replacing the older version of the document.
You can cancel another user’s check-out. With the record in edit mode, right-click on a checked-out document and select Cancel check out. The document may then be checked out again. You can cancel a user’s checkout regardless of whether the record is in read or edit mode.
The difference between Export file and Check out is as follows:
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When using Export file, it is up to the user to choose a location in which to save the file. Effectively, a copy is being made which F2 does not track. Several users therefore risk working on the same file at the same time.
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When using Check out, the document is copied to a specific F2 Windows folder with a unique ID, and F2 tracks this copy. This makes the check-in process of the updated document both faster and easier.
Document versions
F2 creates a new version of a document every time a user edits and saves it. The new version becomes the active document version, but you may still view previous versions. The window "Document versions: [Name of the document]" provides an overview of all existing versions of a document attached to a record. From this window you can, among other things, select specific versions to retain regardless of any F2 cleanup tasks run in the database.
| A configuration controls whether the "Document versions" window is available. F2 is configured in cooperation with cBrain. |
Right-click a document and select Show document versions to show available versions of the document. The "Document versions" window opens.
You can sort the documents by the following columns in this window:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
Created date |
The date when the document version was created. |
Creator |
Name of the user who created the document version. |
Version No |
The number of the version in order of creation. The active document version has the highest number. |
Retained |
Indicates with a checkmark whether a document version is retained. Retained versions are not deleted during any cleanup tasks in the F2 database. |
The top of the "Document versions" window holds functions for working with different versions. The functions are described below.
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
Refresh |
Update the list with the newest document versions. The function is especially relevant when you have had the window open for a while, and other users may have saved new versions of the document in the meantime. |
Open document version |
Open the selected version of the document in its associated programme. You can only open the document in read mode and will be unable to save any changes you make. If you wish to restore a previous version of a document and overwrite the active one, export the old version from F2 and then use the Replace content function in the document context menu. |
Export |
Open Windows File Explorer and select a location on your computer to save an export of the selected document version. |
Retain |
Retain the selected version of the document to prevent its deletion during any cleanup tasks in the F2 database. Click the Retain menu item to open the "Retain document version" dialogue. 
Figure 5. The ”Retain document version” dialogue
In the dialogue, you can add a comment describing why you wish to retain the document version. Click OK to retain the version or Cancel to close the dialogue without retaining. |
Release |
Release the version of the document so that it is no longer retained. This means the version will be deleted in any cleanup tasks run in the F2 database. The function is only active if a retained document version is selected. |
You can open the "Document versions" window from the context menu in various places:
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The record window document area.
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The preview panes in the main and case windows.
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The document view in result lists.
| F2 automatically retains document versions created through approval actions. For instance, when an approval is returned, the returned version of the document is saved. These document versions are not part of the "Document versions" overview, but can be accessed through the approval log. Read more about document versions in approvals. |
Properties
The "Properties" dialogue displays the properties of the document. Here you can edit document properties such as title and add information about archiving type and archival location.
| You can only edit the document properties while the associated record is in edit mode. |
The "General" tab contains the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
Title |
The title of the document. You can edit this. |
Description |
A description of the document. |
External ID |
Enter an external ID. |
Include upon reply creation when approval is final |
Documents can be set up to be included on an automatically created record when an approval process is finally approved. This requires the F2 Signed Approval module. |
The "Details" tab contains the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
ID |
Displays the document’s internal ID. |
File type |
Displays the document’s file type. |
Size |
Displays the document’s file size. |
Archiving type |
Select whether the document is fully digital (and 100% archived in F2) or whether parts thereof (or possibly its full content) exists in a physical version. This may be the case with large books unsuitable for scanning. You can edit this field. Your options are:
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Archive location |
If the document’s archiving type is either "Fully or partly digital" or "Paper", use this field to add information about its physical location. Example: "Business archive, shelf 4, row 5". |
At the bottom of the "Details" tab you can see details about the PDF version of the attachment.
This tab shows whether the PDF version was created by F2 or if a version was uploaded by a user. It also shows the PDF version’s creation date and time and a status for the PDF generation of the attachment.