3.6 Attaching Files

Use Attach File to send one or more files to other users. You can attach a file that exists on your hard disk, diskette, or network drive. The recipients can open the attached file, save it, view it, or print it. If you change the attached file after you have sent it, the recipients do not see the changes.

If you attach a file that is password-protected, the recipient cannot open or view the attachment without entering the password.

For information about attaching documents that are in a GroupWise Library, see Attaching a Document Reference to an Item.

This section contains the following topics:

3.6.1 Attaching a File to an Item

  1. Open a new item.

  2. Fill in the To, Subject, and Message fields.

  3. Click the Attachment icon icon on the toolbar, then browse to and select the file or files you want to send.

    Attach File dialog box

    To remove an attached file, right-click the attachment, then click Delete.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Click Send on the toolbar.

Moving or deleting a file on a disk or network drive does not affect a file you have attached to an item and sent.

If you delete an attached file, it is not erased from disk or network drive; it is simply removed from the attachment list.

In addition, you can right-click a file in Windows, then click Send To > GroupWise Recipient. A new item is created with the attachment in the attachment window.

3.6.2 Attaching a Document Reference to an Item

If the file you want to attach is a document stored in GroupWise Library, you can attach a document reference. When a recipient opens the attachment, the document in the library opens if the recipient has rights to open or view the document and if the library is available.

If any recipients do not have sufficient document rights, or if they are not using an e-mail product that supports GroupWise Library, or if the library is unavailable, only a copy of the document opens. If the recipient edits the copy, the changes do not affect the actual document in the library. For more information about document rights, see Section 13.5, Sharing Documents.

Dragging and Dropping an Attachment from a Received Item

When you receive an item, you can drag any of its attachments into a folder or onto your desktop. A document reference attachment that you drag and drop becomes a shortcut to a document reference or to a copy of the document, depending on your rights to the document and the availability of the library.

Document Reference Attachments and Remote Mode

You might receive an item with a document reference attachment when you are running in Remote mode. When you open the attachment, the document opens your Remote Library, even if the document in your Remote Library is an older version than the attachment. If the document does not exist in your Remote Library, you are prompted to connect now or later to your Online Mailbox to retrieve the document.

You can also send items with document reference attachments from Remote mode. However, if the document does not exist in your Remote Library, any recipients who do not have sufficient rights to the document in the Master Library or who are not using an e-mail product that supports GroupWise Library do not receive a copy of the document.

In addition, if the Master Library is unavailable, recipients do not receive a copy of the document. If any of these conditions exist, you need to attach an actual copy of the document in addition to the document reference.

To attach a document reference to an item,

  1. Open a new item.

  2. Fill in the To, Subject, and Message fields.

  3. Right-click in the Attachments box, then click Attach Document Reference.

    Mail view showing menu in Attachments box

  4. The Select Document dialog box displays.

    Select Document dialog box

  5. In the Library drop-down list, click the library that contains the document you want to attach.

  6. In the Document # field, type the document number.

    If you don’t know the number of the document, click Find to locate the document in the library. To attach a document displayed in the Find Results dialog box, click the document, then click OK.

  7. In the Version drop-down list, click which version you want to attach. If you select Specific Version, type the version number in the Version # field.

  8. Click OK.

  9. Click Send on the toolbar.

3.6.3 Embedding an OLE Object in an Item

In order for a recipient of an item to view or edit embedded OLE objects, the recipient must be using GroupWise for Windows. For example, a GroupWise for Macintosh* recipient cannot view embedded OLE objects.

  1. Open and address an item.

  2. Click File > Attachments > Attach Object.

    Insert Object dialog box

  3. To embed an existing object, click Create from File, type the path and filename, then click OK. Skip to Step 8.

    or

    To create a new object and embed it, follow Step 4 through Step 8.

  4. Click Create New, then select a type of object.

  5. Click OK to open the application.

  6. Create the object you want to embed.

  7. Click the application’s File menu, then click Exit.

    This step might differ depending on the application.

  8. Complete the item if necessary, then click Send on the toolbar.

If the recipients open the object and edit it, they must save it under a new filename. Otherwise, when they try to close the mail message, they receive an error.

If you have copied an OLE object to the Clipboard, you can embed it in an open item by using Paste Special on the Edit menu.

3.6.4 Viewing Attached Files

When you click an attached file, the attachment is displayed in the message pane with a viewer. This is usually faster than opening the attachment; however, the attachment might not be formatted properly. If the attachment type is not supported, you receive an error.

  1. Open the item containing the attachment.

  2. Click the attachment.

    or

    Right-click the attachment, then click View Attachment or View in New Window.

    or

    If you cannot see an icon representing the attachment in your view, click File > Attachments > View.

3.6.5 Opening Attached Files

When you open an attached file by double-clicking it, GroupWise determines the correct application to open the file in. You can accept the suggested application, or you can type the path and filename to another application.

  1. Open the item containing the attachment.

  2. Double-click the attachment.

    or

    Right-click the attachment, then click Open or Open With.

    or

    If you cannot see an icon representing the attachment in your view, click File > Attachments > Open.

By default, GroupWise warns you if an attachment is larger than 1000 KB (1 MB). To eliminate the warning message, click Tools > Options, double-click Environment, click the Default Actions tab, then deselect Warn if larger than. You can also adjust the attachment size at which the warning message is displayed.