Sharing files¶

Shares live at Content › File shares. Staff with Create file shares see and change their own shares; those with Administer file shares see every share.

Choose Share files, or start from a file or media item:

The Share operation on file and media listings opens a new share holding that item.
A media item's edit form has a Share button that does the same.

The operation only appears for private files, and for media items whose file is private.

Title, message and expiry¶

Title is what recipients see on the share and in their invitation.
Message is shown on the share page and in invitations.
Expires stops the share at a date and time. Leave it empty for a share that never expires.

Files¶

A share holds files and media items, in order.

Upload files stores new files in private://file_share/{share id}/. The allowed types are set in Settings.
Add media items shares media items. The share follows each one, so replacing a media item's file changes what recipients download. Media items need a file-based source; oEmbed items cannot be shared.
Add files already on the site shares existing files. Only private files are accepted.
To remove an item, clear its box under Files and save.

You can only share files you can download yourself. When you add an item, File Share checks that you can, and refuses public files. Downloads keep checking: if you later lose access to a file, recipients lose it too. See How access works.

Recipients¶

The Recipients tab lists who the share admits, who added each one, and when.

Email addresses, one per line. *@example.org admits anyone at that domain.
Accounts on this site. An account recipient logs in to open the share.
Email each new recipient an invitation sends each new address and account an email with a personal sign-in link. Domain patterns get no email; people at the domain open the share's address and sign in with a code.

Recipients added by other recipients show who invited them. Remove takes a recipient off the share, together with everyone they invited. See Revoking access.

Recipients may invite others, on by default, lets recipients invite more addresses.
Email me when a recipient invites someone, on by default.
Email me the first time each recipient downloads each file, off by default.

Activity¶

The Activity tab, for staff with View file share activity, lists sign-ins, downloads and refusals, newest first, with the account or address, the file and the IP address. A refusal names its reason, such as a revoked share or a file the issuer can no longer reach.

Activity is kept for 90 days by default.

Revoke or delete¶

Revoke stops every recipient at once and keeps the share and its activity for the record. A revoked share cannot be restored. Delete removes the share; its activity rows keep the title until they are purged.