Manage knowledge base assets using the new Document360 Drive
Having a unified place to store all your files such as images, videos, docs, and more is quite handy when you think about it. And Document360 users have been utilizing the existing in-built File manager all this time.
But we wanted to give our customers the absolute experience that they might enjoy from any major cloud based file management platforms like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google drive, and more.
We set out developing and updating our existing file management system. After a ton of R&D and feedback from our customers, we’re rolling out the new and enhanced Document360 Drive.
The Document360 Drive elevates the experience and optimizes the way you organize, view, access, backup, and manage all the files and folders in a unified hub.
So, what is Document360 Drive?
Well, it’s simply a central cloud-based storage repository for Document360 customers to manage all files operation. If you have already used any of the other heavyweights such as Google Drive or OneDrive, getting used to all functions in Document360 Drive would be rather easy.
A structured file management system is very much required in any online business; well it’s of prime necessity when you consider an online knowledge base. Storing all your digital assets in a single entity would make it easier and streamline your data management practices.
Feature walk through
Here’s a quick walk through of the new Document360 Drive by Saravana Kumar the founder of Document360. You can easily access it from your project dashboard by clicking on the Drive icon from the left menu bar.
#1 Adding a new folder
When you’re in the main directory of the drive, just click on the ‘New folder’ option on the top right, type in the folder name, and click on Create button.
Pro tip: When you create folders for your knowledge base files, it would be easier to navigate and maintain files if the folders were in-line with the categories and sub-categories of your knowledge base.
Another easy way of adding a new folder is to use the left folder navigation bar. You can find the similarity of the working to that of the category view in the documentation window of your knowledge base. You can hover the mouse pointer over the space between folder in left navigation bar, click on the + sign that appears, type in your folder name and click on create.
#2 Adding subfolders and files
Now that you’ve created few main folders, you can add subfolders under them. Just click on the More options ••• button next to the folder, select the Add folder option and do the same as you would add a folder.
Once the folders are in place, you can go ahead and add individual or multiple files. If your folder is empty, you find the circular Drag and drop area at the center with an upload option inside. You can either do the common drag and drop files from your computer or click on the upload button and use the file explorer to select your files.
Similar to adding subfolder, you can also use the left navigation bar to add files using the More options ••• button and then Add files option.
Increase in file size limit for upload
We’ve now increased the limit of individual and bulk file size being uploaded into the Drive.
New file size limit
- Single file upload — The maximum file size is 150MB per file
- Multiple files upload — The maximum combined size of all the files selected should be no more than 160MB
#3 File info
Once the files are uploaded you can view the files along with info such as name, updated on, updated by, file size, and tag. This would be visible in columns only when the view is in List style.
You can also view a more sorted and detailed file info by clicking on the file. A side blade window would appear containing all the above mentioned details along with file URL, Meta title and Alt text (if it’s an image file). For image files, you can view a small thumbnail preview.
#4 File actions
You can perform all the file action which you usually do in any of the file explorers. Just click on the More options ••• button next to the file;
- You can move the file amongst or out of folders
- You can copy the file
- You can add you file to Starred folder. If you use some files more often and you don’t want to go searching for them each time, you can add it to the starred folder. This folder would be easily accessible at the very top of the left folder navigation bar.
- You can add file tags. This would make it easier for you to identify or search and retrieve a particular set of files
- You can view details of the file as explained in the previous file info section
- You can download the file onto your local storage
- You can remove or delete the file (The removed files would be thrown in the recycle bin folder. You can choose to retrieve files in case of accidental deletion)
You can either perform these actions on individual file or as a bulk operation on more number of files.
#5 Recycle bin
When handling huge quantity of files, mishaps like accidental deletions are bound to happen. To address this we’ve brought in the Recycle bin. The name and the function are self-explanatory. When you remove or delete a file from any of the folders it would be moved to the recycle bin folder.
The recycle bin folder can be accessed on the very top of the folder navigation bar along with recent and starred folders.
If you have made any accidental file deletions you can click on the Recycle bin folder, select the mistaken file, and click on ‘Restore from recycle bin’.
You don’t need to worry about files in the recycle bin taking up your storage space. If you are absolutely sure you don’t need the file in the recycle bin, you can use the ‘Delete forever’ in more option. If not the file would be automatically flushed out (permanently deleted) after 30 days.
#6 File view style
You can select from two different file view styles; each with its own set of functions and aesthetic appeal.
List style
By default, the list style would be used. In the list style you can view the additional file info adjacent to the files with a tiny thumbnail. You can adjust the length of each of the columns containing file info.
Grid style
You can also choose to change the file view to grid style using the grid icon on the top right corner, next to the ‘New folder’ button. The Grid view looks very elaborate; however all the file info would not be visible along with the file.
You need to click on the file to view it. But on the upside, if you have image files you get a bigger preview thumbnail compared to list style.
Also one major difference is the file actions; you can only access it when you select the file. The actions move, copy, remove, download, and add to starred would be available in the top of the frame.
#7 Search files using filters
When you have hundreds of files and folders, the easiest way to retrieve a file is to use the search functionality. Click on the search icon at the top, type in the file name and as you type the results would be narrowed down.
This is fairly easy if you know and remember the file name. If you don’t, then you can type in keywords related to the file that can be found either in the Name, Meta title, or Alt text to easily retrieve your file.
Search filters
Let’s say you have a vague idea of the file you’re looking for, but don’t exactly remember any keyword particulars. Don’t worry; you can make use of the different search filter options available.
- You can filter files based on the Updated date using time frames such as 7 days, 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year or you can select specific dates to search from
- You can filter by the Updated by specific person or account data. Most of the time you’re bound to have multiple users working on different roles in the project and the Drive is common to the project. You can select one or multiple contributors in the search filter
- You can filter with File type such as images, word, excel, ppt, pdf, video, audio, folders, or others. You can select any one or multiple file types to filter your search
- You can also filter using the Tags feature. You can search from a compilation of file under one or multiple tags.
#8 Recent files
We have also added the ‘Recent folder’ to make it easier for the quick access of users. This is a dynamic folder and would be populated with files and folders based on the latest addition or upload.
Most of the time editors upload files and subsequently use it in the documentation. This comes in quite handy as they don’t have to go looking for the latest files uploaded into any of the folders; they can find it by clicking on Recent at the very top of the left side folder navigation bar.
#9 Accessing drive files from document editor
The quick access for retrieving and inserting files from the drive into your document editor is easy. Irrespective of the document editor (markdown or WYSIWYG) you’re writing on, you can insert images, or any other file type.
In the toolbar at the top with all the different formatting, you can find the Insert image control. Click on the Insert image and select ‘From file picker’. The drive folder would open for you to select your required image. Also only the image file types would be displayed when you click on this option. For all other type of files, click on the Insert file option in the tool bar.
You can also attach supporting files at the end of your article. By selecting the article settings icon on the right, choose attachment, and select the file you want to attach with your article. These attachments would appear at the bottom of the published article.
Why a dedicated Drive in knowledge base makes sense?
Imagine having to maintain a local storage or third-party cloud storage for the hundreds of files and digital assets used in your knowledge base. Every time you make an update, add files, or retrieve them, it is going to be a hectic process. And if you decide to have a local storage, there is always a possibility of mishaps and security concerns.
Using the Document360 Drive addresses these issues and helps you with easy and effortless file management of all knowledge base assets. You can choose your drive storage capacity based on the different subscription tiers. Also you can choose to stay in your current plan and just opt for additional storage by unit GB you require. Go ahead and experience the all new Document360 Drive!
