Corner 04: Tips & Tricks
At this point you should consider yourself close to a Box wizard. Now let’s look at a few additional pieces of advice to kick your Box game into high gear.
Metadata
Sometimes it’s nice to know how big your file is or how many times it’s been viewed or downloaded. All of this information is accessible in the ‘Details’ tab of any file or folder.
The details tab lets you add in a description in addition to viewing the file properties and access stats. This information can make it easier to find when the last time a document was modified and add descriptions to better understand what each document contains. It should be noted that folder metadata can also be viewed by only files have access stats.
Access stats can give you a more indepth look at who and when your document has been accessed. The type column lets you differentiate between views, downloads, and comments. While the totals section at the bottom allows you to see how many times the document has been previewed and downloaded since the file was uploaded to Box.
Additional metadata can be placed in document by clicking the three dots next to any file and going to ‘properties’ and then choosing ‘metadata’.
Version Control
Often times when a team is working on a document and changes are being made mulitple versions of the file are created. When working with a document, you can download it to make changes, save it, and then reupload it with your saved changes. Upon reuploading, the file will now have a small box next to it’s name with the number of versions available.
The most current version will be the one you just uploaded, but you can easily view previous versions and make them current or remove them by clicking the small version box next to the file name.
File Naming Conventions
When a folder starts to contain a lot of files it can be challenging to find the right file without proper naming conventions. Organizing files by date is often a great way to organize information, however the date needs to be listed in a specific way to get the most out of your file organization.
Naming files by the year, month, and date (in this order) allows for files to organize themselves so the most recent files appear on top with older files underneath. You can always add in additional information after the date to make selecting the right file easier.
Mobile Box
What would Box be without the ability to share files from your mobile device in addition to your desktop? Downloading the app and signing in are easy and from here you can collaborate on the go, access your files from anywhere, and stay in touch with your team mates (perhaps you’re working on a group project and want to stay in the know). Note that using the Box mobile app with your UVU account will require you to set a four digit passcode. Once you’re logged in your home screen will look very similar to the desktop version, clicking your Student Files folder allows you to view your folders and files that are in your box account.
The big plus button in the top right corner allows you to create new folders and notes as well as upload pictures. Uploading and creating here means that your new material will also be viewable on your desktop box version, keeping everything connected. Similar to Box Sync, you can choose to make files and folders available offline so you can access them no matter if you have a wifi connection or not. You can make a file or folder available offline by clicking the three dots next to the file/folder in question and choosing ‘make available offline’.
That’s a wrap! You have completed all four corners of your Box experience. The checklist below details what this corner contained:
