Files Widget

The Files widget gives users access to a folder in the Files plugin archive directly from a page. Use it when users should be able to browse, search, and possibly upload files in the app.

When to use this

• You want to expose a specific folder from the file archive in the app
• Users should be able to upload files themselves
• You need to show files of a specific type — images, documents, audio, or video
• You want to filter files by tags and show a curated set

How it works

The widget shows the contents of a chosen folder from the file archive. You control:

• Which folder is shown (the root or a subfolder).
• Which files are shown — all of them, or filtered by file type and tags.
• How the list looks — list or grid, with or without a search field and child folders.
• What users can do — only browse, or also create folders, upload, and edit.

Add a files widget

1. Enable the Files plugin in the applet's Plugin Settings.
2. Open the Design editor for your applet.
3. Add the Files widget to the page.
4. Open the widget settings.
5. Pick a folder under Show folder.
6. Adjust Filter, List, and Files & Folders as needed.
7. Save your changes.

Widget settings

Show folder

Setting	Description
Show folder	Click to pick which folder is the widget's root. Use the root folder to show the whole archive or a subfolder to limit it to one part.

Filter

Setting	Description
Filter using tags	Turn on to only show files tagged with chosen tags.
Tags	Multi-select over available tags. Shown when Filter using tags is on.
File type	Limit the list to a file type — All files, Images, Documents, Audio, or Video.

List

Setting	Description
Show child folders	Shows subfolders in the list. Turn off for a flat view that lists only files.
Allow search	Shows a search field above the list so the user can search the folder.
Show signatures	Shows signatures attached to files (where applicable).
Grid as standard	Shows the list in grid mode instead of row mode by default. The user can still switch.

Files & Folders

These settings control what the user can do in the widget — beyond the permissions on the folder itself.

Setting	Description
Allow create folder	Shows a button for creating new folders.
Allow file upload	Shows a button for uploading files.
Allow show file properties	The user can open a file's properties (name, size, tags, description).
Allow edit	The user can edit a file's properties. Requires Allow show file properties to be on and the folder to have write permission.

TIP

Permissions on the folder in the file archive control what the user is allowed to do. Widget settings control what the user sees the option to do in the widget. Both must be on for an action to work.

Example

Scenario: You want to give users a curated library page where they can browse and search the company's policy PDFs but not upload or edit.

1. Add a Files widget to the Policies page.
2. Set Show folder to the Policies folder in the file archive.
3. Turn on Filter using tags and pick current.
4. Set File type to Documents.
5. Turn on Allow search and Allow show file properties.
6. Turn off Allow create folder, Allow file upload, and Allow edit.
7. Save.

The user now sees a searchable list of current policy documents with no option to change or add anything.

Tips

TIP

For workspaces where users collaborate on files, turn on Allow create folder and Allow file upload but keep permissions tight — only let the group that should contribute have write permission on the folder.

TIP

Combine Filter using tags and File type to create specialized views — for example "Latest images" filtering on file type Images and the tag new.

Common mistakes

WARNING

If the user doesn't see the Create folder or Upload buttons even though the settings are on, they lack write permission on the folder. Permissions are set on the folder in the file archive, not on the widget.

WARNING

Allow edit requires both Allow show file properties to be on and the folder to have write permission — otherwise the setting is hidden or has no effect.

WARNING

If Filter using tags is on but no file in the folder carries the chosen tags, the list is empty. Check that the files are correctly tagged.