Overview

Each HelpMaster entity supports an unlimited number of file attachments to be linked.  These attachments can be documents, spreadsheets, graphic files, text files, or any other file that exists on disk.

Any attachments linked to an entity will be displayed on the “Attachments” tab.

Use

Linking existing attachments / files

Once linked to an entity, an attachment can be saved, copied, renamed, updated, previewed and deleted.

All attachments support drag and drop copying and linking between the computer operating system, as well as other HelpMaster entities.

Alternately, you can use the “Add” button and then browse for an attachment.  

Linking existing email

If using Microsoft Outlook, you can drag and drop email items into the attachments list.

A copy is made of the email and all its contents, stored as an email attachment in the file system of HelpMaster.

Creating new attachments

New attachments can be created directly from within the Attachment tab. 

1. Click on the Create New attachments button
2. Select the type of attachment you wish to create
3. A new blank document type will be created
4. You can then open/view the attachment to edit it and create content

Adding a screen capture

1. Right-click anywhere on the attachments list and select Capture screen shot

   

2. Select whether to hide HelpMaster

3. Draw a rectangle around the part of the screen you wish to capute

4. At the top-left of the screen, select Crop, then Add Image

5. The screen capture is added as a graphical attachment

An alternative is to press Alt+Print Screen to capture the active window via the regular Windows method, and then right-click anywhere in the attachment list and select Paste Image.

Previewing Attachments from the Explorer screen

Attachments can also be viewed from the Explorer screen.  In order for this method to work you need to have selected the “Attachments” field in the Field Chooser for the “Jobs” entity type.

1. Click on a job in the Explorer
2. Hover over the attachment icon.  A list of linked attachments will be displayed.
3. Hover over an attachment to display a preview.  Only graphic/images will be previewed.

Sending email that includes attachments. 

HelpMaster makes this easy and offers several ways to do this.

Manually add the attachment(s)

Attachments can be added manually to an email in the following ways.

1. Manually add attachments when composing a new email.  Click the Compose button to display a blank email screen.  Use the Attachments tab to add the required files
2. If you have email previewing enabled, you can add attachments at this stage also

Use Email Tags in the out-going email

Email tags can be used in Email Templates as place-holders for contextual data.  They can also be used in ad-hoc email.

Attachments can also be represented by tags.  This means that if there are attachments already linked to a job, or the current action AND the out-going email contains the appropriate attachment tags, then the attachments will be sent along with the email.

See Email Tags for further use of the Attachments email tags.

Job and Action attachments

When either a job, or an action has attachments, these attachments may be used in any out-going email via the use of Email Tags.

Where are file attachments stored?

In order for the file attachments to be viewed by each member of the helpdesk, HelpMaster stores them in a common, networked location.  This location is specified by the HelpMaster administrator.  If you are attaching a file to a HelpMaster that is not currently located in the common directory, HelpMaster will remind you that it will make a copy of the original file, relocating it to the “Attachments” directory and then link to it.

See Also

Email template tags

Email Manager - Attachment processing

Email Manager - Successful processing actions

Quick Launch

Field Chooser

Setting the common Attachments path

Keywords

Keyword search

Globally Excluding Images

Sending email from an action

Email Templates