This article details what the files widget is and how to manage it.
Note: Please make sure that you have enabled Google Drive, OneDrive, and/or SharePoint in your User Settings to use this widget properly.
What is the Files Widget?
The Files Widget offers a convenient way to centralize and share essential documents and resources within your page. By integrating files from platforms like Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft OneDrive, you can eliminate the need for multiple logins and file transfers. This streamlined access improves collaboration and productivity by making important information readily available to your organization.
For more information about adding widgets to your page, please see this article.
How the Files Widget has changed in Pages 2.0
The Files Widget leverages the strengths of three Pages 1.0 widgets (File List, Document, and Folder) to provide a more versatile and convenient file management solution.
How to select files
Once you have added the widget to your page, you can select files to be displayed in the widget:
- Click the Select files button at the center of the widget
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A files picker window will appear, where you can select from Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft OneDrive, depending on which integrations you have authorized. Choose the files you want to display
- To remove selected files, simply click on them again
- Once you have chosen the files you would like to display in the widget, click Select
Choosing a large number of files: There's no limit to the number of files you can display in this widget. However, if you display many files, you may need to increase the widget's size to ensure they're all visible.
Embedding Google shortcuts: It is not possible to embed any kind of Google Shortcut, whether they are documents, sheets, or slides. Embedding a Google Shortcut will lead to a 403 Error.
How to manage the files widget
To manage the files widget:
- Navigate the page group where the widget resides
- Click the pencil icon at the top right of the page to open the page editor
- Hover your mouse over the widget until it is highlighted in blue, and click on it
- Select the settings (gear) icon at the top right of the widget
- A new window will open where you can adjust the widget's settings. You can switch between the Configure and Styles tabs to adjust what is displayed and how the content is displayed
Note: Adding files and folders to a page will not automatically give editors and viewers access to the aforementioned. Users with no access will not be able to view the attached files or folders, and they will be prompted to ask for permission.
Configure
Select and remove files
If you haven’t already chosen the files displayed in the widget, you can do so here by clicking Select files.
To remove files, you can click the minus button on the right of each file displayed. Alternatively, click Select files > Hover over the file you want to remove and click Remove selection.
Adjust the default layout
- List – Displays the files in a vertical view
- Grid – Displays the files in a tiled view
Note: The larger the widget dimensions are, the more files are displayed.
Adjust the widget settings
- Sort files – In alphabetical order (A-Z or Z-A) or by the last modified date
- Show folder content – Displays all files directly within the selected folder. If the folder contains subfolders, only the names of the subfolders will be shown, not their contents. This option is only available when only one folder has been selected to be displayed in the widget
- Allow navigating – Allows viewers and editors of the page to navigate to the folder
- Allow adding files – Enables viewers and editors of the page to add and upload files to the folder. This option is only available if Allow navigating has been toggled on
- Add a widget header – Add a header to the widget. Once toggled, you can type the widget’s header in the text field that appears above the widget
Styles
- Background color – Select the background color of the section. The colors available to you will depend on what the system default is and the brand style you are using
- Padding – Adjust the amount of background visible behind the widget. You can set a value between 0px and 100px. A larger value will show more of the background, making the section header and content appear smaller. A smaller value will minimize the background visibility, making the widget appear larger. Adjust the slider to fine-tune the amount of padding
- Round corners – Round the corners of the widget between the values 0px and 100px. A larger value will make the widget corners appear rounder, whereas a lower value will make them appear sharper
More information about widgets
To read more about what widgets are and how to resize, copy, and delete them, please refer to this article.
FAQs
Can I embed files directly into the widget, like a PDF or image?
No, the files widget is designed to link to files stored on external platforms like Google Drive, SharePoint, or OneDrive. It does not allow direct embedding of files.
Can I manually organize files within a folder directly from the widget?
No, you cannot manually reorder files within the widget. However, you can organize them alphabetically (A-Z or Z-A) or by their last modification date. To manually reorganize the files, you'll need to do so directly in the folder on the hosting platform (e.g. Google Drive).
Can I edit documents directly from the widget?
No, you cannot directly edit documents like Google Docs within the widget. You'll need to access the original document on its host site to make changes.
Is there a limit on the number of files displayed in the widget?
No, there's no direct limit on the number of files that can be displayed. However, displaying too many files might impact the widget's performance and readability. Consider using folders to organize files and display only the necessary ones.
Can I set permissions for who can view and edit files within the widget?
The permissions for viewing and editing files are determined by the underlying platform (Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive). The widget itself doesn't have specific permission settings.
What happens if I delete a file from the source platform (Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive)?
If you delete a file from the source platform, it will also be removed from the widget.
Can I add files from other cloud storage providers, like Dropbox or Box?
The files widget supports integration with Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft OneDrive. Other cloud storage providers are currently not supported.
If I add a folder containing files with restricted access, what will users with limited permissions be able to see?
Users with limited permissions will only be able to view the files that they have specific authorization to access.