Channel Folders and Files

Here, you can find details regarding Channel Folders & Files and how their permissions work.

What is a Channel Folder?

The Channel Folder is a Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive folder integrated directly with a Happeo Channel.

What are Channel Files?

Channel Files are files that exist in Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. For example, Drive folders and shared drives can be linked to a specific Channel and therefore will be shared with all Participants belonging to that Channel.

How to attach a Folder to a Channel

The easiest way to attach a folder is right after creating a new Channel. Just go to the:

Settings tab
Scroll down to Tools
Toggle on Files

You can then navigate to the Folders tab within the Channel’s Navigation.

From there, you will be asked to select a provider (if both the Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive Integrations have been enabled for your environment).

After you've attached a folder through one of the methods described previously, it will be automatically shared with Channel Participants with editing rights (if the Channel discovery options are set to Only invited users or Anyone in my organization can ask to join). This will ensure that all Participants of the Channel always have access to the files.

Happeo also removes the permissions of any Participants who leave or are removed from the Channel.

If you do not wish for all Participants of a Channel to have access to the Channel's Folder and Files, access permissions can be changed through your Google or Azure settings. Once the settings are changed, Happeo will no longer override them.

Alternatively, you can contact our support team and request to have a security measure set up so that all users will need to request access to a Channel's Folders and Files.

Attaching a Team Drive Folder

If you decide to attach a Team Drive subfolder to a Channel, you will receive a warning that automatic sharing is off. This is due to Google Drive's limitation / feature, which prevents changing the sharing permissions of Team Drive subfolders.

How to add a Channel file

Google Drive

When you choose Google Drive as your provider in a Channel Folder, you will be given the options to:

Create a new folder
- Creating a new folder will add it to the creator's Google Drive
- This is also the case for the Channel owner, so if a user creates a new folder, that folder will be added to the Channel owner’s Google Drive
Create a new shared drive
Select an existing folder or shared drive

Once, for example, a new shared drive has been created in the Channel, you will be directed to the Drive folder within the Channel where you can:

Create new folders
Bookmark files
Add Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms
Or upload content from your computer

Moreover, by clicking on the three dots (hover next to the bookmark icon) next to a folder you can:

Open the file in Google Drive
Find the file in Google Drive
Rename the file
Create a post containing the folder as an attachment
Move the folder to a different location (within Google Drive)
Remove the file

By clicking on the three dots next to a file such as a Google Doc you can:

Open the document in Google Drive
Find the document in Google Drive
Rename the document
Create a post containing the document as an attachment
Copy the document
Move the document to a different location (within Google Drive)
Remove the document

Lastly, by clicking on the three dots within a shared drive menu you can:

View the folders and content from a thumbnail view
Show new files that have been added to the Channel files
Show files that have been updated

Microsoft OneDrive

When you choose Microsoft OneDrive as your provider in a Channel Folder, you will be given the options to:

Create new folders
- Creating a new folder will add it to the creator's OneDrive
- This is also the case for the Channel Owner, so if a user creates a new folder, that folder will be added to the Channel owner’s OneDrive
Select an existing folder

Once a folder has been made or selected, you can:

Open files (will open in OneDrive)
Bookmark files
Add Microsoft Word docs, PowerPoints, Visios, and folders
Or upload content from your computer

Microsoft SharePoint

When you choose Microsoft SharePoint as your provider in a Channel Folder, you will be given the options to:

Create new folders
- You will need to select a Site in which the new folder resides
Select an existing folder

Once a folder has been made or selected, you can:

Open files (will open in SharePoint)
Bookmark files
Add Microsoft Word docs, PowerPoints, Visios, and folders
Or upload content from your computer

How do Channel file permissions work?

In general, the sharing permissions for files that are added to a Channel are overwritten for users who are Participants of that particular Channel. You can find more details regarding specific cases below:

If a folder has already been shared with some users and then added to a Channel’s files, the sharing settings are overridden for the Channel Participants to give them editing privileges
If a folder has not yet been shared with a particular Channel’s users and is then added to that Channel, the Participants of that Channel will be given editing rights
If a folder has been shared with Participants of a Channel and it has been added to that Channel, adding new users will override the folder’s permissions to give them editing privileges
If a folder is added to a Channel and is shared with Participants of that Channel, changing the permission settings in Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive will override whatever settings that have been set in the Channel/Happeo

Limitations

There are currently two limitations to the Folder functionality:

You can only attach one folder per Channel
If you change the Owner of a Channel, the automatic sharing may not work if the new Owner does not have sharing permissions

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