Linked Content Explained

The Microsoft Office suite and other applications allow a file or content from one document to be copy and pasted inside another document.  For example, part of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet can be copied and pasted into a Microsoft Word document.   If the paste link option is used to paste the content in Word, then any changes subsequently made to the Excel worksheet can be reflected automatically in the Word document. 

This article assumes some familiarity with the paste link function in the Microsoft Office applications.

Please note this article only relates the content that is paste linked.  The regular copy and paste function is unaffected by fileplan.

fileplan and Paste Linked Content

Documents stored in fileplan are downloaded to a user's machine when editing.  Paste linked content still works the same way but with the following considerations.

1. Both the source document (the document you are copying from) and the target document (the document you are paste linking into) must already be saved in fileplan and must both be open during the copy/paste link process.
   
   
2. The source document should be open in order to subsequently update the pasted content in the target document.
   
   
3. The pasted content can only be subsequently updated in the target document by the same user that originally paste linked the content from the source document.  If more than one user needs to update the pasted content follow the instructions below for Having Two or More Users Updating The Same Paste Linked Content.

Background Information

When a document is opened from fileplan (with the fileplan Windows client installed) it is downloaded to the following folder in the Windows system:

C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\FilePlan\[INSTANCENAME]\LocalCache

In the above line, [USERNAME] is the Windows login of the user opening the file, and [INSTANCENAME] is the name of the instance that the user is logged in to, which can be seen in the URL of fileplan:

https://[INSTANCENAME].fileplanapp.com/

When the same user both creates and updates the paste linked content then the Office applications will work as normal, as long as the source document is open by the user when updating the target document.

However to have multiple users update the paste linked content following the instructions below.

Having Two or More Users Updating The Same Paste Linked Content

Because each user has their own unique file path when editing a document, the path linking pasted content to the source document is specific to that user. This means the update function will not work for fileplan users other than the user that originally paste linked the source content.   

For example, if John using the ICONICO instance has paste linked content into a Word document from an Excel worksheet "report figures (iconico-00043345).xlsx", this paste link content will be configured to point to:

C:\Users\John\Documents\FilePlan\iconico\LocalCache\report figures (iconico-00043345).xlsx

However, when Mary later accesses the same Word document and attempts to update the paste linked content the source document will not be found on her computer.

To allow multiple users to update paste linked content, simply map an available network drive to each user fileplan folder as follows. 

C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\FilePlan\inconico\LocalCache

This operation is best performed by a system administrator. This administrator must map a network drive using an unused drive letter for all fileplan users on the network.

Using our example above and assuming that the mapped dive will be assigned the letter F, then when John opens documents in fileplan he will now also find the files in his F:\ drive.   The Excel worksheet will now be found at: 

F:\report figures (iconico-00043345).xlsx

To Create Paste Link Content

1. Open the source document from fileplan and immediately close the document. This ensures the document in present in the F:\ drive.
   
   
2. Using Windows Explorer browse to F:\ and open the same source document again.  Copy the content required to the clipboard.
   
   
3. Open the target document from fileplan.
   
   
4. Paste link the content from the clipboard into the target document.
   
   
5. Save the target document.

To Update Paste Linked Content

Any user can now update the paste linked content in the target document.  

1. Open the source document from fileplan and immediately close the document. This ensures the document in present in the F:\ drive.
   
   
2. Open the target document.
   
   
3. Update the paste linked content.
   
   
4. Save the target document.

What if my documents were already linked before they were saved in fileplan?

Once the source and target documents are moved to fileplan (or any other location) the paste linked content will no longer be able to link to the source document because the document has moved.

The link to the source content can be updated after the source and target documents are stored in fileplan and the paste link content will again update automatically.