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About file and link attachments on records

You can attach files and hyperlinks to certain records in Sage 100 Contractor, enabling you to associate supporting documents or references with the records. Some Sage 100 Contractor records that accept attachments are payable invoices, requests for proposal, progress bills, change orders, purchase orders, and jobs.

Examples:

After receiving a document from a vendor, you can scan the document from the 4-2 Payable Invoices/Credits Attachment window, and then save it as an attachment in your company files.
You have several digital photos of work that a subcontractor is doing on a remodel job. You transfer these files to your computer, and then attach them to a record in 6-7-1 Subcontracts.
After sending a request for a proposal (RFP) to an architect, you attach the architect's web site URL to the RFP. You open the website in your browser, copy the link from the browser's Address box, and then paste the link into the 6-11-1 Requests for Proposal record.
When emailing a request for information (RFI), in the email distribution window, you select one or more supporting documents attached to the RFI record and include them with the RFI.

How do attachments work?

You can add attachments to records individually using the Attachments window (Edit > Attachments), or you can drag and drop files onto a Sage 100 Contractor window that accepts attachments.

Depending on the attachment settings your Sage 100 Contractor administrator sets for the type of record you are working with, you can:

Attach a copy of a file that exists on your computer or on your network.

When you create a copy of a file, the program creates an attachments folder to store the attachment with the company files, if the folder does not already exist. Storing an attachment with your company files ensures that it will be backed up as part of nightly maintenance
Attach a link to a file.

When you create a link attachment to a remote file (either on a computer or to a web page), the program does not copy any documents to your company files.

Important! If you rename a file server after attaching links to files, your database administrator will need to remap the attachments to the new server. Otherwise, Sage 100 Contractor will not be able to locate the linked files.
Scan a paper document, saving it directly to your company files.
Attach a URL to a web page.

Should I attach a local file or a link to a record?

Your Sage 100 Contractor system administrator determines for all users whether a particular type of record can accept a file or a link as an attachment, so you may not have a choice about attaching a file or a link to the record. However, if you have a choice, you should know that:

When attaching a file, copying a file to your company data makes the information it contains accessible to all users.

Attaching a file by copying it to your company data also ensures that it will be backed up during regular nightly maintenance.
Linking to files stored at other locations enables you to keep the information secure. In this case, you need to ensure that the linked file is located in a folder that has restricted access.

Important! If only certain people should have access to the attachment or it contains sensitive information, use this option.

Also, if the file will need to be updated periodically, choose this option. For example, if you attach a link to a maintenance order in an employee record, and the amount of monthly maintenance changes later, you can replace the obsolete order with the current one using the software you used to save the original in the secure location.

Can I drag and drop files to create attachments?

If a record accepts attachments, you can drag and drop files onto the Attachment window to create an attachment. This includes graphic files, email messages, desktop shortcuts, or any other type of file.

Tip: If you use Microsoft Outlook,^® you can drag and drop email messages from your Inbox directly onto a Sage 100 Contractor record.

How are the attachments stored?

When you select a file to attach to a record, you can select one of the following options:

Copy the file to my company data. When you select this option, the program makes a copy of it and places it in a folder\subfolder structure under \\[ServerName]\[CompanyName]\Attachments\ in its parent-child relationship.
Link to the existing file.When you select this option, the file remains in its current location. The program does not create a copy of it, and it does not appear in a folder under \\[ServerName]\[CompanyName]\Attachments\.

Note: If you never copy a file to your company data, you will never see an Attachments folder under the company folder.

What happens if I select “Protect this file from being changed”

When you copy an attachment to your company data (by selecting Copy the file to your company data), you can select the Protect this file from being changed option.

After saving the record, if you open the linked file and try to edit it, the program you use to open it will display a message telling you that the file is read-only and that you cannot change it. The exact message depends on the program you're using.

Note: When you select the Link to the existing file option, the Protect this file from being changed option is not available.

How do I ensure that attachments are stored with my company files?

The advantages of storing attachments with your company files is that these attachments are available to all users with access to the company and they are backed up during regular nightly maintenance.

When you copy a file as an attachment and then save the record, the program creates an Attachments structure under \\[ServerName]\[CompanyName]\Attachments. To prevent naming conflicts between files, each file is placed into a subfolder with a unique name.

For example, suppose you are working in Sample Company job Jiminez Burrito #8, and you attach a local graphic file to record 8 in 6-4-1 Change Order, Floor Tile Upgrade. After saving the record, in Windows Explorer, you can find this path: \\[ServerName]\Sample Company\Attachments\Jobs\Change Orders\(unique subfolder name)\(file name).gif.

Note: You can change Sample Company data on any computer. The Sample Company data in these examples may not match the Sample Company data on your computer exactly.

Whether you can save links as attachments or copy files as attachments depends on the type of record and the settings your database administrator selected.

How do I attach links to web pages?

Whether you can save links as attachments or copy files as attachments depends on the type of record and the settings your database administrator selected.

When attaching a link to a web page, copy and paste the URL from your browser's Address box into the box in the Add Attachment window. Although you can type the URL in the box, copying and pasting is much easier—and it avoids typing errors.

Tip: Link attachments never appear in an Attachments folder under \\[ServerName]\[CompanyName]\.

How do I know that a record has attachments? Are there visual indicators?

An Attachment button ( Attachment icon that appears in the toolbar ) is available on the toolbar.

If the record has no attachments, the button displays a paper clip against a gray background.

If the record has attachments, the button displays a paper clip against a white rectangle.

You can click the Attachments button to open the Attachments window whether the record has attachments or not.

Can I email attachments?

Important! Emailing attachments only works if Microsoft Outlook is your default email client.

Yes you can!

To email an attachment:

Open the Attachments window from the toolbar.
Select one or more attachments.
Click Email.

The program opens an email message in Outlook with the attachments included in the Attach... box.

Can I print attachments?

Yes you can!

Open the Attachments window from the toolbar.
Select an attachments.
Click Print.

The program opens the file in your default print program (controlled by your Windows settings).

Note: Printing from the Attachments window behaves the same as right-clicking the file in Windows Explorer and then selecting Print from the menu.

What is the attachment parent-child structure?

You probably noticed that the Change Order folder is a subfolder of Jobs. That's because the program creates Attachments according to the existing parent-child relationships for Jobs and Change Orders.

For example, the parent record for the change order is the job, 215-Jiminez Burrito #8. If you opened 6-6-1 Purchase Orders to record 38, cleared the Lock Edit, added the same graphic file to this record, and then looked at the folder structure, you would find \\[ServerName]\Sample Company\Attachments\Jobs\Purchase Orders\(unique subfolder name)\graphic.gif. The attachments to the purchase order record and the change order record are both “children” of job 215—Jiminez Burrito #8, which is located in 3-5 Jobs (Accounts Receivable).

What do I see when opening parent record if children have attachments?

You can attach files to both “parent” records and “child” records. For example, you can attach files and links to job 215-Jimenez Burrito #8 directly from that job's record in 3-5 Jobs (Accounts Receivable) or to that job through other records such as Change Orders, Purchase Orders, Subcontracts, and so forth. As described above, you can add attachments to records that are children of the job.

Because of the parent-child structure of the program, when you open the Attachments window from the parent window 3-5 Jobs (Accounts Receivable) 215-Jimenez Burrito #8, you can select different ways to view the Attachment related to this job using the box with the title, Show items attached to:

This job directly. If the parent record has attachments, the attachments would be displayed in this list.
Purchase Orders for this job. If a “child” purchase order record of this job has attachments, then the attachments would be displayed in this list.
Change Orders for this job. If a “child” change order record of this job has attachments, then the attachments would be displayed in this list.