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Getting Started > Working with Records > Working with Attachments > Attaching Files and URLs to Records

Attaching Files and URLs to Records

NOTE: This topic applies only to attachments that are linked to records through the preconfigured Attachments related item. For a list of the record types that support the preconfigured Attachments related item, see About Attachments.

On record types that support the preconfigured Attachments related item, you can attach files and URLs to a parent record. After a file or URL is attached to a record, you can:

• View the attachment
• Select a different attachment
• For a file attachment, update the file content and replace the previous attachment with the revised one

When attaching files to records, the following considerations apply:

• You can upload compressed files, including .zip files.
• For data protection and security reasons, Oracle CRM On Demand does not allow you to attach executable files with file extensions such as .exe or .bat.

  NOTE: When a user clicks on an executable file with an extension such as .exe or .bat, the user is given the option of running the file or saving it. To prevent users from inadvertently running an executable file directly from Oracle CRM On Demand in this way, Oracle CRM On Demand does not allow you to attach files with such file extension to records. However, you can work around this by giving the file a different file extension before you upload it. If you give the file a file extension such as .txt, then a user who clicks on the file is not given the option of running the file. The user must save the file to a local machine, change the file extension to the appropriate extension for the executable file, and then run the executable file.

• A file name can contain any character that is supported for use in file names in Microsoft Windows.
• In the case of files that are uploaded as attachments to records through the preconfigured Attachments related information section, you cannot upload two files with the same file name as attachments to the same parent record. However, all photographs that are uploaded from mobile devices that use the iOS operating system are given the same name by the mobile device. To ensure uniqueness of file names within the set of attachments linked to a parent record, Oracle CRM On Demand appends the current timestamp to the file name of all such files. This means that if you upload the same file as an attachment more than once from a mobile device that uses the iOS operating system, then the file is added as an attachment each time that you upload it, but the file names of the attachments in Oracle CRM On Demand are different.
• Each file that you attempt to upload is scanned for viruses. If a virus is found in the file, the file is not uploaded, and a message appears.
• Uploaded files must be less than 20 MB. If you have a large file, consider the following options:
  • Compress the file to make it smaller.
  • Split the file into smaller files (and compress them if necessary).
  • Place the file on a public server and indicate the path and file name for it instead of attaching the file to the record.

To attach a file or URL to a record

1. Select the record that you want to attach the file or URL to.

   For instructions on selecting records, see Finding Records.

2. On the Detail page, scroll down to the Attachments section and click Add Attachments or Add URL in the title bar.

   NOTE: If you want to send users to a public server to access the file, then click Add URL instead of Add Attachment and follow the procedure for adding a URL attachment, and not a file attachment.

3. On the Attachment Edit page, do the following:
   • For a file attachment, click the Browse button next to the File field and select the file. After you select the file, the Attachment Name field shows the name of the file without the file extension by default. If you want to use a different name as the display name that identifies the file attachment, then change the value in the Attachment Name field.

     NOTE: If you are using a device with a version of the iOS operating system that is supported for use with Oracle CRM On Demand, then the option to take a photograph or video is also available. After you take the photograph or video, it is automatically uploaded to Oracle CRM On Demand as an attachment.

   • For a URL attachment, fill in the URL field with the URL address (for example: www.crmondemand.com) and the Attachment Name field with a display name that identifies the URL. The maximum allowed length of the URL address is 1999 characters.

     If the text string that you enter in the URL field starts with http:// or https://, then the text might be automatically converted to a link after the field value is saved. The Convert URL Text Values to Links check box on the company profile determines the behavior of such text in the URL field, as follows:

     • If the check box on the company profile is selected, then the text is automatically converted to a link after the field value is saved.
     • If the check box is not selected, then the text is not converted to a link.

       NOTE: If you have placed a file attachment on a public server, then fill in the URL field with the path and filename using the file: directive as file://///<computer_name>/<directory>/<file_name>, with 5 slashes after file:, for example, file://///scdept/attachments/products.xls. For information on your browser's support for the local file system and the share path URL using the file: protocol, refer to your browser's product documentation.

4. On the Attachment Edit page, click Save.

To view an attachment

1. Select the record that the file or URL is attached to.

   For instructions on selecting records, see Finding Records.

2. On the Detail page, scroll down to the Attachments section and click View in the appropriate row.

To select a different attachment

1. Select the record that the file or URL is attached to.

   For instructions on selecting records, see Finding Records.

2. On the Detail page, scroll down to the Attachments section and click the Attachment Name link for the attachment you want to replace.
3. On the Attachment Edit page, do the following:
   • For a file attachment, click the Browse button and select the new file. After you select the new file, the Attachment Name field is automatically updated to show the name of the new file without the file extension. Update the Attachment Name field, if necessary.
   • For a URL attachment, fill in the URL field with the new URL address and update the Attachment Name field, if necessary.
4. On the Attachment Edit page, click Save.

   TIP:  To verify that you have entered the correct attachment information, click the Back link until you return to the original record Detail page. In the Attachments section, review the new attachment record.

To update a file attachment

1. Open the attachment from its original location, but not from within Oracle CRM On Demand.
2. Edit the file and save it locally, such as to your hard drive.
3. Sign in to Oracle CRM On Demand.
4. Select the record that you want to attach the updated file to.

   For instructions on selecting records, see Finding Records.

5. On the Detail page, scroll down to the Attachments section and click Replace in the row of the file attachment.
6. In the Replace Attachment window, select the updated file and click Save.