With the Google Drive, OneDrive / SharePoint and Dropbox apps, you add files from your cloud storage straight into tasks, comments and documents. Your clients see real thumbnails, open the files in FeatValue and comment on them there, without an account with the provider.
What cloud storage is for
Agencies keep drafts, quotes and presentations in Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint or Dropbox. Instead of downloading files and uploading them to FeatValue again, you reference the file in your cloud storage directly:
- You add files from cloud storage to tasks, comments and Documents using the provider's file picker.
- Added files show the provider's thumbnail.
- One click opens the file in the FeatValue viewer with the comment panel next to it, just like uploaded files.
- With OneDrive / SharePoint and Dropbox, you link whole folders under Documents to a cloud folder and share them with your clients that way.
An overview with examples is on the pages for Google Drive, OneDrive and SharePoint and Dropbox.
Requirements
- a FeatValue account for your agency with at least one client and project (see Creating projects)
- an account with Google, Microsoft (personal or work) or Dropbox with access to the files you want to show your clients
- Your clients need neither an account with the provider nor sharing settings on the file.
Where to find it
Each provider is a separate app under Apps in the left sidebar (see Connecting apps). Once installed, the provider icons appear in the upload area of tasks, comments and Documents. If an app is not installed yet, FeatValue suggests installing it right there.
How it works
-
Install the app
Open Apps, choose Google Drive, OneDrive / SharePoint or Dropbox and click Install. The app is then available to your whole agency.
-
Connect your own account
Click the provider icon in the upload area. The first time, you sign in with the provider and allow access. The connection is yours only: everyone connects their own account, and your colleagues do not see your connection.
-
Add a file
The provider's file picker opens. Choose one or more files. FeatValue adds them with a thumbnail to the task, the comment or the folder under Documents.
-
One click on the file opens it in the FeatValue viewer. The comment panel is on the right (see
File comments). The link at the bottom of the viewer opens the file directly with the provider.
When your team changes a file with the provider, your client sees the current state the next time they open it in FeatValue. You do not need to add the file again.
Which files FeatValue shows
| Provider |
In the FeatValue viewer |
| Google Drive |
PDFs and images; Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings as a PDF view |
| OneDrive / SharePoint |
PDFs and images; Word, Excel and PowerPoint (also OpenDocument and CSV) as a PDF view |
| Dropbox |
PDFs and images |
Other file types appear with a thumbnail and a link to the provider. FeatValue only displays files, you keep editing them with the provider.
Linking cloud folders
With OneDrive / SharePoint and Dropbox, you link a folder under Documents to a folder with the provider. This is not available for Google Drive yet.
-
Link a folder
Open the folder under Documents and choose Link to cloud folder. Click Choose account next to the provider, pick a connected account or connect a new one, navigate to the folder you want and click Link.
-
Share the content
The files of the cloud folder appear in the FeatValue folder and are visible to everyone with access to that folder, including your clients (see
Folders and links).
-
Sync
FeatValue syncs the folder regularly. Refresh now fetches new files right away. Unlink removes the references from FeatValue, the files with the provider stay unchanged.
Privacy and permissions
- FeatValue only stores a reference to the file and the thumbnail, not the file itself.
- FeatValue loads the content when needed through the connection of the person who added the file. Your clients do not need access of their own.
- Admins of your agency can share a work account (Microsoft 365 or a Dropbox team) with everyone in your company: in the Link to cloud folder dialog under Choose account with Share with the whole company. Personal accounts cannot be shared.
- In the same dialog, Disconnect ends one of your own connections. Added files then only show their thumbnail, and linked folders show no content.
Like all integrations under Apps, the cloud storage apps are included in all plans.
Troubleshooting
The file only shows a thumbnail and does not open
The account the file was added from is no longer connected, or it no longer has access to the file. The person who added the file connects their account again. Alternatively, add the file once more from your own account.
Microsoft asks for administrator approval
Some Microsoft 365 organizations do not let their users consent to apps themselves. An administrator of that organization then approves FeatValue once. After that, the connection works for everyone there.
The sign-in window does not open
Your browser blocked the window. Allow pop-ups for FeatValue and click the icon again.
A linked folder does not show new files yet
Click Refresh now. If a note says the folder could not be synced, check whether the account the folder is linked through is still connected. The note on the folder names the provider and the person.