Offline file access settings
Introduction
Offline synchronization in officeGATE allows users to access files without a network connection and update the offline copies with changes made in the source system after the connection is restored.
Offline access must be enabled while the user has an internet connection. The selected files, folders, or libraries are then downloaded to the offline database and can be accessed without network connectivity.
Note: Offline synchronization is currently disabled for the SharePoint provider.
Benefits of offline access
Offline access allows users to:
- Work with files without a network connection.
- Continue working when network outages occur.
- Improve efficiency when working over a slow connection.
If a file is already downloaded to the offline database, double-clicking the file opens the local offline copy. This can be significantly faster than opening a large file from the server.
Offline mode
If communication with a provider, such as contentACCESS or a SharePoint server, is interrupted because of a network problem or because the provider service is unavailable, officeGATE automatically switches the provider to offline mode.
After the connection problem has been resolved, you must connect to the provider again. To do this, select Connect from the main provider node's context menu.
Important: Changes made to documents while working offline are saved locally only. Synchronization of these changes back to the online source system is not supported.
Enable offline access
Offline access must be configured while a network connection to the provider is available. Offline synchronization starts automatically when offline access is enabled and a network connection is available.
You can enable offline access for a library, folder structure, or individual file.
For a folder or library, the following options are available:
- Enable offline access – downloads only the content of the selected folder or library for offline access.
- Enable recursive offline access – downloads the entire folder structure starting from the selected parent folder or library.
Synchronize offline files
Changes made in the source system can be downloaded to the offline files in two ways.
Manual synchronization
Use the item's context menu to start synchronization manually. You can choose between:
- Start synchronization – updates the offline files or folders based on changes in the online source system.
- Start full synchronization – starts the synchronization from the beginning and downloads everything, regardless of changes in the source system.
Automatic synchronization
Synchronization can also be automated using the Offline synchronization settings. Automatic synchronization runs during the configured time slots and updates files and folders that are already available offline.
During automatic synchronization:
- Changed files on the server are updated in the offline database.
- New files added to the server are downloaded to the offline database.
Supported providers
Offline access can be used with the following web-based file systems connected to officeGATE:
- SharePoint sites
- contentACCESS
- Perceptive Workplace
- OneDrive
- OneDrive for Business
- Email and file containers
Configure offline access
To work with files offline:
- Enable offline access in the officeGATE Offline synchronization settings.
- Enable plain or recursive offline access for the required folders, libraries, folder structures, or files. The first time offline access is enabled, synchronization starts automatically.
- Synchronize the offline documents with their online versions when changes are made in the source system. Synchronization can be started manually or configured to run automatically.
- Work with the downloaded files without a network connection.
The detailed configuration and synchronization procedures are described in the following subchapters.