Attaching Images and Documents to Assets
Images, documents, and files of most types can be attached to asset records. Use this feature to store photographs of physical assets, specification sheets, user manuals, contracts, invoices, licence certificates, or any other supporting documentation alongside the asset record.
How Attachments Work
Documents are uploaded to the xAssets application server and stored in the uploads\tempDownload folder on the server filesystem (not in the database). Once uploaded, a document can be attached to one or more assets -- the same file does not need to be uploaded multiple times.
Attachments are visible to all users who have access to the Images and Documents tab, regardless of which profile they are using.
Attaching a Document to an Asset
- Open the asset in the editing screen by clicking its blue description link in any results view.
- Click the Images and Documents tab in the left-hand menu.
- Click List All Uploaded Files to see files already on the server, or use the upload control to upload a new file.
TODO Screenshot (manual): Requires uploaded files to exist and dialog interaction
- To preview a file before attaching it, click the blue Image icon link next to the filename.
- To attach a single file, select it and click Attach Selected Files to Asset. The file is linked to the asset immediately.
- To attach multiple files, click each file entry to select them (they will be highlighted), then click Attach Selected Files to Asset. All selected files are linked at once.
Managing Attached Documents
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| View an attachment | Click the file name or preview icon on the Images and Documents tab |
| Remove an attachment | Click the remove/delete link next to the attachment. This removes the link between the file and the asset but does not delete the file from the server. |
| Share a document across assets | Upload the file once, then attach it to each relevant asset using the same List All Uploaded Files dialog |
Supported File Types
Most common file types are supported, including:
- Images: PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP
- Documents: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, TXT
- Archives: ZIP, 7Z
The maximum upload file size is determined by the server configuration. Contact your administrator if you need to upload large files and encounter size limits.
Tip: Attaching a photograph of each physical asset makes it much easier to identify equipment during audits, especially for assets that look similar (e.g., identical monitors or network switches).
Warning: Documents stored on the application server are accessible to all users with Images and Documents permissions, even across different profiles. Do not attach confidential documents unless you are confident that all users with access to this tab are authorised to view them.
Related Articles
- Editing Assets — the main editing screen and its tabs
- Creating Asset Records — creating new assets to attach documents to