File Sharing

Share files and folders with specific members or groups without granting them full file management permissions.

File Sharing in ClubPal allows you to securely share files and folders with specific members or groups without giving them full file management permissions. This feature is perfect for distributing documents, resources, training materials, and other content to your club members while maintaining control over who can access what.

Overview

The File Sharing system provides flexible access control, allowing you to:

• Share individual files or entire folders
• Choose specific members or member groups as recipients
• Control access with view-only or download permissions
• Track who has access to shared content
• Revoke access at any time

Unlike the full File Manager (which requires "Manage Files" permission), shared files are accessible to any member who has been granted access, making it easy to distribute content across your club.

Key Concepts

Share vs. Manage Files Permission

It's important to understand the difference between these two permission levels:

Manage Files Permission:

• Full control over the File Manager
• Can upload, organize, move, rename, and delete files
• Can create and manage folders
• Can share files with others
• Intended for administrators and staff

Shared Access (No Permission Required):

• View-only access to specific files or folders
• Can view file lists and download shared content
• Cannot upload, move, rename, or delete
• Cannot see files that haven't been shared with them
• Intended for members who need to access documents

Share Types

Files and folders can be shared in different ways:

Individual File Share:

• Share a single file with selected members or groups
• Recipients can view and download only that specific file
• Useful for distributing specific documents (e.g., "Code of Conduct.pdf")

Folder Share:

• Share an entire folder and all its contents
• Recipients can browse the folder and download any file within it
• New files added to the folder are automatically accessible
• Subfolders are included in the share
• Useful for resource libraries (e.g., "Training Plans" folder)

Share Recipients

You can share files and folders with:

Anyone with the link:

• Generates a unique shareable URL
• Anyone with the link can access the file (no login required)
• Perfect for sharing with external parties or public distribution
• Can set expiration dates for time-limited access
• Most flexible but least secure option

All club members:

• Share with every member in your club
• Includes all membership statuses (active, inactive, guest, pending, expired, suspended)
• Perfect for club-wide announcements, policies, or general resources
• No need to manage individual access - automatically includes new members
• Recipients must be logged in to access

Active members only:

• Share only with members who have active membership status
• Includes: Active, Trial, and Lapsed memberships
• Excludes: Guest, Pending, Expired, and Suspended memberships
• Ideal for member-exclusive content like training materials or competition info
• Access is automatically revoked if a member's status becomes inactive
• Recipients must be logged in to access

Specific member:

• Select specific people by name
• Perfect for sharing sensitive or role-specific documents
• Each member receives individual access
• Requires recipients to be logged in

Group:

• Share with all members of a group (e.g., "Coaches", "Committee")
• Automatically includes new members added to the group
• Efficient for team-based content distribution
• Multiple groups can be selected for the same share
• Recipients must be logged in to access

Combining share types:

• Each share you add uses one share type. To share with named members and a group, add one share, then add another.
• A file or folder can carry as many shares as you need, and they are listed together under Current Shares.

Accessing Shared Files

Members can access files shared with them through the Files page:

Via the Files Menu

Shared files appear in the main file listing alongside any files you own:

1. Click Files in the navigation menu
2. The file list shows all files you have access to:
   • Files you've uploaded (if you have "Manage Files" permission)
   • Files that have been shared with you (shown with a share icon)
3. Shared files are mixed into the main view, there is no separate "Shared with Me" tab
4. Look for the share icon (👥) next to file names to identify shared files
5. Click on any file to view or download it

Via Direct Link

For files shared with "Anyone with the link":

1. Recipients receive a direct URL to the file (e.g., /files/view?token=abc123)
2. No login is required for anonymous shares
3. The link can be bookmarked or shared further
4. Access is controlled by the share token in the URL

Sharing Files and Folders

Prerequisites

To share files or folders, you must have the Manage Files permission. This ensures only authorized staff can control file distribution.

Sharing a File

To share a single file:

1. Navigate to the File Manager (click Files in the navigation)
2. Locate the file you want to share
3. Open the sharing drawer by clicking the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the file and selecting Share. The Share File drawer slides in from the side, showing the file at the top, any Current Shares on it, and an Add New Share section below.
4. Choose share type in Add New Share:
   • Anyone with the link: generate a shareable URL for public or external access
   • All club members: share with every member in your club
   • Active members only: share with members who have active membership status
   • Specific member: select individual members by name
   • Group: select one or more member groups
5. For member and group shares:
   • Type in Select members or Select groups to search
   • Selected recipients appear as chips in the box
   • Click the X on any chip to remove it before adding the share
   • Each member or group you pick becomes its own entry under Current Shares
6. Set the options you need:
   • Permission level: View (can view and download) or Edit (can view, download, and edit)
   • Description (optional): a note to remind you later what this share was for, for example "Email link for committee"
   • Set expiration date: tick to reveal a date and time picker
   • Send email notification: tick to email the recipients
7. Click Add Share to confirm

Sharing a Folder

Sharing a folder works similarly but has additional implications:

1. Navigate to the folder you want to share
2. Open the sharing drawer by clicking the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the folder and selecting Share
3. Choose share type:
   • Anyone with the link: generate a shareable URL for public or external access
   • All club members: share with every member in your club
   • Active members only: share with members who have active membership status
   • Specific member: select individual members by name
   • Group: select one or more member groups
4. Select recipients (same process as file sharing)
5. Important considerations:
   • All files currently in the folder are shared
   • Any new files uploaded to the folder are automatically shared
   • Subfolders and their contents are included
   • Folder structure is preserved for recipients
6. Click "Share" to confirm

Selecting Recipients

The recipient selector supports multiple sharing methods:

Anyone with the link:

1. Select the Anyone with the link option
2. A unique share URL is generated when you click Add Share
3. Optionally set an expiration date first
4. Copy the link from the share's row under Current Shares using the clipboard button

All club members:

1. Select the All club members option
2. No additional selection needed - all club members will receive access
3. Includes members with any membership status
4. New members automatically gain access

Active members only:

1. Select the Active members only option
2. No additional selection needed - all active members will receive access
3. Only includes members with Active, Trial, or Lapsed status
4. Members who become inactive automatically lose access
5. Members who become active automatically gain access

Search for individual members:

1. Select the Specific member option
2. Click in the Select members box
3. Type a member's name
4. Click on their name in the dropdown
5. Repeat to add more members. Each one becomes its own share entry.

Select member groups:

1. Select the Group option
2. Click in the Select groups box
3. Type or pick a group name (e.g., "Coaches", "Committee")
4. All current members of that group will receive access

Remove recipients:

• Click the X on any chip to remove someone before you click Add Share
• After the share has been added, remove it from the Current Shares list instead, using the trash button on that row

Email Notifications

When sharing files or folders, you have the option to notify recipients via email:

Sending Notifications:

1. In the drawer, tick Send email notification before clicking Add Share (it is off by default)
2. When enabled, recipients receive an email with:
   • File or folder name and description
   • Who shared it with them
   • Direct link to view/download the file or browse the folder
   • File size (for individual files) or item count (for folders)
   • Permission level (View or Edit)
   • Expiration date (if set)
3. Notifications are only sent to members who have opted in to receive them

Notification Delivery:

• Emails are sent immediately after sharing
• Only members who have file sharing notifications enabled in their account settings receive emails
• Recipients can unsubscribe from file sharing notifications at any time
• "Anyone with the link" shares do not trigger notifications (no specific recipients)

Important Notes:

• Email notifications are opt-in by default - you must check the box to send notifications
• Recipients control whether they receive these emails via their account notification preferences
• If a recipient has disabled file sharing notifications, they will not receive the email (but still gain access to the file/folder)
• Notification emails include an unsubscribe link specific to file sharing notifications
• Each share you add has its own Send email notification tick box, so adding a recipient later only emails them if you tick it again
• Removing a share does not notify anyone

User Notification Preferences

Members can control whether they receive file sharing notification emails:

Managing Preferences:

1. Click Account in the navigation menu
2. Select Manage > Notifications
3. Find File Shared under Email Notifications, described as "Sends an email when a file or folder is shared with you"
4. Tick or untick it
5. Click Save to update preferences

Default Setting:

• File sharing notifications are enabled by default for all members
• Members must explicitly disable them if they don't want to receive these emails

Unsubscribing:

• Every file sharing notification email includes an "Unsubscribe from these emails" link in the footer
• Clicking the link takes members to their notification preferences page
• They can re-enable notifications at any time from their account settings

Share Confirmation

After clicking Add Share:

• The new share appears straight away in the Current Shares list at the top of the drawer
• Email notifications are sent if you ticked the box and the recipients have not turned those emails off
• Access is granted immediately
• The drawer stays open, so you can add another share for a different set of recipients

Managing Shares

Everything you need to review or change access lives in the same Share File drawer you used to create the share. There is no separate management screen: open the three-dot menu (⋮) on the file or folder and choose Share again, or use the Share button on the file view page.

Viewing Current Access

The top of the drawer lists Current Shares, one row per share you have added. Each row shows:

• Who it is for: "Public link", "All members", "Active members", "Member: Jane Smith", or "Group: Coaches"
• Permission: a View or Edit badge
• Description and expiry: the optional note you typed, and "Expires [date]" if you set one

If nothing has been shared yet, the drawer shows Not Shared instead.

Copying a Link

Rows for Anyone with the link shares carry a clipboard button. Click it to copy the public URL to your clipboard.

Removing Access

1. Open the Share File drawer on the file or folder
2. Find the share you want to end in Current Shares
3. Click the trash button on that row
4. Confirm in the Remove Share dialog
5. Access is revoked immediately

Important notes:

• Removing a share removes it for everyone it covered. Removing the "Coaches" group share removes access for every coach.
• You cannot remove one person from a group share. If a single member should lose access while the rest of the group keeps it, either take them out of the group, or remove the group share and add individual shares for the members who should keep access.
• Someone can hold access through more than one share. Removing their individual share still leaves them access if they are also covered by a group, an all-members, or an active-members share.
• Recipients are not notified when access is removed
• Removing a share cannot be undone, you would need to add it again

Adding More Recipients

To widen access, add another share rather than editing an existing one:

1. Open the Share File drawer
2. Scroll to Add New Share
3. Choose the share type, recipients, permission level, and options
4. Click Add Share

Existing shares are untouched, and the new one appears alongside them. If you pick someone who already has a share of that type on the file, ClubPal skips them rather than creating a duplicate.

Shared Files User Experience

For Recipients

When a file or folder is shared with you:

Accessing Shared Files:

1. Log into ClubPal (unless the share is "Anyone with the link")
2. Click Files in the navigation
3. Shared files appear in the main file list mixed with any files you own
4. Look for the share icon (👥) next to file names to identify shared files

Identifying Shared Files:

• Shared files display a share icon (👥) next to their name
• You can navigate into shared folders like any other folder
• The breadcrumb navigation shows your current location
• Use the search box to filter files by name

Viewing Shared Files:

• Click on a file name to view or download it
• Click on a folder name to browse its contents
• Use breadcrumbs to navigate within shared folders
• All standard file viewing features work for shared files

Permissions:

• You can view and download any shared file
• You cannot upload, move, rename, or delete shared files (unless you also have "Manage Files" permission)
• You cannot share files further (no re-sharing)
• You can only see files that have been explicitly shared with you

Shared Folder Navigation

When browsing a shared folder:

1. The folder opens showing its file listing
2. Breadcrumb navigation shows the folder path (e.g., Files > Coaching Resources)
3. If the folder contains subfolders, you can click into them
4. All files within the folder structure are accessible
5. Click Files in breadcrumbs to return to the root directory

Downloading Shared Files

To download a shared file:

From the List:

• Click the file name to open its file view page, then click Download

From a Shared Folder:

• Navigate into the folder
• Click any file name to open its file view page, then click Download
• Or use the three-dot menu (⋮) on the row and select Download File to download without opening the page

Use Cases and Examples

Club-Wide Announcements (All Members)

Scenario: Share important club documents with everyone

Steps:

1. Upload "Club Constitution.pdf" to the Files area
2. Click Share on the file
3. Select All members
4. All current and future members can access the document

Benefits:

• Reaches everyone regardless of membership status
• Includes guests, pending members, and inactive members
• Perfect for public club policies and general information
• No need to maintain distribution lists

Member-Exclusive Content (Active Members Only)

Scenario: Share training resources only with paying members

Steps:

1. Create a folder called "Member Training Resources"
2. Upload training videos, workout plans, and technique guides
3. Share the folder with Active members only
4. Only members with Active, Trial, or Lapsed status can access
5. If a member's subscription expires, they automatically lose access

Benefits:

• Protects premium content for paying members
• Automatically enforces membership requirements
• No manual access management needed
• Access granted/revoked based on membership status

Distributing Training Materials (Groups)

Scenario: Share coaching resources with all coaches

Steps:

1. Create a folder called "Coaching Resources"
2. Upload training plans, drill sheets, and videos to the folder
3. Share the folder with the "Coaches" group
4. New files added to the folder automatically become available to coaches
5. When new coaches join the group, they automatically gain access

Benefits:

• Centralized resource library
• No need to email files individually
• Always up-to-date with new content
• Easy to add or remove coaches

Sharing Meeting Minutes (Groups)

Scenario: Distribute committee meeting minutes to committee members

Steps:

1. Create a folder called "Committee" and a subfolder "Meeting Minutes"
2. Upload each meeting minutes PDF to the subfolder
3. Share the "Meeting Minutes" folder with the "Committee" group
4. After each meeting, upload the new minutes PDF
5. Committee members automatically see the new document

Benefits:

• Historical record accessible anytime
• No need to maintain email distribution list
• Members can reference old minutes easily

Individual Document Sharing

Scenario: Share a policy document with specific members

Steps:

1. Upload "Safeguarding Policy.pdf" to the "Policies" folder
2. Click Share on the file
3. Select individual members who need access (e.g., coaches, specific committee members)
4. Each selected member receives access

Benefits:

• Targeted distribution
• Control over sensitive documents
• Can revoke access if needed

Team Resource Hub

Scenario: Create age-group-specific resources for different teams

Steps:

1. Create folders: "U12 Team", "U14 Team", "U16 Team"
2. Upload team-specific training plans, schedules, and documents to each folder
3. Share "U12 Team" folder with U12 coaches and the U12 member group
4. Repeat for other age groups
5. Each team only sees their relevant resources

Benefits:

• Organized by team
• Age-appropriate content
• Prevents information overload

Permissions and Security

Who Can Share Files?

Only users with the Manage Files permission can share files and folders. This ensures:

• Controlled distribution of club content
• Only authorized staff can grant file access
• Accountability for shared content

Who Can Access Shared Files?

Any club member can access files shared with them, regardless of other permissions. They need:

• An active ClubPal account
• To be logged in
• To be explicitly included as a share recipient (individual or via group)

What Recipients Can Do

With View permission, members can:

• ✅ View shared files and folders in the file list
• ✅ Download files to their device
• ✅ Browse shared folders and subfolders
• ✅ Search within shared content

With Edit permission, members can:

• ✅ All View permission capabilities above
• ✅ Replace/update existing files with new versions
• ✅ Upload new versions of shared files

Regardless of permission level, shared access members cannot:

• ❌ Upload new files to folders (only replace existing files with Edit permission)
• ❌ Rename files or folders
• ❌ Delete files or folders
• ❌ Move files to different folders
• ❌ Re-share files with others
• ❌ See files outside of what's been shared with them
• ❌ Access the main File Manager (unless they have "Manage Files" permission)

Data Privacy

File sharing respects member privacy:

• Members only see files explicitly shared with them
• Folder shares do not expose the entire file system
• Members cannot browse outside of shared folders
• Every upload, download, and replacement is recorded in the file's Activity Log, visible to members with the Manage Files permission. See Viewing Files.

Best Practices

Organizing for Sharing

Create Share-Friendly Folder Structures:

Files/
├── Public Resources/          ← Share with all members
│   ├── Club Policies/
│   └── Member Handbook/
├── Coaching/                  ← Share with coaches group
│   ├── Training Plans/
│   └── Drill Library/
├── Committee/                 ← Share with committee group
│   ├── Meeting Minutes/
│   └── Reports/
└── Teams/                     ← Share team-specific folders
    ├── U12/
    ├── U14/
    └── U16/

Benefits of Good Organization:

• Easier to share entire categories (share the folder, not individual files)
• Clear ownership and access patterns
• Less management overhead
• Logical for recipients to navigate

Choosing Recipients Wisely

Use Groups When Possible:

• More maintainable than individual lists
• Automatically includes new group members
• Simpler to remove access (remove the group, not individuals)

Example:

• ❌ Don't: Select 15 individual coaches by name
• ✅ Do: Select the "Coaches" group

Use Individuals for Sensitive Content:

• Board meeting minutes
• Personnel documents
• Financial reports
• Selective policy distribution

Keeping Shares Current

Regular Reviews:

• Periodically review who has access to sensitive folders
• Remove access for members who have left or changed roles
• Update group memberships rather than file shares

Folder Maintenance:

• Remove outdated files from shared folders
• Archive old content to reduce clutter for recipients
• Keep folder names clear and descriptive

Communicating with Recipients

When Sharing:

• Enable email notifications by checking the "Send email notification" box in the share dialog
• Email notifications include all relevant details (file name, link, permissions, expiration)
• For important shares, consider enabling notifications to ensure recipients are aware immediately
• For routine or bulk sharing, notifications can be left disabled to reduce email volume
• Provide context on how to use the materials
• Let recipients know if they should expect regular updates

Notification vs. No Notification:

With Notifications Enabled:

• Recipients receive immediate email alerts with direct access links
• Best for time-sensitive documents or important announcements
• Members can opt out via their notification preferences

Without Notifications:

• Recipients must discover shared files by visiting the Files page
• Best for routine updates or non-urgent content
• Reduces email volume for frequently shared content
• Consider sending a manual message for context

Example Email Notification:

Security Considerations

Sensitive Documents:

• Limit shares to only those who need access
• Use individual member selection, not broad groups
• Regularly review the Current Shares list on sensitive files and folders
• Remove access promptly when members leave

Public Content:

• Use member groups for broad distribution
• Keep content organized in well-named folders
• Ensure files are appropriate for all group members

Troubleshooting

Recipients Can't See Shared Files

Problem: Member says they didn't receive access

Solutions:

1. Check that the member is logged in with the correct account
2. Verify the member was included in the share (open the Share File drawer and read Current Shares)
3. If shared via group, confirm the member is in that group
4. Ask them to look for the file in the main Files list (it should show a share icon)
5. Have them navigate to the correct folder if it's a folder share
6. Try removing and re-adding them to the share

Cannot Remove Access

Problem: you want to cut off one person but there is no button to do it

Solutions:

1. Ensure you have the Manage Files permission, the trash button on each share row only appears if you do
2. Check whether they hold access through a group, an all-members, or an active-members share rather than an individual one. Those are removed as a whole, not per person.
3. To remove one member from a group share, take them out of the group, or remove the group share and add individual shares for the members who should keep access
4. Refresh the page and try again

Shared Folder Shows "Empty"

Problem: Recipient sees an empty folder despite files being present

Solutions:

1. Verify files exist in the folder (check as file manager)
2. Ensure the folder share was successful (open the Share File drawer and check Current Shares)
3. Ask recipient to refresh their browser
4. Check that files weren't recently deleted or moved
5. Verify recipient has permission to see the folder (check share settings)

Files Missing from Shared Folder

Problem: Some files don't appear in recipient's view

Solutions:

1. Only files in the exact folder path are shared
2. Files in sibling folders are not included
3. Files moved after sharing may not be visible
4. Check file permissions if using external storage
5. Ensure files weren't deleted or moved outside the shared folder

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I share files with people outside my club?
A: Yes! Use the "Anyone with the link" share type to generate a unique URL that can be shared with anyone, including people outside your club. No login is required for anonymous shares, making them perfect for external distribution, sharing with parents, sponsors, or the general public. You can optionally set an expiration date to limit how long the link remains active.

Q: Do recipients get notified when I share a file with them?
A: Yes, if you check the "Send email notification" checkbox in the share dialog! Recipients receive an email with the file/folder details, a direct access link, and permission information. However, recipients only receive the email if they have enabled file sharing notifications in their account settings. Notifications are opt-in when sharing (unchecked by default), so you control whether emails are sent for each share.

Q: Can I see who has downloaded a shared file?
A: Yes. Every file has an Activity Log on its file view page recording uploads, downloads, and replacements, with the date and time, the person, and their IP address. Downloads through a public link are recorded as "Anonymous". Previewing a file in the browser is not counted as a download. The log is only visible to members with the Manage Files permission. See Viewing Files.

Q: What happens if I delete a shared file?
A: The file is immediately removed and recipients can no longer access or download it. The file will simply disappear from their Files list.

Q: Can a recipient share a file I shared with them?
A: No, re-sharing is not permitted. Only users with "Manage Files" permission can share content.

Q: How do I share multiple files at once?
A: Put the files in a folder and share the entire folder. This is more efficient than sharing individual files.

Q: Can I set an expiration date for shared access?
A: Yes. Tick Set expiration date in Add New Share and pick a date and time before clicking Add Share. It applies to any share type, and is most useful on Anyone with the link shares. Once that moment passes the share stops working and recipients lose access. An expiry cannot be changed afterwards, so to extend one, remove the share and add a replacement.

Q: What happens to shares if I move a shared folder?
A: Shares are maintained. Recipients still see the folder in their file list at its new path. The share remains valid even after moving.

Q: How do members stop receiving file sharing notification emails?
A: Members can disable file sharing notifications in their account settings (Account > Manage > Notifications). They can also click the "Unsubscribe from these emails" link in any file sharing notification email, which takes them directly to their notification preferences. They can re-enable notifications at any time.

Q: Can members comment on or annotate shared files?
A: Not currently. Recipients can view and download, and with Edit permission they can upload a new version of a file, but there is no commenting or annotation.

Q: Is there a limit to how many people I can share with?
A: No, you can share with any number of individual members or groups. However, for large audiences, using member groups is recommended for easier management.

Q: Can I share the same file in multiple folders?
A: Files can only exist in one location, but you can share different folders containing different files with the same people or groups.

Q: Do shared files count toward recipients' storage quota?
A: No, shared files only count toward the file owner's (club's) quota. Recipients do not consume their own storage by accessing shared files.

Related Features

• File Manager Overview: Learn about uploading, organizing, and managing files
• Permissions: Understand user roles and the "Manage Files" permission
• Groups: Learn how to create and manage groups for efficient file sharing

Need Help?

If you encounter issues with file sharing or need assistance, please contact ClubPal support.