How to Use WordPress for Document Management or File Management

Do you need to use WordPress to handle your information and paperwork?

You will have spreadsheets, photos, and different paperwork that it’s good to share with the remainder of your workforce. By importing these information to WordPress, you’ll be able to simply collaborate with different individuals, or just maintain these paperwork inside simple attain on the WordPress dashboard.

On this article, we’ll present you use WordPress as a doc administration or file administration system.

Why Use WordPress to Handle Paperwork and Recordsdata?

It’s simple to lose monitor of paperwork while you use numerous completely different instruments. For instance, you may share drafts utilizing a platform like Google Drive, monitor the edits with a instrument like Asana, and talk with editors and visitor bloggers utilizing Slack.

The issue is that it’s simple to lose monitor of a challenge while you’re utilizing so many alternative instruments. By utilizing WordPress to handle your paperwork, you’ll be able to maintain the whole lot in a single place. It will prevent effort and time, and ensure you by no means lose necessary information.

That mentioned, let’s see use WordPress to handle your paperwork and information simply.

Setting Up Your WordPress Doc Administration System

The simplest technique to arrange a doc administration system in WordPress is by utilizing WP Document Revisions. This plugin permits you’re employed on information with different individuals, retailer paperwork on-line, and see an entire revision historical past for every doc.

Very first thing it’s good to do is set up and activate the plugin. For extra particulars, see our step-by-step information on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you’ll see a brand new ‘Paperwork’ choice within the left-hand menu. To add a doc to WordPress, head over to Paperwork » All Paperwork. Then, click on the ‘Add Doc’ button.

Subsequent, it’s good to give the doc a title. This must be one thing that helps you establish the doc, particularly in the event you share the WordPress dashboard with different individuals equivalent to guest bloggers.

With that achieved, click on the ‘Add New Model’ button.

This opens the ‘Add Doc’ popup, which works equally to the usual WordPress media library.

You may both drag and drop your doc onto the popup, or click on ‘Choose File’ after which select a file out of your laptop.

WP Doc Revisions will now add the file to WordPress.

With that achieved, you’ll be able to set the doc’s workflow state. For those who share the dashboard with different individuals, then this lets everybody know that the doc is an preliminary draft, underneath evaluation, in progress, or in another state. This may also help you keep away from misunderstandings and improve the editorial workflow in multi-author WordPress blogs.

Merely open the dropdown underneath ‘Workflow State’ after which select an choice from the checklist.

Subsequent, it’s possible you’ll need to add an outline, which is able to assist different customers perceive what the file is about.

To do that, merely kind into the textual content editor. This part contains all the usual textual content formatting choices, so you’ll be able to add a link and create bullet points and numbered lists, in addition to add daring and italic formatting and extra.

You might also need to add a doc picture, which may also help customers perceive the file or present further data, much like an index or appendix.

The method is much like adding a featured image to WordPress posts and pages. Merely choose ‘Set Doc Picture’ after which both select a picture from the media library or add a brand new file out of your laptop.

Whenever you add a file, WP Doc Revisions marks you because the doc’s proprietor.

To assign this file to another person, simply open the ‘Proprietor’ dropdown and select a brand new consumer from the checklist. This may also help maintain your paperwork organized, particularly in the event you’ve added lots of users and authors to your WordPress blog.

By default, WP Doc Revisions will publish the file privately, so solely logged-in customers can see it.

Another choice is to publish the doc to your WordPress website, so individuals can entry it with out logging into the dashboard.

Even in the event you publish the doc, it’s nonetheless a good suggestion so as to add a password by clicking on the ‘Edit’ hyperlink subsequent to ‘Visibility.’

Then, choose ‘Password protected’ and sort a secure password into the ‘Password’ subject.

With that achieved, click on on ‘OK’ to save lots of your modifications.

Don’t need to use a password? Then you’ll be able to comply with the identical course of described above, however this time choose ‘Public.’

Irrespective of the way you publish the file, WP Doc Revisions will present its URL instantly under the title. Individuals can see the file by visiting this URL.

To create a custom permalink as a substitute, click on on the ‘Edit’ button.

Then, kind within the new URL and click on ‘OK.’

Whenever you’re pleased with the data you’ve entered, click on on the ‘Replace’ button to save lots of your settings.

Managing Doc Revisions and Workflow States in WordPress

WP Doc Revisions additionally has highly effective model management options. This may also help you collaborate with different individuals, by exhibiting a doc’s complete historical past. You may even open earlier variations of the file, and restore an earlier model at any level.

Each time you add or replace a doc, you’ll be able to kind a observe into the Revision Abstract.

These notes will seem within the revision log in the direction of the underside of the display, subsequent to the title of the one who made the replace.

If the replace included a brand new file add, then you definitely’ll additionally see a ‘Revert’ hyperlink.

Merely click on the hyperlink to revive this model of the doc. Even in the event you revert to an earlier model of the file, the historical past will stay intact so that you received’t lose any data.

Customizing and Creating Your Personal Workflow States

Workflow states make it simple to see whether or not a doc is an preliminary draft, in progress, or another state. Just like the way you save weblog posts as drafts or revealed, states can enhance the editorial workflow.

WP Doc Revisions comes with 4 default workflow states: ultimate, in progress, preliminary draft, and underneath evaluation. You could want to vary these default states, or add extra states. For instance, in the event you’re creating a client portal then you definitely may make a ‘underneath consumer evaluation’ state.

To alter the workflow states, go to Paperwork » Workflow States. If you wish to customise an present state, then simply hover over it and click on on the ‘Edit’ button.

This opens an editor the place you’ll be able to change the title, slug, and outline of the workflow state. That is much like the way you edit categories and tags in WordPress.

When you’re achieved making modifications, click on the ‘Replace’ button.

You can even add new workflow states.

In Paperwork » Workflow States, kind in a brand new title, slug, and outline. Then, click on the ‘Add New Workflow State’ button.

Managing Consumer Roles and Doc Entry in WordPress

WP Doc Revisions assigns completely different doc enhancing capabilities to individuals, primarily based on their user role. For instance, authors can’t edit paperwork revealed by different individuals or learn privately-published paperwork.

The default permissions must be match for many web sites. Nonetheless, if you wish to evaluation and alter any of those settings, then the simplest means is by utilizing Members. This plugin permits you to customise the permissions for each consumer position, and even create utterly new roles.

The very first thing it’s good to do is set up and activate Members. For extra particulars, see our step-by-step information on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the Members » Roles web page to see all of the completely different consumer roles in your WordPress web site.

Right here, hover your mouse over the consumer position that you just need to modify.

You may then go forward and click on on ‘Edit’ when it seems, which opens the consumer position editor.

The left column reveals all of the various kinds of content material equivalent to reusable blocks and WooCommerce merchandise.

Within the left-hand menu, click on on ‘Paperwork.’

You’ll now see all of the permissions this consumer position has, equivalent to the flexibility to delete one other individual’s information or edit their very own paperwork.

Merely click on on the ‘Grant’ or ‘Deny’ checkbox for every permission.

Whenever you’re pleased with the modifications you’ve made, click on on ‘Replace.’

For a extra detailed have a look at the Members plugin, please see our information on how to add or remove capabilities to user roles in WordPress.

After putting in this plugin, you’ll be able to even management who has entry to every doc. Merely head over to Paperwork » All Paperwork.

Right here, hover over any file and click on on the ‘Edit’ hyperlink when it seems.

Now, scroll to the brand new ‘Content material Permissions’ field. Right here, you’ll discover a checklist of all of the consumer roles in your WordPress blog or web site.

Simply verify the field subsequent to every position that should entry this doc.

On this part, you’ll additionally see a Paid Memberships tab. This lets you prohibit entry to paying members.

For extra data, please see our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

Whenever you’re pleased with the modifications, click on on ‘Replace’ to save lots of your settings.

We hope this text helped you discover ways to use WordPress for doc administration or file administration. You might also need to see our information on how to create a free business email address and our professional decide of the best live chat software for small companies.

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