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Media: View Files from Your Features

Access Level

All users

Overview

The Media page is a read-only browser for viewing files and media attached to assessments, news articles, and other system features. This is not a file upload area - it shows media that's been attached to items throughout the system such as:

  • Assessment evidence - Photos, videos, or documents attached to your assessments
  • News attachments - Files included with news articles
  • Profile pictures - Member profile images
  • Assessment templates - Documents linked to assessment reviews
  • Other media associated with features

How to Access: Click Library then Media

What You Can Do:

  • Browse media and files in a hierarchical folder structure
  • View file details (name, size, type, date)
  • Download individual files
  • Generate secure share links for files
  • Navigate to related assessments
  • (Administrators) Clean up unused profile images

What You Cannot Do:

  • ❌ Upload new files (attach files directly to the feature instead - assessments, news, etc.)
  • ❌ Create new folders
  • ❌ Delete or rename files
  • ❌ Move files between folders

Understanding the Structure

Media appears in the Media browser when:

  1. Files are attached to assessments (evidence, photos, documents)
  2. Files are attached to news articles
  3. Profile pictures are uploaded by users
  4. Content is shared as part of assessment feedback or reviews

These files are organized by feature type and association, not by direct uploads to a "media folder."

How to Browse Media

Breadcrumb Bar:

  • Shows your current location (e.g., Home > Assessments > 2024)
  • Click any segment to jump to that level
  • Use Up (⬆️) to go up one level
  • Click Home (🏠) to return to the top

Viewing Folders

  1. Double-click a folder to open it
  2. Or click the folder name and press Enter
  3. Contents load showing files and subfolders
  4. Breadcrumb updates to show your location

Viewing Files

File Information:

  • Name: Full filename with extension (e.g., match-report-2024.pdf)
  • Size: File size in KB, MB, or GB
  • Date Modified: When the file was last updated
  • Type Icon: Visual indicator of file type (📄 document, 🖼️ image, 🎥 video, etc.)

File Types You Might See:

  • Documents: PDF, DOCX, DOC, TXT, RTF
  • Spreadsheets: XLSX, XLS, CSV
  • Presentations: PPTX, PPT
  • Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, SVG
  • Videos: MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV
  • Archives: ZIP, RAR
  • Others: Various file types your group has attached

Sorting:

  • Click column headers to sort (Name, Size, Date Modified)
  • Click again to reverse order (ascending ↑ / descending ↓)
  • Folders typically appear before files

Empty Folders

If a folder shows "No items in this folder":

  • The folder exists but has no files yet
  • No media has been attached to that feature
  • Or you may not have permission to view all content

Downloading Files

Single File Download

  1. Click the file name
  2. Your browser's download dialog appears
  3. Choose save location or accept default (Downloads folder)
  4. Click Save or Download
  5. Result: File downloads to your computer

Browser Download Behavior

  • Chrome: Auto-downloads to Downloads folder
  • Firefox: Asks where to save or uses Downloads folder
  • Edge: Auto-downloads or asks, depending on settings
  • Safari: Opens download dialog or saves automatically

For Large Files (over 10 MB):

  • Allow extra time for download to complete
  • Use Wi-Fi rather than mobile data if possible
  • Do not close your browser until download finishes

After Downloading:

  1. Check your browser's Downloads folder
  2. Open the file with appropriate software
  3. The file is a copy; original remains in the Media browser

Troubleshooting Downloads

Download button doesn't work:

  1. Refresh the page and try again
  2. Try a different browser
  3. Check if browser pop-up blocker is enabled
  4. Disable browser extensions temporarily

Permission denied error:

  1. Verify you have access to the item (news, assessment, etc.)
  2. Check your group membership
  3. Log out and back in
  4. Contact your administrator if access should be granted

File missing:

  1. File may have been removed
  2. Sharing link may have expired
  3. Contact your administrator

Share links allow you to provide access to specific files without requiring recipients to sign in.

How to Create:

  1. Select the file you want to share (click once to highlight)
  2. Click the Share button in the toolbar
  3. Share Link Modal opens

Choose Link Expiration:

  • 1 Day: Link expires after 24 hours
  • 7 Days: Link expires after one week (recommended)

  • 30 Days: Link expires after one month

  • Click Generate Link or Create Share Link

  • A unique URL is generated
  • Click Copy to Clipboard or manually copy the URL
  • Paste into email, chat, or message
  • Recipients click the link to download the file
  • No MOS account required (during validity period)
  • Link expires automatically after the chosen period

What Recipients See:

  • Download page with file name and size
  • Download button to get the file
  • Expiration date
  • No access to other files or your library

Security Best Practices:

  • ✅ Use shortest expiration that meets your needs
  • ✅ Only share links with intended recipients
  • ✅ Avoid posting links publicly
  • ✅ Generate new link rather than re-sharing old ones
  • ❌ Don't share links in public forums or social media

If you need to revoke a link before expiration:

  • Contact your administrator
  • They can manually revoke specific links
  • Link immediately becomes invalid

View Assessment Evidence

Some folders in Media contain files linked to assessments:

How to Find:

  1. Navigate to the assessments folder in Media
  2. Look for a View Assessment link or button
  3. Click to open the full assessment with all details and evidence

What You'll See:

  • Original assessment details
  • Reviewer feedback (if reviewed)
  • All attached media (photos, videos, documents)
  • Rating scales and comments

Downloading Evidence:

  1. Open the assessment
  2. Look for attachment links or download buttons
  3. Click to download the file
  4. Results appear in your Downloads folder

Profile Images Cleanup

Admin only: This feature is restricted to Owners and Administrators.

Unused Profile Images

Over time, your MOS group may accumulate profile images for users who no longer exist or have changed their profile picture multiple times, leaving orphaned image files.

What This Tool Does:

  • Scans the media library for profile image files
  • Identifies images not currently assigned to any user profile
  • Allows bulk deletion of these orphaned images

Access the Tool:

  1. Navigate to Library → Media
  2. (Admins only) Admin Tools panel appears
  3. Click Profile Images Cleanup or Clean Unused Profile Images

Review Orphaned Images:

  1. A list of unused profile images appears:

  2. Image thumbnail

  3. File name
  4. File size
  5. Upload date

  6. "Not in use" indicator

  7. Select images to delete (checkboxes)

  8. Or Select All to delete all unused images

Delete Images:

  1. Click Delete Selected or Remove Unused Images
  2. Confirmation prompt appears: "Are you sure? This cannot be undone."
  3. Confirm to permanently delete

Results:

  • Selected images are removed from the media library
  • Storage space is freed
  • No impact on current user profiles (only orphaned files are removed)
  • Success message shows how many images were deleted

When to Use:

  • Storage space is running low
  • Performing regular media library maintenance
  • After bulk user deletions or profile migrations
  • To clean up old test accounts

Caution:

  • ⚠️ Deletion is permanent - images cannot be recovered
  • ⚠️ Ensure images are truly orphaned before deleting
  • ⚠️ If in doubt, do not delete - orphaned images don't cause harm
  • ⚠️ Consider downloading a backup before bulk deleting

Tips:

  • ✅ Run cleanup quarterly or annually as part of maintenance
  • ✅ Review list carefully before bulk delete
  • ✅ Only delete if storage is a concern; orphaned images are harmless
  • ❌ Don't delete images that might be in use elsewhere (linked in news, assessments, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Can't See Expected Files

Problem: Files or folders are missing from the media library

Solutions:

  1. Check Your Location:

  2. Verify you're in the correct folder (check breadcrumb)

  3. Navigate to parent folder and look for subfolder

  4. Refresh the View:

  5. Click Refresh button to reload folder contents

  6. Files may have been added since you opened the page

  7. Permissions:

  8. You may not have permission to view certain folders or files

  9. Contact your administrator if you think you should have access

  10. Subgroup Visibility:

  11. Some files may be restricted to specific subgroups

  12. Check with administrator about subgroup assignments

  13. Files May Be in Folders (not Media):

  14. Media is read-only view; some content may only be in Folders page
  15. Try Library → Folders instead

Download Doesn't Start

Problem: Clicking download doesn't download the file

Solutions:

  1. Browser Blocked Download:

  2. Check browser's download/popup blocker

  3. Allow downloads from MOS domain

  4. Try again

  5. File Too Large:

  6. Large files may time out

  7. Try a wired connection or better Wi-Fi

  8. Contact admin if file is too large for normal download

  9. Browser Compatibility:

  10. Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

  11. Update your current browser to latest version

  12. Network Issues:

  13. Check your internet connection
  14. Try again later if network is slow

Problem: Generated share link shows error or doesn't load

Solutions:

  1. Link Expired:

  2. Check expiration date

  3. Generate a new link if needed

  4. Link Copied Incorrectly:

  5. Ensure entire URL was copied (check for truncation)

  6. Re-copy from share modal

  7. Permissions Changed:

  8. File may have been deleted or moved

  9. Permissions may have been revoked

  10. Generate new link

  11. Recipient Issues:

  12. Recipient may have network/browser issues
  13. Ask them to try different browser or device

Tips

For All Users:

  • ✅ Use breadcrumb navigation to jump between folders quickly
  • ✅ Sort by Date Modified to find recent uploads
  • ✅ Generate short-lived share links (1-7 days) for better security
  • ✅ Download files for offline access when needed
  • ✅ Use Folders page for upload/edit operations (Media is read-only)
  • ❌ Don't share sensitive files via public share links

For Administrators:

  • ✅ Regularly clean up unused profile images to free storage
  • ✅ Organize media library with clear folder structure
  • ✅ Review share link expiration settings for your group
  • ✅ Monitor storage usage and advise users to delete old files
  • ❌ Don't delete files without confirming they're truly orphaned