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Object utilities

These utilities act on objects when they are checked in. Each is independent, off by default, and has its own page with every setting it holds.

The utilities

Reverse Object Reference

Type
Reverse object reference configuration

This setting has no description in the application yet.

Settings in this group — 2 of them

Self Object Reference

Type
Self object reference configuration

Utility to set a property automatically to reference itself (Specific or latest version)

Settings in this group — 2 of them

Major Minor Versioning

Type
Major minor versioning configuration

Utility to maintain a major and minor versioning scheme for objects, using workflows and a version type.

Settings in this group — 5 of them

Guiding Document Publishing

Type
Guiding documents configuration

Utility to create and maintain guiding document publishing, as well as permissions, review dates, and more.

Settings in this group — 27 of them

Extended Checked Out To

Type
Extended checked out to configuration

Utility to maintain a combined list of users that something is checked out to. It could be, for instance, that a document is checked out to co-authoring, and you would like to show these documents in the checked out to me view.

Settings in this group — 4 of them

Property Transfer

Type
Property transfer configuration

A utility to transfer properties from one object to another, based on a trigger.

Settings in this group — 2 of them

Property Delta

Type
Property delta configuration

A utility to calculate the difference between two properties, and store the result in a third property, based on a trigger.

Settings in this group — 2 of them

External Refresh

Type
External refresh configuration

A utility to trigger a refresh of external object types based on an interval in seconds. Ensuring that external objects are up to date.

Settings in this group — 3 of them

Auto Identifier

Type
Auto identifier configuration

A utility to generate an identifier value for an object type, based on a trigger and a placeholder.

Settings in this group — 4 of them

Auto Name

Type
Auto name configuration

A utility to generate an automatic name for objects, based on a trigger and a placeholder.

Settings in this group — 4 of them

Multi Select Property Count

Type
Multi select property count configuration

A utility to count the number of items in a multi select property, and store the number as either an integer or a value-list item corresponding to the number in a separate property.

Settings in this group — 2 of them

Metadata Validation

Type
Metadata validation configuration

A utility to validate various metadata on objects, as well as ensuring uniqueness on other properties.

Settings in this group — 4 of them

Records

Type
Records configuration

A utility to create and maintain records during various stages of an object's lifecycle.

Settings in this group — 2 of them

Person Object Setter

Type
Person object setter configuration

A utility to set a person object property based on an M-Files user account and a trigger.

Settings in this group — 4 of them

Object utility configuration settings, generated from M-Files Essentials 0.26.6.1.

Choosing between the ones that look similar

Section titled “Choosing between the ones that look similar”

Several of these overlap enough to be picked wrongly.

Auto Name against Auto Identifier. Auto Name writes a display name built from properties and is expected to change as the object changes. Auto Identifier writes a stable identifier that is meant not to change once assigned. Use the identifier for anything referenced from outside the vault.

Property Transfer against Property Delta. Transfer copies a value from one object to another. Delta calculates the difference between two properties on the same object and stores the result in a third. They are unrelated despite sitting next to each other.

Self Object Reference against Reverse Object Reference. Self writes a reference to the object itself into one of its own properties, which is what makes an object findable through a lookup that expects a reference. Reverse writes a reference on the other object, so a relationship set on one side appears on the other.

Records against Guiding Document Publishing. Records creates an object capturing a moment in an object’s lifecycle. Guiding Document Publishing maintains a published copy of a document alongside its working copy, with its own permissions and review dates. Guiding Document Publishing is by some distance the largest utility here.