You can easily display a Preview of a document. This can be used for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and also for a PDF or an image such as a .jpg or bitmap. This gives a quick snapshot of the contents of a document in FYI. It is useful as it opens the document for read only without locking the document from other users for edit access.
You preview a document using the Preview tab in the Drawer.
When the Preview pane is displayed for a document, if you can click on a different document in the list this leaves the drawer with the Preview pane still open. This displays both the filing details and the contents in the Preview of the newly selected document. This is a useful way to look through the contents of documents.
You can also use the Read function to open one or more emails and/or documents as read-only in separate tabs in your browser. Refer to Previewing Documents as Read Only.
Other documents such as a Phone Calls, File Notes, Meetings or a Task, have all their details recorded in the Editor tab from the drawer so preview is not relevant for these types of documents.
This article contains the following sections:
- Preview Office Via OneDrive
- Preview Tab in the Drawer
- Adding and Displaying Comments when the Preview Pane is Open
- Adding a Task when the Preview Pane is Open
- Tools in the Preview tab
- Tools when Previewing a PDF
- Legacy documents, Office templates and Macro files
Preview Office Via OneDrive
In the Settings for each user is an option Preview Office Via OneDrive. This determines how the Preview function displays Office documents. This can be set "On" or "Off" (refer to Setting Defaults and Filing Defaults for your own Login - My Settings).
- When Preview Office via OneDrive is set as "On", the document displays in the Preview and retains the same formatting as when opening the document from the Office product on the desktop.
- When Preview Office Via OneDrive is set as "Off", this is quicker to display, but you may find that the formatting of the content of the document may not be accurate, especially for more complex documents.
Preview Tab in the Drawer
- In any list in FYI, click on a document to highlight and select it.
- In the Drawer, click the Preview tab.
A preview of the document displays next to the Drawer. The following example is when you are previewing via OneDrive.
The following example shows the preview when Preview via OneDrive is "Off".
- To close the preview, click the Hide tab, or the X in the top of the preview.
If you are prompted to Sign in
When you click Preview, if you are prompted in the Preview pane to sign in, click the Sign in button. This message is displayed if the OneDrive session has expired. When you click Sign in, the document will open.
If the Preview pane does not display, you may need to change the settings in your browser to allow cookies from your SharePoint. Refer to Preparing your Browser for FYI.
Note: Once you have logged in, the OneDrive session will expire after a period of time and you will be prompted to sign in again. This is a function of Microsoft 365.
Note: The Preview pane is a OneDrive function and is controlled by Microsoft, not by FYI. If you are having an issue with the Preview pane, please refer to the section FAQs - Preview and Full Screen View.
Using Full Screen in the Preview
To display the preview as a full screen, click the Full screen tool at the top of the Preview pane.
The document displays as a full screen preview with the drawer open. The following example shows the full screen preview when this is set to preview via OneDrive.
To close the Full Screen preview, click the X in the top right-hand corner or click the Exit Full Screen tool.
Adding and Displaying Comments when the Preview Pane is Open
When the Preview pane is open, you can add Comments or display the Comments that have been added.
To add Comments, click Comments at the top of the drawer.
The Comment pane displays.
Type your message in the Your Comment area at the bottom on the Comment pane and click Comment. You can also notify another user of the Comment. Refer to Adding Comments and Notifying Team Members.
When Comments have been added to a document, and the Preview pane is displayed, the number of Comments displays at the top of the drawer.
Clicking this displays the existing Comments and you can add additional Comments.
To close the Comments pane and re-display the drawer, click the Back button.
Adding a Task when the Preview Pane is Open
When the Preview pane is open, you can add a Task to the document.
Click Add Task at the top of the drawer.
The Create Task displays in the drawer over the top of the Preview pane in the same way as creating a Task with the + button. Enter the details of the Task. Refer to Using the Task Drawer.
Tools in the Preview tab
You can also use the tools at the top of the Preview. These are the same as the buttons that display in the tool bar on the list for selected document. Refer to Using the Document Action Tool Bar.
Tools when Previewing a PDF
When Previewing a PDF, hover over tool bar at the bottom of the Preview to use the Microsoft tools.
Legacy documents, Office templates and Macro files
'Legacy documents' (that is, from old versions of Office such as .doc or .xls) cannot be previewed and do not show the Preview button.
This is the same for files such as Office templates or macros (.dotx or xlsm).
Files from an old version of Office display "Word - Legacy" or "Spreadsheet - Legacy" at the top of the drawer above the filename. For legacy documents that cannot be previewed, you should be able to open/edit the document. We recommend you export the document and add it as a new document in FYI (refer to How can I work with old (legacy) Microsoft files such as .xls and .doc?).