Using the File Manager

SharpSpring enables you to upload and store images and attachments in an inclusive file manager. This article will detail how to upload images and attachments. Article Contents Manager Access Uploading Files Manager Toolbar Manager Panel Creating Folders Deleting Folders Moving Files Viewing Files Editing Files Renaming Files Downloading Files Favoriting Files Zipping Files Unzipping Files Removing Files Shutterstock Images Email Editor Permitted Types Upscaled Images			Available with:
			Marketing Automation	✓
			CRM Ultimate	✓
			CRM PRO	✓
			CRM Free	✓
			Toolbar:
			Users:
			Administrators	✓
			Company Managers	✓
			Marketing Managers	✓
			Sales Managers
			Salespersons
			Jr. Salespersons

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Manager Access

The File Manager is available at all times in SharpSpring. The File Manager is part of the toolbar that is at the top of every page in SharpSpring.

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar to access the File Manager. The File Manager will open in a modal window. The rest of the page will become non-interactive. Click either    Exit at the top of the modal window or Close at the bottom of the modal window to close the File Manager.		Click to enlarge.

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Uploading Files

To upload images and attachments from the top toolbar, do the following: Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Click Upload. Do one of the following: •   Drag-and-drop the desired content into      the window. •   Click Add Files to select the desired      content. Click Open. Click Upload. Click Close.		Click to enlarge.
		Important: The maximum file size for uploaded content is 5MB.

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Manager Toolbar

The File Manager's core functions are located in its toolbar. The toolbar contains the following:

	Option		Description
	Create		Creates a new folder.
	Upload		Uploads valid files into SharpSpring.
	Manage		Houses different ways to edit, maintain, or remove files.
	Paste		Pastes copied or cut files.
	Refresh File List		Refreshes the File Manager window to display uploaded files.
	List Display		Displays folders and files in either a list or thumbnail view.
	Sort		Sorts files and folders by name, file size, type, and last modified date.
	Search		Searches for uploaded files.

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Manager Panel

The File Manager has a panel that allows you to quickly find your files. The panel contains the following:

	Option		Description
	Uploads		Displays all uploaded files, as well as all available folders.
	Favorites		Displays favorite files.
	History		Displays the files that you interacted with in order of recency.
	Uploaded		Displays recently uploaded files.

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Creating Folders

Folders can be used in many ways. For example, you can group similar files by theme, intended use, or source. Folders will be located under the Uploads section of the File Manager panel. To create folders in the File Manager, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Click Create > Folder. Enter a name for the folder. Click Create.

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Deleting Folders

Folders can be deleted when they are no longer needed. To delete folders, do the following: Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Hover over the desired folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Click Manage > Remove. Click OK.		Click to enlarge.
		Important: Folders must be empty before they can be deleted.

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Moving Files

Files and folders can be moved between and into other folders. To move files or folders, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file or folder. Hover over the desired file or folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage. Select either Cut or Copy. Click the desired folder. Click Paste.

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Viewing Files

Files uploaded to the File Manager can be viewed at-a-glance with the    Thumbnail view in the toolbar. The thumbnail displays for image files with large dimensions will be a downscaled version of the actual file. You can view uploaded files at any time. To view uploaded files, do the following: 

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file. Hover over the desired file. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage > View. Click    Exit to close the modal window.

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When you select one file, only that file will open in the modal window. Multiple image files can be viewed together, however. When you select multiple image files, those selected files will open in slideshow format in the modal window.

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Editing Files

Image files can be edited one at a time. This allows you to make any necessary size adjustments or aesthetic changes to the image. To edit image files, do the following: Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired image. Hover over the desired image. Click the empty    checkbox. Click Manage > Edit. Modify the image as desired. Click Apply. Repeat as necessary. Click Save. Enter a name for the image. Click Save.		Click to enlarge.
		Note: Certain image file types will not have access to all edit options.
		Note: Click    Exit to close the window without saving.
		Note: Click Undo to undo your last applied action. Click Revert to undo all applied actions.

 

Available Editing Options

The following options are available when editing images:

	Option		Description
	Resize		Modifies the overall dimensions of an image.
	Crop		Removes all image content outside of the border.
	Flip/Rotate		Flips an image horizontally or vertically, or rotates the image left or right in 90° increments.
	Brightness		Modifies the overall brightness of an image.
	Contrast		Modifies the luminosity and color intensity of an image.
	Exposure		Modifies the amount of light throughout an image.
	Gamma		Modifies the visual difference between light and dark areas of an image.
	Hue		Modifies all of the colors of an image.
	Saturate		Modifies the intensities of all colors.
	Sepia		Adds or removes a sepia tone.
	Vibrance		Modifies the intensity of a color. Prefers muted colors and does not affect saturated colors.
	TriangleBlur		Blurs an image, causing it to become unfocused.
	Colorize		Adds or removes amounts of red, green, or blue color.
	Grayscale		Removes all color. The image will only have shades of gray.
	Invert		Inverts the colors to be their direct opposite.
	Sharpen		Sharpens an image, causing it to become focused.
	Emboss		Adds highlights and shadows to the image.

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Renaming Files

You can rename files at any time. To rename files, do the following: Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file or folder. Hover over the desired file or folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Click Manage > Rename. Enter a new name for the file or folder. Click Rename.		Click to enlarge.
		Note: Only one file can be renamed at a time.

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Downloading Files

You can download files that have been uploaded to the File Manager. This may be handy in certain cases, such as downloading an image you edited through the File Manager. To download files, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file or folder. Hover over the desired file or folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage > Download.

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When you select one file, that file will download in the file format it is saved as in the File Manager. When you select multiple files, those selected files will be downloaded together in a .ZIP file. Exported File Manager files will download automatically to where your computer saves files downloaded from the Internet.

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Favoriting Files

You can set uploaded files as favorites. This gives additional importance and visibility to specified files. To set files as favorites, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file or folder. Hover over the desired file or folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage > Add favorite.

Click to enlarge.

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Zipping Files

You can create a compressed .ZIP file that contains selected materials from your available folders and files. To compress files and folders, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired file or folder. Hover over the desired file or folder. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage > Zip. Enter a name for the .ZIP file. Click Create.

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These .ZIP files will appear in the parent folder that contains the folders or files that were zipped.

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Unzipping Files

You can upload .ZIP files and unzip their contents into the File Manager. To unzip .ZIP files in the File Manager, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired folder. Upload the desired .ZIP file. Hover over the .ZIP file. Click the empty    checkbox. Click Manage > Unzip.

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Removing Files

There may come a time when you no longer want to keep a file. You can remove files as needed. To remove files from the File Manager, do the following:

Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Navigate to the desired folder. Hover over the desired file. Click the empty    checkbox. Repeat as necessary. Click Manage > Remove. Click OK.

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Shutterstock Images

If you have purchased Shutterstock images, they will appear in the File Manager. To access the Shutterstock image folder in the File Manager, do the following:  Click    New > File Manager Item in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Click Uploads in the left panel. Click the Shutterstock folder.

Click to enlarge.

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Email Editor

SharpSpring's Email Content Editor provides ways to add images to an email's body. You can upload images to the email through the File Manager, or you can add images you have previously uploaded to the File Manager. To add images to emails via the File Manager, do the following:

Click Marketing > Content > Emails in SharpSpring's top toolbar. Create or edit an email. Double-click in the content block. Click    Insert/Edit Image in the Content Editor toolbar. Click    File Search. Do one of the following in the File Manager: •   Upload a file •   Navigate to a previously uploaded file in a file      folder Optionally, modify any or all of the following:     •   Image description    •   Dimensions    •   Style    •   Vertical space    •   Horizontal space    •   Border width    •   Border style Click OK.

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Permitted Types

Attachments can be a great supplement to an email. However, they should only be a supplement. Large attachments can intimidate potential leads, so send one or two small attachments. However, you should never send an email with just an attachment and no content in the body. Those emails will most likely enter the recipient's spam folder.

SharpSpring allows you to upload several different file types as attachments. SharpSpring supports the following file types:

	File Types Supported by SharpSpring
	•   .CSV	•   .GIF	•   .PDF	•   .XLS
	•   .DOC	•   .ICS	•   .PNG	•   .XLSX
	•   .DOCX	•   .JPG	•   .TXT	•   .ZIP

The safest file types to send are .GIF, .JPG, .PDF, and .PNG. While SharpSpring supports their attachment, .ZIP files should never be included as attachments in an email.

There are times when an attachment may be unwarranted. If you would rather not attach files to an email, you can instead use Media Center links in the email's body.

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Upscaled Images

When you upload images to the File Manager, be sure to upload an image that will accurately represent the size that you want to display it as. Otherwise, there may be issues with image scaling. This applies especially when setting uploaded content as background images. You will need to import images at a set resolution for them to render properly when set as background images. 

In SharpSpring, the most common image scaling issue is upscaling, where the image is made to display as larger than its uploaded dimensions. When images with small dimensions are made larger, they are forced to upscale and become distorted, often appearing blurry or pixelated. For example, if you upload an image with a height and width of 200 pixels, it will best display at that size. If you try to use the image in a way that forces the image to become larger, it will upscale and not look as it did originally.

The best way to work with uploaded images is to upload images that conform to the specific dimensions of your emails, pages, or other content. Setting dimensions in a layout or template first and then uploading an image that fits those dimensions will limit scaling issues.

Currently, the generally accepted standard resolution for web pages is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall. However, there is no uniform standard, as there are many video displays that have resolutions that are larger than this.

Be aware that, when viewed on certain video displays, even those images that have been saved as and set to certain dimensions might not display correctly for every person who views your web page. What may look fine on one display might be distorted on another.