Tips on Documents Cloud URL Parameters

When beginning to use or integrate Documents Cloud into your business, getting to know the URLs in the web interface is helpful. Some of this information is only useful for integrators and developers but even the casual user may find it useful to know how to "read" the URL when viewing a folder or a file.

GUID Prefixes

The most rudimentary bits of the URL is understanding the folder and file ID values. When a folder is clicked on in the web interface, the structure of the URL /documents/folder followed by a GUID that represents the folder. Notice that the GUID starts with the letter F.

https://mydocshost/documents/folder/F0AF7C0FFA4D23F7509C524715BE5DEA38AC513C7430/_Demo/nameasc

When a file is opened in the viewer, the URL has /documents/fileview followed by the GUID . The GUID starts with the letter D, which indicates that this is a document, not a folder.

https://mydocshost/documents/fileview/D185DA6168097A5DE4A779AD15BE5DEA38AC513C7430/_Capture.JPG

One other ID type in Documents Cloud worth mentioning is the public link, which start with the letter L.

https://mydocshost/documents/link/LF8D215F4ACE184633B33EBB15BE5DEA38AC513C7430/folder/F0AF7C0FFA4D23F7509C524715BE5DEA38AC513C7430/_Demo

This may not seem an important distinction, until perhaps you are writing an integration and staring at a GUID with no URL surrounding it at all. Knowing this basic fact allows quick discernment between folder and file ID, and this can be helpful when using the REST API or if someone sends you an ID with no additional information.

Grid and List Views

Documents Cloud has two view options, grid and list view. These can be toggled in the user interface with the "lyt" parameter, short for "layout". This can be set to grid or list. For each Documents Cloud user, the layout preference is saved when he or she clicks the layout icon on the screen, as it should be since the user will likely arrive at a preferred viewing mode. But for an integration, forcing a layout parameter may be important for a consistent user experience. If embedding a Documents Cloud folder into another application, setting the parameter to grid or list every time will avoid confusion for users. This setting can be added to the end of any folder URL in the following format, where lyt=grid or lyt=list.

https://mydocshost/documents/folder/F0AF7C0FFA4D23F7509C524715BE5DEA38AC513C7430/_Demo/nameasc/lyt=grid

Sort Order

Three options for sorting are available, and can be set in the URL so that on page load the selection is already made. These are:

updated: Sort by last updated file, most recent on top.
nameasc: Sort by name ascending.
namedsc: Sort by name descending.

When you login to your Documents Cloud account this can be seen in every folder URL. The default parameter is set on the home folder and all other folder views.

https://mydocshost/documents/home/nameasc

Worth noting is that if you choose a different sort option in the web interface it is a sticky setting and travels with your navigation to other folders.

Filters

The default view of a Documents Cloud account is to use no filter, meaning that all folders and files, shared or unshared, are visible. However, showing only shared is possible, as is showing only those folders and files created by you. Two options exist as URL parameters for the filter:

shared: Shows only those folders created by someone else who has added you as a member. These are the blue folder icons that you see in the default view.

owned: Any folder or file you have created. For folders, these are the yellow folder icons, including the folders where you have added other Documents Cloud users as members.

https://documents.us.oracle.com/documents/home/owned/nameasc

A message in the upper left also mentions the filter when set. See the "Owned by You" text on the page when the "owned" parameter is set. Folders that have a yellow shared icon are folders that you have created and shared with others. When using the "shared" parameter, the message "Shared with You" appears and the folder icons are blue to indicate someone else in your DOCS instance has shared the folder with you.

Favorites

To get to your favorites, a URL parameter can be set to load only those folders and file you have starred. The "favorites" URL parameter can be added in the following manner.

https://mydocshost/documents/favorites/nameasc

Viewing a Specific Revision

The file viewing URL can be constructed with a document ID. The file name is not necessary to load a file in the viewer, just the document ID is needed.

https://mydocshost/documents/fileview/D148C1911C8639EB0AB89E5815BE5DEA38AC513C7430

When the page loads in the viewer, the filename is appended to the URL, as shown in the link below.

/fileview/D148C1911C8639EB0AB89E5815BE5DEA38AC513C7430/_reviseddoc3.doc

If a specific revision is needed, the revision number can be specified at the end of the URL. For example, if the second revision of a file is the target, add a "2" to the end of the fileview URL.

https://mydocshost/documents/fileview/D148C1911C8639EB0AB89E5815BE5DEA38AC513C7430/2