Linked Documents Overview

Using Bluescape
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Support Note
Enabling OneDrive Link for an Team is only available to our Enterprise customers. If you wish to enable this feature for your team, please Reply to this topic.

Microsoft OneDrive

Bluescape offers multiple integration options for Microsoft OneDrive to cater to the security needs of our users. This section clarifies the options available and helps to inform your choice when determining the integration that is best for your use case.

OneDrive Upload :upload:

When using OneDrive Upload and selecting a file to add to a Bluescape workspace, the file is converted from its original file format into a PDF file and displayed in your workspace. It is displayed for viewing purposes and cannot be edited. This option is best used for less secure documents and data, as once it is uploaded to Bluescape, access to it is controlled by Bluescape’s permissions. Any user with access to the workspace where the file was uploaded can view it, even if they don’t have access to the OneDrive location where it originated.

OneDrive Link :link:

The OneDrive Link integration functions differently from OneDrive upload. With OneDrive link, when adding a file to your Bluescape workspace, an iFrame is inserted into the workspace that requires users to be authenticated in order to view the material. This retains OneDrive’s control over access to the file and is used for more secure content or when a single source is desired. Changes made to these documents in your workspace are reflected in OneDrive in real-time. If you don’t have access to a file added to a workspace, you can request access from the owner. OneDrive sends an email to the owner to determine if access is to be permitted. Access is controlled entirely through OneDrive and not by Bluescape.

The OneDrive Link option in the workspace is part of Bluescape’s identity federation feature that enables you to link (or unlink) your Office 365 account through your Bluescape account.

After the two accounts are linked, you can access, edit, and refresh Office 365 documents directly on Bluescape’s Web and Wall clients without logging in separately to OneDrive. All security privileges associated with the documents are maintained when linking the identity federation feature. This link also gives you access to the Office 365 feature, which allows you to view edits made by other members in real-time.

A OneDrive Link differs from uploading an asset from other cloud storage services. Most add a copy of the document to the workspace that does not provide a 2-way integration.
If you do not see this feature, reach out to your IT department and request they enable it for your team.

When someone changes the document in Office 365, you can refresh the file in the workspace and view their changes. If you edit the document when another member makes changes, you see their changes in real-time without having to refresh.

The documents that can be linked through identity federation are:

  • Images (.jpeg/.jpg, .png, .gif, .tiff/.tif)
  • Audio (.mp3, .wav)
  • Videos (.mov, .mp4, .wmv)
  • Documents (.ppt/.pptx, .doc/.docx, .xls/.xlsx, .pdf)

Certain file types may not display a thumbnail icon in the workspace. However, you can still add and interact with the file in the workspace.

Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive

Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive all upload a copy of the document from your cloud storage to Bluescape. Currently, OneDrive is the only cloud storage service that can directly upload linked documents to Bluescape.

Note about Google Drive

Google Drive allows for online editing; however, previewing may not work on the most recent version, and identity federation is not used for uploads.


Now, go try it in your workspace! :bluescape_home:

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I saw the configs for other resources Bluescape Feature Configurability - Organization Administrators and Organization Owners.

Is the same support for OneDrive Linked (2 way integration) also supported for Box or Google Drive where permitted users can access, edit and refresh the document (& I can view edits made by members real time) from Bluescape workspace? Asking for a friend, as I don’t have Box or Google Drive to be able to test this on my end.

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Hi, @BayAreaCSM.
Apologies for the delay. We have been working to connect with the proper subject matter expert and gather up-to-date information for you. We will share our findings as soon as we have something difinitive. Thank you for being so patient. :smiley:

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Hello @BayAreaCSM. I appreciate your patience. We are looking into expanding community instructional documents about cloud documents.

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Hello @BayAreaCSM. Thank you for your patience. We looked into things and confirmed that Google Drive has a version of 2-way sync where you can “live” edit documents. As for Box and DropBox, the uploaded document is a mere copy.

When I interact with a Drive document, I see a Refresh button. Then anyone in my workspace can see changes made to my document after a minor delay. They just need to activate the Google Drive element to see my changes.

1 Like