Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

[Amethyst]

Anybody fancy writing a guide for the site - similar to this on MSE - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=1690399 - as we need to switch over to storing documents off the site to reduce the strain on the server.

If we could cover uploading to the site as well via the attachments system as we'll need to retain the facility for documents within the VIP area that need to remain confidential, but across the public forums I don't think there is a need to not have the documents stored off site (in like photobucket etc) so long as people are clear about removing personal financial information.

Just let me know if you have time / inclination / and know how to do it - to write a little guide for us.

Many thanks.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

I'll be happy to do one, but it will have to be tomorrow. I am a graphic designer so I can easily do the screenshots, etc. :grin: Would be useful to know what software people are using to scan, take pictures, edit, conver to PDF, etc. :nerd:

[Inca]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

That's very decent of you FP,,I was going to offer my services but couldn't find my crayons and the on/off button on me laptop msl:.....oh and I haven't got a clue what a pdf/jpeg etc is...Scan is something I have at hospital,,software is the grade of my pillows..and as for screen shots ,,that's me completely confused.
So,,in conclusion,t'is probably best I keep my sticky little trotters out of the grownup world of design and techy stuff

[charitynjw]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

Wasn't IT a Stephen King film?

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

How to upload documents to your thread

STEP 1: Digitizing: getting your documents in digital format The first step is to get the paperwork in digital format. There are two ways to do this: Scan it - if you have access to a flatbed scanner, you will get better results using this method. Scanners are optimised for documents and you can fine tune settings to obtain the best quality, they come with their own editing software. Take a picture - if you haven't got access to a scanner, you can use a digital camera or mobile phone to take a picture. Make sure the document is lying flat on an even surface. A plain background works best. Zoom in until the document fills the screen and try to hold the camera or phone parallel to the subject. Ambient light works better than Flash.

	It is important to remove all personal details that could be used to identify you, this can be done either before you scan the document or take a picture of it, or afterwards, it all depends on the method you are using to digitize the image.
	If you have access to a photocopier, either at work, or you have a multi-function printer/scanner/copier at home, the easiest thing to do is to photocopy the document and cover up the areas you don't want to show with bits of paper, which you can tape to the document. You can also use opaque tape (such as masking tape).
	Make sure the paper or tape you are using is thick enough and doesn't let you see through it. Black marker pens are often semi-transparent and let you see through. If you haven't got a copier, you may not want to apply tape or deface you original documents with markers.
	If you are using a scanner, scan as a JPEG and use the image processing software that came with the scanner to paint out your details in white. If you scan as a PDF, you may not be able to edit out your details unless you have a program that lets you edit PDFs.
	If you have a document that's several pages long (such as a set of terms), your personal details may only appear on the first page. In this case, you could scan the rest of the document as a PDF, as long as it does not contain anything that can identify you.
	If you are taking a photo, cover up your details by placing bits of paper on top of the document as it lies flat. Make sure all details are covered but also check that you are not covering up anything important, such as the date. Do not leave out any small print on the edges of the document, these details can often be useful.
	Details you should remove include: Your name and address Email address and/or phone numbers(s) Account number Reference number Claim number and password on particulars of claim Employers, bank and credit card details on application forms Previous addresses and any other personal information supplied on application forms Vehicle registration number, where applicable Your signature on any form or agreement Barcodes
	Details you should leave visible include: Date (particularly important for default notices and particulars of claim) Name of creditor or DCA Claimant's name on particulars of claim Small print on the edges of agreements and terms, unless they contain a barcode

NOTE: This is only the beginning, next post will be step 2: editing documents

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

How to upload documents to your thread

STEP 2: Editing documents to remove unwanted details

There are many ways to edit documents, depending on the software you have on your computer:

• If you have a scanner or a digital camera, it will have come with some image editing software such as Photoshop Elements.
• MS Paint is a basic image editor that comes with Windows.
• Online image editors you can use on most browsers.
• Photoshop, Paintshop Pro or Gimp. With multi-page documents such as agreements, your details are likely to be present just on the first page, in which case the first page can be scanned as an image and the rest as a PDF.

Most image editors share the same basic tools and you don't need to get fancy to edit documents. A paintbrush or eraser is all you really need to remove details. A selection tool and paint bucket also come in handy.

Scanning to PDF, especially multi-page documents, generally produces better quality, smaller files, however, unless you have a suitable PDF editor, you may find it hard to edit PDFs. Beware of editors that place white boxes on top to cover up text, the writing will still be visible below the white box and will often flash on the screen long enough for people to see it, furthermore, people who have certain software such as Illustrator will be able to view the text in full.

If you scan to PDF, you can use this free PDF editor that converts PDFs to editable text documents (Word and plain text formats) as well as to JPEGs which can be edited using an image editor: http://www.pdfmate.com/pdf-converter-free.html

Editing documents using MS Paint - Paint can edit bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff and ico files.
Using pixlr online photo editor - can edit jpg, gif, bmp, png, psd files

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

How to upload documents to your thread

STEP 3: Adding documents to your post

Documents can be added in either of two ways:

1. Using the attachment facility to upload files to the Legal Beagles server. There are some limitations associated with the attachments facility, one is the maximum allowed file sizes, limiting the resolution of the files you can upload, the other is a maximum of 5 attachments per post.
2. Using an external image hosting service and linking to your files from your post. There are several websites where you can upload your images for free. Bear in mind those external sites are not linked to Legal Beagles in any way, anyone can upload and view files hosted on those sites, so it's important to make sure you remove all personal information. If you experience problems using the LB attachment facility, this method should solve the problem.
   

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

Using the attachment facility to upload documents

	You can attach documents to your posts via the attachment facility. When you do this, the documents get uploaded to the Legal Beagles server.
	You need to be in Advanced mode to upload documents. To enter Advanced mode, click the button.
	Once you are in Advanced more, scroll down past the Post Icons to the Additional Options box. Under the heading Attachments, click the button. A new window will open as below. If you scroll down, you will see details for more file types.
	You can use the paper clip to insert an attachment at the cursor position.
	Note that the maximum allowed file size is 4Mb and there's a maximum of 5 attachments per post. The maximum dimensions for an image file in JPG format are 1000 x 1000 pixels. This should be enough for letters, but may not be adequate for documents with lots of small print, such as terms. You may need to use an external file hosting service if higher resolution files are required.
	Click , a new window will open showing your computer files. Locate the file you wish to attach, select it and click You will see your selected file next to the button: . If this is the file you wish to attach, click the button.
	Once the file is uploaded, it will be shown under Current Attachments:
	If you wish to attach more than one file, repeat the process above until you have attached all the files, then close the window.
	If you attempt to upload files larger than the allowed sizes, you will get an error message like the one below. You will need to reduce the size of the file as indicated.
	Once you have uploaded the files, they will be automatically attached to the bottom of your post. For image files such as JPEGs and PNGs, there will be a thumbnail preview. For documents such as PDFs, you will just see the filename and size. Clicking on the thumbnail will show a larger version, clicking on the name of a document will download the file to your computer.
	If you need to remove or replace an attachment, scroll down to and the window will open again. Click then to upload a new file if required. Click at any time to see the results.
	Limitations There are some limitations associated with the attachments facility: Images and documents cannot exceed the maximum allowed file sizes and dimensions. There is a maximum limit of 5 attachments per post.
	In addition to the attachments, you need to add some text to your post, it's not possible to have a post with just attachments and no text.
	If you want to display your attachments inline, place your cursor where you'd like the attachment to appear and click on the paper clip icon. A thumbnail of the image will appear at the cursor position. This works best with small images. The paper clip is only available in Advanced mode.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

Using an external website to host your images and documents

There are a number of free image hosting services where images and documents can be uploaded. Some require you to create an account, others do not. There are some advantages to using an external host:

• It gets around the limitations associated with the forum software behind Legal Beagles, especially the file size issue. The 4Mb limit is adequate for most files and the maximum 1000 px dimensions work fine for images such as letters, however, there are times when you'll need to upload larger files.
• Using an external hosting platform also helps reduce the server load: images and documents take up much more server space than posts and loading large files can slow down the site.
• Some sites (such as Photobucket) offer mobile versions where you can upload images directly from your phone, handy if you are also using your phone to take pictures.

While it is important to ensure no personal details are visible on any document or image you upload to a public website, it is even more important if you are using an external file hosting service.

Listed below are some free image hosting sites, there are many more. Some allow only image files (usually JPEGs and PNGs), others also allow documents to be uploaded (such as JPEGs) None of these sites have any connection to Legal Beagles, which means LB cannot be held responsible for the content of those sites. External sites may go down, change their policies, stop operating or accepting new registrations at any time.

Site	Registration	Image file formats	Image dimensions	Documents
photobucket	Required	gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp	No maximum	n/a
tinypic	Optional but recommended to preserve images, otherwise removed if not viewed in 90 days.	jpg, png, gif, bmp	Max 1600 px	n/a
postimage	Optional	jpg, png, gif, bmp, psd, tiff	TBA	PDF

Work in progress...

[Amethyst]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

Thank you so much for doing this FP - really appreciate your help and it's looking fab so far ! Let me know if you need anything.

[Amethyst]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

If you wish to attach more than one file, repeat the process above until you have attached all the files, then close the window.

nb. max is five on each post. Also need to put a few letters of text in a post too (I just put something like ' see attached' if I'm just uploading a big bunch of stuff.

:wub: thank you xx

[PlanB]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

You are never going to teach this old dog new tricks FP :doggieyes:

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

You are never going to teach this old dog new tricks FP :doggieyes:

Old dog? I'm just a few months older than you! :beagle2222:

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

nb. max is five on each post. Also need to put a few letters of text in a post too (I just put something like ' see attached' if I'm just uploading a big bunch of stuff.

:wub: thank you xx

Thank you so much for doing this FP - really appreciate your help and it's looking fab so far ! Let me know if you need anything.

I'll be back tomorrow and will also be taking a look at all the links that Turbo has sent me. Lots of homework!

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Need a guide to Uploading documents to LB & off site storage and linking.

Editing documents using MS Paint

Paint is an image editor that comes with Windows, so most people are likely to have it on their computers. (Mac users will probably have Photoshop and Linux users, GIMP).

Below is the Paint toolbar:



Click to open your image file.

Click and draw a rectangle around any text you wish to remove:



Make sure is set to white. With the area still selected, click The text will disappear.



Click and choose Save As. Give the edited image a new name. The image is ready to upload. :typing:



If you need to resize the image, click A new window will open. Enter the pixel dimensions in one of the boxes (for example, 1000 to use the LB attachment facility). Make sure Maintain aspect ratio is ticked to avoid distortion. Click OK and re-save the image.