Knowledge Base Article: Using Views

Views organise objects in the vault by metadata. This makes the correct information easy to find. Views can use, for example, object types (such as Customer or Project) and they can be further grouped by properties (such as Country or Customer).

Understanding Views

In M-Files, views are essentially saved searches with optional grouping levels. Unlike traditional folder structures, objects can appear in multiple views simultaneously based on their metadata.

Navigating Views

To navigate views in the classic M-Files Desktop:

• Views are displayed in the listing area of the M-Files Desktop
• Click on a view to open it and see its contents
• The navigation path at the top shows your current location within the view hierarchy
• Use the back and forward buttons to navigate between recently visited views

Common Views

The bar below the top area provides quick access to common views:

• Recent — Objects you have recently used
• Assigned — Objects that are assigned to you
• Checked Out — Objects you have checked out for editing
• Pinned — Objects you have pinned for quick access

Creating Views

You can create your own personal views or, with the appropriate permissions, common views visible to all vault users:

• Click the Create button and select View
• Specify a filter to ensure the view only displays objects you want to see
• Optionally determine the folder structure (grouping levels) for the objects
• Set view permissions to control who can see the view

Note: For instructions on how to set up views and grouping levels, see Creating a View.

Virtual Folders

When you add a grouping level to a view, M-Files uses the grouping level information to organise objects into virtual folders. These allow you to sort objects in a view into categories based on their metadata values.

Traditional Folders

You can also create traditional folders in M-Files. These folders do not have the additional properties provided by views and are comparable to folders on a regular drive. They can be used to organise content or import files to M-Files.

View Permissions

Normally, views are created for personal use only. To create a common view visible to all vault users, your user account must have permissions to manage common views or Full control of vault rights.