VSys One: Volunteer Management Software

Attachment Types

Every attachment has a type. These let you categorize your attachments for later use. From the Setup panel, define attachment types using the Attachment types link under Attachments.

Right-click tools

Add attachment type	Creates a new attachment type.
View	Opens this attachment type in read-only mode.
Edit	Edits this attachment type.
Make inactive	Keeps this attachment type from being used in the future. Does not remove it from attachments of this type.
Delete	Removes this attachment type. VSys will not let you delete an attachment type which is in use by any attachments.
Merge with another attachment type here	Use this option to condense attachment types.
Paste values from the clipboard	Create your list of types in a text editor and copy them to the clipboard. Use this link to copy them into the types list in VSys.

Automatically create/update certifications

VSys can manage certifications based on attachments of a specific type. It's helpful if you can visualize the certification as direct part of the attachment. The certification can only be linked to one attachment, is updated with that attachment, can't be handed off to any other attachment, and is deleted when the attachment is deleted or its Status changed to other than Approved.

In the attachment type, setting Automatically create/update certification sets this. When an attachment of this type is saved, and the attachment's Status is Approved, VSys:

Checks to see if this attachment has been previously associated with a certification of the given type.
Finding such a certification, VSys updates it. Critically it must be the certification already linked to this attachment - not one created by or linked to some other attachment.
Lacking one, VSys creates it. Note that this will fail if that new certification cannot be created, for example if only one is allowed per person and the person already has one.

These rules imply that making a new attachment will not affect any existing certifications: the attachment will not "adopt" a pre-existing certification whether or not that certification is linked to some other attachment.

If you delete an attachment, or change that attachment's Status to other than Approved, VSys will delete the certification - if present - linked to this attachment.

But why can't it update an existing certification? Think about what happens when multiple attachments are added, deleted or have their statuses changed. Which attachment updates, creates or deletes which certification? In general the best practice for certifications is not to edit and modify old ones when they're superseded, e.g. by getting a new annual flu shot. Instead you make a new one each year, and VSys will generally use the most recent one when considering if someone is compliant or not. The way attachments manage certifications is designed to make that work.

If an attachment type is given an Advanced encryption key, then any new attachments of these type will be encrypted with that key; existing attachments are unaffected. To force that encryption to be applied to pre-existing attachments, use the Apply encryption to existing attachments tool.

Attachment types in italics are built-in types and cannot be edited or deleted.