Change What Forage Reads

Purpose: choose whether Forage reads SharePoint, the archive or both, which file types it reads, and what happens to files of a type you switch off. Sites are chosen on Sites (choose which sites Forage reads), and emailed reports are set up on this page too (email reports).

1. Open Records, then Settings. Three tiles at the top summarise what is saved: Reading from, File types (how many of the readable types are switched on) and Emailed reports. Select a tile to jump to its section.
2. Under Where to read from, choose a card: SharePoint and the archive (all your files, whether they are still in SharePoint or have moved to the archive), SharePoint only or Archive only. If you switch one off, Forage finishes the files it is reading there, then stops. What it has already read from those files is kept.
3. Under File types to read, the types are grouped as Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Drawings, Email, Text and web, and Scans and images. Each group shows how many of its types are switched on. Select a type, such as .pdf, to switch it on or off, or select Switch them all on or Switch them all off for a whole group. Forage reads the words on drawings, the sender, recipients, subject, date and body of an email, and scans and images with OCR. A type marked with an asterisk is an older format, such as .doc or .ppt, from which Forage reads only the plain text, so its files show as partly read and reports never claim more was read than really was.
4. Under File types Forage can't read yet, see the types Forage has listed but cannot read, with how many files of each. You cannot switch them on. Forage still lists and counts these files, so they appear in reports and can be found in Search by name. Select Show all to see every type.
5. Under When you switch off a file type, choose what happens to files of a type you have switched off:
   • Keep them leaves everything Forage has read from those files in place, so they stay searchable, and reports count them as files of a type that was not read. If you switch the type back on, Forage picks them up again.
   • Delete them permanently removes Forage's copy of the text, its search entries and its record that Forage ever read those files, never the files themselves. It needs a reason, which is recorded in the Log.
6. Use the bar at the bottom of the screen. It says how many changes are not saved, and a section with unsaved changes is marked Not saved. Type a reason where it asks (it is required for Delete them permanently, and optional otherwise). Press Save changes to keep your changes, or Discard to go back to what was saved.

Good to know: Forage starts using a change after you save it, but updating files it has already listed takes longer. Until then, the change is marked Not yet applied to existing files on Activity. Switching off a type or a source never changes a file in SharePoint or the archive. Every change is recorded with who made it, when and why.

Questions go to sales@smikar.com.