Apps and plug-ins

HighQ Drive for macOS

HighQ Drive 2.0 and later supports the ability for internal Collaborate users to synchronise files stored in
My files
 or team sites, to a location on their local computer and vice versa. Please contact your IT department to determine whether your firm will permit HighQ Drive to be installed.

Requirements

Currently, the HighQ Drive application can be installed on Windows and Mac computers. macOS HighQ Drive can be installed on existing x86- and M1-based Macs with Catalina or Big Sur.

Installation

The HighQ Drive application can be downloaded from the user's profile. Select the user profile icon, then
Install HighQ Drive
.
The HighQ Drive application will be downloaded to the local computer. Open the downloaded file and follow the installation steps.
Follow the following steps to configure HighQ Drive:
  1. Enter your instance domain/URL.
  2. Enter your instance username/email and password.
  3. Enter the 6-digit passcode sent to your email address.
  4. Tap to allow the app to access your HighQ account.
Step 1: Enter the URL of the Collaborate Instance
Enter the URL of the instance of Collaborate that HighQ Drive will connect to in the
Account
 tab and select
Connect
;
this will be different for each Collaborate instance
. The URL will include both the domain portion and the application name after the forward-slash. For example:
https://collaborate.highqsolutions.com/sitepoint
Step 2: Enter your email address and password
On the next screen, enter your email address and password and select
Log in
 (this step will be bypassed if
Single Sign-On
 is enabled and applicable to the user).
Select
Allow
 to give the app authorisation to access your account.
The tab shows the full account name.
Step 3:
Activate access
A 6-digit passcode is sent to your email address. Enter this code in the setup window, then tap
Allow
 to permit the app to access your HighQ account.
Optionally, Configure Drive Settings
HighQ Drive will have been fully configured and will begin syncing content.
In the
General
 tab, users can change the folder location on the computer where files will be synced.
The default location is set as the HighQ Drive folder under the user's folder path.
There are a few other advanced settings (displayed on the
Advanced
 tab), that most users will not need to configure.

Initial sync

As soon as the app is installed and authenticated, it synchronises all files from your
My Files
 folder in your HighQ account (personal document storage).
Tap the HighQ
Q
 icon in the top menu bar to display a dedicated HighQ Drive menu, indicating the synchronisation progress - once complete, this menu displays an 'Up to date' status text below the amount of personal storage space used.
Select
Pause Syncing
 in the taskbar menu to pause the synchronisation at any time.

Using HighQ Drive

File Syncing Behavior
HighQ Drive automatically syncs files between your My files folders and the HighQ Drive location on your computer. Any changes made in one location will be synced to the other; for example:
  • Adding a file or folder
  • Deleting a file or folder
  • Moving a file or folder (within HighQ Drive)
  • Renaming a file or folder
Any changes to files are synchronised immediately.

HighQ Drive Interface

The HighQ Drive interface includes several features to make it easy to sync files and track the progress of syncing.
For example, click the
HighQ Drive
 icon to reveal the menu, including some useful information that includes:
  • How much content has been synced and what percentage of the user's overall storage is used.
  • Whether syncing is currently active or has been paused. To temporarily pause syncing, select
    Pause syncing
    .
  • Access to the list of recently changed (and recently synced files).
Click on the
More Actions
 icon to see more options. For example, a user can:
  • Access the
    File Information
     page for that file on Collaborate by clicking
    View online
    .
  • Share a link to the file using the
    Share link...
     option. Here you can select who it is accessible by, the download rights, an expiration date, and the option to
    Get Link
    .
  • Use
    Open Drive folder...
     to access the HighQ Drive folder
  • Use
    Visit HighQ Drive on the web
     to access your My files or team sites space
  • Change previously configured preferences
Upload files to a site that requires file approvals
Upload the file normally.
If the site requires authentication, a notification is displayed stating
Your file was sent for approval. Please wait for its approval to get access to it.
:
The file is submitted for approval and must be approved before it is made available on the site. The
!
 badge indicates that the file is waiting for approval:
Open the
Sync
 notifications window from the toolbar to the current status of the file.
If the file is approved, it is made available on the site, as with any uploaded file.

HighQ Drive Folder

When accessing the HighQ Drive folder, each file or folder icon includes a flag that shows if the file is synced:
  • Files and folders with the
    green
     checkmark have been synced,
  • Files and folders with the
    blue
     circle flag have not yet synced.
Files that you do not have permission to update will not be synced and any file that cannot be synced will be shown with an exclamation point . The
HighQ Drive
 icon may show with the same flag and an alert.

View metadata for a synchronised file

You can view selected metadata in the Finder.
To view metadata, open
Finder
 and select
HighQ Drive
 in the left-hand column:
Navigate to the file you are interested in and right-click the file. Select
HighQ Drive
, then
More info
:
The window shows the available metadata groups in the left-hand column. By default
General
 metadata is shown:
Select
Share
 in the left-hand column to show the share details of that specific file. In this screen, you can change who has access to the file, the download rights of the file, when the file link expires and you can select if you want notifications when recipients edit, download, view or print the file. Additionally, in the
Active
and
Expire
 tabs, you can see who currently has, and who had access:
Select
Versions
 in the left-hand column to show a summary of all saved versions of the document, including version number, added date, author and any notes added to a specific version:
Select
Audit History
 to show a summary of all changes made to the document, including the name of the person who made the changes, the nature of the change, the related action date and the originating IP address from where the action was executed:
Select
Tasks
 from the left-hand menu to view tasks and sub-tasks related to the document. Select any task from the list then
Open sub-tasks
 at the bottom of the main window to show any available sub-tasks in a new window.
The status of tasks shown in the main tasks window and the status of individual sub-tasks can be updated to reflect their progress.
Select
OK
 or
Apply
 to save any changes.

Configuration

Click the HighQ
Q
 icon in the top menu bar then select
Preferences
 to display the
Preferences
 screen. In the
Preferences
 screen there are
General
,
Account
,
Site Folders
,
Advanced
, and
Help
 tabs

Sync site folders

In the
Preferences
 window, select
Site Folders
 tab. You can choose to sync folders from team sites (other than
My files
). To stop synchronising any folder, uncheck it and click
Done
.
Adding sites for synchronisation
By default,
My Files
 is synchronised but if you wish to add either partial or entire team sites to provide local access from your computer, you can do this in HighQ
Preferences
.
Select the
Site Folders
 tab. Tap the
Select
 button to see all available sites on that instance. Choose a site to see its folder structure, then either sync the entire site by selecting the site name or select individual folders that you want to sync.
To sync only the files located in the root folder of the site, select the root folder/site name and then
Sync files in root only
 checkbox.
Tap
Done
. Entries in italics are in the process of initial synchronisation:
If you encounter a site that is restricted in some way, a small padlock icon is displayed next to the site name. If you select a restricted site, a window lists the restrictions. Click
Continue
 to start the authorisation process:
You can continue to add sites in the
Site Folders
 tab and also unselect them at any time to stop syncing.
Accessing synchronised files
All of your synchronised documents can be accessed in the Finder application. HighQ Drive will be shown with all other local and cloud file storage locations. Tap
HighQ Drive
 in the left-hand column of the Finder window to show the contents of your
My Files
 area:
You can navigate through personal and site folders in the Finder view to locate documents. Double-click a synchronised document to open it with the associated application (i.e. a DOCX file opens in Microsoft Windows).Right-click (or tap with two fingers) on any synchronised document to access a Quick Actions menu:
  • Refresh the Finder view.
  • View the document online (open it within the HighQ viewer in the browser).
  • Make the document Available Offline/Available Online (toggle between keeping a locally synchronised copy of the document or an on-demand synchronised placeholder).
Sharing links to files
You can share links to files with anyone in your organisation. Any documents stored in your sites may be shared from the Finder window. Right-click (or tap with two fingers) on a file, then select
Share link
 from the quick actions menu.
A
Share link
 window allows you to add restrictions:
  • Limit who can access the link
  • Limit download rights, specifying if the recipient can download, edit, print or view
  • Set an expiry date, after which the link will no longer be accessible/valid
Enabling on-demand synchronisation
On-demand synchronisation allows you to maintain access to synchronised files and team sites, without filling your hard drive with documents you do not need all of the time.
If on-demand sync is enabled, the site and folder structure is maintained on your computer, but each document is replaced with a zero KB placeholder file (identifiable with a .HQC file extension). These files provide access to the original document, a local copy is only synchronised when it is required:
To enable on-demand sync, open HighQ
Preferences
 from the menu bar and select the
Advanced
 tab. Select
Enable on-demand sync
.
Select
Remove synced files after x days
 to automatically revert to a 0 KB placeholder file after a specified time:
Alternatively, entire sites, folders and files can be synced: Right-click (or tap with two fingers) the site, folder or file and select
Available offline
.
Site, folders or files that have already synchronised can be replaced with 0 KB placeholder files. Select
Available online only
:
Favourites in HighQ Drive
You can save files, folders and sites as favourites.
View and sync Favorites from your instance
Tap the HighQ
Q
 icon in the top menu bar then select
Favourite
.
The
Favourites
 window opens. Select
All
,
Sites
,
Folders
 or
Files
 tab to filter by the type of Favourite.
Favourites that are synced with your computer are shown with a green checkmark:
Click the
More actions
...
button to see further options. If the item is not synced you'll see the option to
Sync
:
If the item is synced, you'll see the options to
Show in Finder
,
Un-sync
,
Refresh
,
Share Link...
, and
More info
:
  • Sync
     - Synchronise the item so it is available on your computer
  • View online
     - open the favourited item in your browser (you may need to sign in to your instance)
  • Remove from favourites
     - Remove the item from your favourite list.
  • Show in Finder
     - Open the Finder to view the location of the item on your computer
  • Un-sync
     - Stop synchronising the item
  • Refresh
     - Refresh the synchronised item with the latest changes
  • Share link...
     - Share a link to the online item
  • More info
     - See more information about the item
Adding Favourites in HighQ Drive
Right-click on the file, folder or site, select the
HighQ Drive
 icon, then
Add to Favourites
:
Favourites are denoted by a small star added to the icon.
General settings
The general settings tab of the HighQ Drive
Preferences
 tab allows you to:
  • Change the local storage location of synchronised HighQ documents (Drive location)
  • Change the default security/sharing options when sharing links to files with other users, to restrict:
    • Users the file can be shared with, or who can access the file.
    • The download rights the recipient will have.
    • The time the link is valid/accessible.
Advanced settings
Advanced settings allow you to:
  • Change proxy settings.
  • Manage the type and frequency of log settings.
  • Manage on-demand sync settings.

Quitting, Restarting and Uninstalling HighQ Drive

If necessary, click
Quit HighQ Drive
 to close HighQ Drive. To restart HighQ Drive, select it from the Dock, Launchpad or Applications section in Finder.
HighQ Drive can be fully uninstalled at any time using the standard method for uninstalling programs. For example, open Launchpad, then click and hold the app.

Changing Instances

If a firm has multiple instances of Collaborate and a user has an account on each one, you can sync files to any instance using HighQ Drive, but HighQ Drive can only sync to one instance at a time. If the configuration of HighQ Drive is changed to point to a different instance, any files already in the HighQ Drive folder will be deleted.
This will NOT cause the files in the previous instance's folders/files to be deleted.
Troubleshooting
Below is a list of settings can that prevent site folders from being visible in HighQ Drive:
In Collaborate versions 5.4 and higher:
  • If the
    Hide this site in HighQ Drive and Office Plugin
     checkbox within
    Site
     >
    Admin
     >
    Site settings
     >
    Security
     is not selected
  • If the site has Document Workflow enabled via
    Site
     >
    Admin
     >
    Module settings
     >
    Files
  • If the site has Check In / Check Out enabled via
    Site
     >
    Admin
    >
    Module settings
     >
    Files
  • If the site has DRM (Digital Rights Management) enabled via
    Site
     >
    Admin
     >
    Module settings
     >
    Files
  • If the files module is disabled on the site from
    Site
     >
    Admin
     >
    Site settings
     >
    Modules

This article applies to:

  • Product: HighQ, HighQ
  • Subject: Documents, Integration