Share a favorite

Owned by Helen Gosper
Last updated: Apr 09, 2024 by Denise McGettigan
4 min read

In addition to the Favorites user permissions, if you have Collaboration permissions, you can share favorites directly with other users and/or via shared folders. You can share when you first save a favorite or later, by updating the sharing settings.

Learn about how sharing works

Even after sharing, a favorite or dashboard item is always linked to its original owner and other users can only view the item (not edit, share or delete it), as outlined below: 

  • If the owner updates the item, any user with whom it has been shared will see the updated version.

  • If the owner deletes the item, it will also be deleted from everyone who has access.

  • If an item has been shared with you, you can’t delete it.

  • Users' restrictions and permissions affect what they can view in Phocas. For example, trying to share an item containing data about Branch X with a user who only has permission to view Branch Y will not work and an error message will display. 

Learn about the sharing options

You can share a favorite or dashboard in the following ways:

  • Share internally, directly with an individual user - Select the user(s) with whom you want to share the item. Only users who have access to the underlying database display in the list. This option is suitable for users who do not have access to the folder in which you placed the item.

  • Share internally to a group by placing the item in a shared folder - Select the folder(s) in which to place the item. The item will be shared with all users who have access to the folder. Learn more about folders.

  • Share externally via a link - Generate a link to share a live, view-only version of the item with someone who doesn't have a Phocas login. Learn more about sharing an external link below.

Share a favorite when you first create it

You can share a favorite as part of the Save a favorite process. 

For example, suppose you create a pie chart comparing the profit last month in each territory. You now want to save the chart as a favorite and share it with the sales team by placing it in a sales folder. You also want the favorite to automatically update with new data as time goes on.

  1. Select Actions  > Save.

  2. Select New from the Favorite dropdown list, if not already selected.

  3. Enter the name as Territory Profitability and leave the description blank.

  4. Leave the period as Current (Previous Month).

  5. Select the Sales folder.

  6. Do not select any individual users. The favorite will be automatically shared with you as you are the owner.

  7. Click Save.

Share an existing favorite

You can share an existing favorite from two locations in Phocas:

  • On your homepage: Locate the favorite and click the menu button (on the far right side), then click Share. In the Share Favorite window, select the required sharing options (see above), then click Save.

  • If you’re an administrator, you can share a favorite via the Administration > Favorites page.

Stop sharing

To remove a favorite or dashboard from someone else's view, follow the process to share a favorite/dashboard but:

  • Clear (deselect) the users and folders from which you want the item removed. 

  • Click the X next to the external link, if applicable. 

Then click Save.

You can generate a link for embedding a favorite or dashboard into another website (such as an intranet, or another product) for authenticated users to view.

When the item is open, select Export > Embed view

A new browser window opens with an unique embeddable URL, which you can then copy and paste into another application (the steps you need to take depend on the application you are using). In some cases, you need to put the URL inside an iframe HTML tag. For example, the code snippet might look like this:

<iframe src="https://yourphocassiteurl.phocassoftware.com/Favourite/Embed/58" height="500" width="500"></iframe>

In the example below, a favorite was embedded into another location and then opened by a user. You can see it looks a bit different in the embed view; the black bar, logo and other Phocas tools are absent. Authenticated users can open the favorite to analyze the data in Phocas.