The attachments feature in SCRIBE is a great way to safely and securely store documents as well as to safely and securely transfer personally identifiable information between people who have access to SCRIBE. Where users have the corresponding permissions, they can upload an attachment as well as download any  attachment (see Access to Attachments / Permissions below). Note that all users who can view the attachments can download them, regardless of who uploaded the attachment originally. 

 

The types of files that can be upload as an attachment are: 

  • PDF (.pdf)
  • Excel file or CSV file (.xls, .xlxs, .csv)
  • Word document (.doc)
  • Image (.gif, .jpg, or .png) 
  • Plain text document (.txt)
  • Rich-text format document (.rft)

 

There are seven locations to store documents in SCRIBE (each is detailed below): 

  • Instance
  • District
  • School
  • Student
  • Family
  • Staff
  • Service

 

 

Naming Attachments

Best practice suggests establishing grant-wide naming conventions for attachments that allow for fast, easy identification of what data are in each attachment. Be sure to include information like the school year, what type of data are in the document, what school it is for, dates, service names, terms and/or other identifiers. For service attachments, you may want to use the service naming convention. Use naming conventions for naming the file when saving it on your computer as well as when entering the name of the file when attaching it in SCRIBE. 

 

Access to Attachments / Permissions

SCRIBE users from the same GEAR UP grant can have different permission levels within SCRIBE, depending on what levels and types of data they need access to. Users can upload and download attachments at whatever level(s) they have permissions.

 

Instance-level access allows users to see all data for of the all districts under the GEAR UP grant, which includes data associated with all the schools in all the districts (students, services, participation, staff). 

 

District-level access allows users to see data for a specific district which includes data associated with all the schools in that district (students, services, participation, staff). Users may have access to one district or more than one district, depending on the needs of their role in GEAR UP. However, they cannot see data associated with any districts they do not have access to, even in the same GEAR UP grant. 

 

School-level access allows users to see data for a specific school (students, services, participation, staff). Users may have access to one school or more than one school, depending on the needs of their role in GEAR UP. However, they cannot see data associated with any schools they do not have access to, even in the same GEAR UP grant. 

 

Instance Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level permissions can upload and download attachments.

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Tools > Instance > Attachments.

 

2. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List. 

 

3. To add a new attachment, click Add. 

4. Click Browse to select the file you want to attach from your computer. 

a. The Attachment Name will default to the name of the file you are attaching; however, you can type a different Attachment Name if needed. See Naming Attachments above (p. 1).

 

b. The Description is optional. See Attachment Description below for more information and suggestions on the Description. 

 

c. The Program(s) and Tag(s) fields are optional.


d. Vendor Download Access will default to No. Only some grants track vendors in SCRIBE. Reach out to your Xcalibur contact for more information on Vendors. 

 

5. Click Upload File. Now the attachment will be listed on the Attachment List. Anyone with access can download this attachment.

6. Click Download next to an attachment to download the file onto your computer. 

7. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

 

8. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment.

Note: You can edit the Attachment Name, Description, Program(s), Tag(s) and Is Vendor fields. You cannot edit the document that has been attached, replace the document or upload a new document. If necessary, delete the attachment (using the trash can icon) and upload a new document to attach. 

 

Click the green check mark to save the changes. Click the red X to cancel the edit and return to the Attachment List.


District Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level permissions and district-level permissions.

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Districts > View All Districts.

 

2. Click View next to the District whose attachments you want to view or add to.

 

3. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List. 

 

4. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

5. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

6. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

7. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).

 

School Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level, district-level (if the school is in the district for which they have permissions) and school-level permissions for the specific school.

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Schools > View All Schools.

 

2. Click View next to the School whose attachments you want to view or add to.

 

3. Go to the Attachments Tab. 

 

4. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List. 


5. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

6. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

7. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

8. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).

 

 

Student Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level, district-level (if the student attends a school in the district for which they have permissions) and school-level permissions (if the student attends a school for which they have permissions).

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Schools > View All Schools.


2. Click View next to the School where the student attends.

 

3, Click on the Students Tab. 

4. Click View next to the name of the student whose attachments you want to view or add to. 

 

5. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List. 

6

. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

7. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

8. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

9. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).

 

Family Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level, district-level (if the student attends a school in the district for which they have permissions) and school-level permissions (if the family’s student attends a school for which they have permissions).

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Schools > View All Schools.

2. Click View next to the School where the student attends whose family member you want to view.

3. Click on the Students Tab. 


4. Click View next to the name of the student whose family’s attachments you want to view or add to.

5. Go to the Family Tab. 

 

6. Click View next to the family member whose attachments you want to view or add to.

7. Go to the Attachments Tab. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List. 

 

8. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

9. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

10. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

11. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).

 

Staff Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level, district-level (if the staff works at a school in the district for which they have permissions) and school-level permissions (if the staff works at a school for which they have permissions).

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Schools > View All Schools.


2. Click View next to the School where the staff member works.

3. Click on the Staff Tab. 

4. Click View next to the name of the staff whose attachments you want to view or add to. 

5. Go to the Attachments Tab. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List.   

 

6. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

7. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

8. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

9. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).

 

Service Attachment

Who has access: Users who have instance-level, district-level (if the service is associated with a school in a district for which they have permissions) and school-level permissions (if the service is associated with a school for which they have permissions).

 

1. From the SCRIBE main menu, click Services > View All Services.

2. Click View next to the Service whose attachments you want to view or add to.

 

3. Go to the Attachments Tab. The list of current attachments will be displayed in the Attachment List.

 

4. Click Add to upload a new attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (steps #3a-3f).

5. Click Download to download an attachment on the Attachment List. 

6. Click the trash can icon to delete the attachment. 

7. Click the pencil icon to edit the attachment. Follow the steps outlined in Instance Attachment above (step #6).


Attachment Description

The Attachment Description is an optional field to use for all seven locations of attachments. Users can complete the Description field when they are uploading an attachment or users can fill in the Description field any time after the attachment is uploaded (click the pencil icon next to the attachment to edit the fields). 

 

The Description field can be used for tracking the status of a file. For example, whether the data has been imported into SCRIBE (once a user has imported the file into SCRIBE, they can change the Description to say “Imported.”). The Description field can also be used to indicate for whom the file was uploaded, which may facilitate that person finding the correct file in the Attachment List. 

 

Brainstorm with your data team what Descriptions may be useful for attachments and use standardized descriptions across all attachment locations and across school years. 

 

Attachment Program(s)

The Attachment Program is an optional field to use for all seven locations of attachments. Users can check the box next to the associated Program(s) when they are uploading an attachment or users can check the program boxes any time after the attachment is uploaded (click the pencil icon next to the attachment to edit the fields). 

 

The Attachment Program(s) field can be used for tracking which program(s) the file is associated with. For example, you might upload a sign-in sheet for a service that was held specifically for students in the GEAR UP program, in which case you could check the box next to GEAR UP in the Program(s) field. 

 

            Note:   If your grant does not use Programs, you will see GEAR UP as the only program option.

 

                        The program checkbox is exclusive to the particular attachment file and will not affect students or staff assigned to programs or any other program data. 


Attachment Tag(s)

The Attachment Tag(s) is an optional field to use for all seven locations of attachments. Users can check the box next to the associated Tag(s) when they are uploading an attachment or users can check the tag boxes any time after the attachment is uploaded (click the pencil icon next to the attachment to edit the fields). 

 

The Attachment Tags(s) field can be used for tracking which category/categories the file is associated with. For the tags feature to be the most effective, it is important to be consistent with the use of Tags. Make sure everyone who is uploading attachments is aware of the tag feature and criteria you have laid out.


Sorting the Attachment List

It is possible to sort the attachment list in ascending order (A through Z) or descending (Z through A) order by clicking on the column heading you want to sort. Clicking the column heading once will sort in ascending order, clicking the column heading again will sort in descending order. 

 

A blue triangle will appear next to the column header indicating that is the column by which the list is being sorted. A triangle pointing up indicates the column is sorted in ascending order, a triangle pointing down indicates the column is sorted in descending order. In the example below, the Attachment List is sorted in ascending order by the Attachment Name. 

 

 

Note: Any attachment list and most lists in SCRIBE can be sorted in this way (e.g., Student List, Service List, School List, etc.).


Grouping the Attachment List

Drag a column header into the blue field above the column headers to group the attachments by that header. In the example below, the Attachment List is grouped by the File Ext (the file type). This means that all the .csv files will be listed in one group, all of the .xlxs files listed in one group, all .jpeg files, etc. until all files of the same type are in their own group. 

 

Attachments can still be sorted ascending or descending by clicking on any column header, however they will be sorted accordingly within each group (e.g., all the .csv files will be sorted within the .csv group). 

 

Note: Any attachment list and most other lists in SCRIBE can be grouped in this way (e.g., Student List, Service List, School List, etc.).


Search

Narrow the number of attachments that are displayed on the Attachment List by narrowing the parameters through the Search box or search for a specific attachment. 


1. Click the grey circle with white triangle next to Search to uncover the Search box. 


2. Complete any field(s) to search for attachments matching the parameters. 

3. Click Search. 

 

Additional Resources

The SCRIBE Town Hall from 6/5/20 discussed Attachments. 

Watch the recording of the webinar and download the powerpoint in the Town Hall folder on the Help Desk. 

 Attachment Reports folder in the Help Desk 


Download this tutorial as a PDF below.