Newforma Info Exchange™ Overview (File Transfer)

Project Center supports the exchange of files with external project team members via the Newforma Info Exchange Server. There are two parts to Info Exchange: The Info Exchange activity center, which is accessed by internal project team members from within Project Center, and the Info Exchange Server, which can be accessed by both internal and external project team members using a Web browser.

Info Exchange Server

The Info Exchange Server is a Web-enabled server that enables internal project team members to easily and securely exchange project files with external project team members (and vice-versa) using a website. It provides email notifications, reminders, automated transfer expiration (deletion), and a history log (audit trail) for all posted file transfers. After you send files via Info Exchange, other project team members can access the transfer and track its status. Additionally, a compressed .ZIP file containing the file contents of each file transfer sent or received via Info Exchange is automatically saved to the record copy location designated for the project, eliminating the need for internal project team members to separately save copies of transferred files. The contents of each file transfer can subsequently be searched, opened, or compared with Project Center's search feature.

When transferring files via Info Exchange, you can specify whether to limit access to specific project team members, or to provide anonymous access to anyone who visits your Newforma Info Exchange website using the Transfer to Info Exchange Options tab or the Modify File Transfer Access on Info Exchange dialog box.

Newforma API

The Newforma API is a JSON-RPC web services API available through Newforma Info Exchange Servers. The API provides generalized querying and editing APIs for contacts, companies, user licensing, project teams, My Projects, and other project data. It is targeted towards third-party developers, systems integrators, and IT employees with programming experience for the purpose of building custom adaptors between existing systems and Project Center for richer data sharing between the two environments.

Info Exchange activity center

The Info Exchange activity center is where all file transfers are logged. Use it to transfer files, track all file transfers, and to access the Info Exchange website.

Communication between Project Center Servers, Project Center clients, and Info Exchange

The following diagram shows the most common setup for the Project Center Server, Project Center clients, and the Info Exchange Server, and how they communicate with each other. All communication with the Info Exchange Server is done via HTTPS, which encrypts all incoming and outgoing communication. The Info Exchange Server is located outside of a firewall, and does not initiate any connections inside the firewall.

Port 443 must be open on the Info Exchange Server to enable both inbound and outbound connections.

 

Internal project team members

The Info Exchange activity center enables internal project team members to:

●        Send files to external project team members through a guided process that transfers the selected files (and their associated XREFsDrawing files often reference other files, including other drawings, as well as plot styles, images, standards, and font files associated with the drawing. Those references, or dependencies, are simply an embedded record of the path to the referenced objects or files.) to the Info Exchange Server and automatically sends notification email messages with download links to each recipient.

●        Receive incoming file transfers sent to them by external project team members.

●        View the status of every file transfer sent or received via Info Exchange per project, including the ability to see who has or has not downloaded specific file transfers, and, for transfers sent with Partial Download enabled, a list of which files were downloaded.

●        Optionally enter transmittal details for incoming or outgoing file transfers, logging the transfers in the Project Transmittals activity center.

●        Optionally identify incoming file transfers as submittals or RFIs, allowing those file transfers to be logged and tracked in the Submittals activity center or the RFIs activity center.

●        Repost expired file transfers, causing the original contents of the file transfer to be re-sent to the Info Exchange Server.

●        Browse, compare, and search the record copy file contents of a file transfer sent or received via Info Exchange.

External project team members

The Info Exchange Server enables external (as well as internal) project team members to:

●        Use a Web browser to view and download uploaded file transfers sent to them by other project team members.

●        Upload file transfers to selected project team members using a Web browser.

●        View a log containing all incoming and outgoing file transfers that they were a part of.

See Info Exchange Workflow Examples for External Users for information on how external team members might use the Info Exchange website.

Newforma ID

For users who access a variety of Newforma websites and accounts, Newforma® ID is a username you can use for everything you do using Newforma products. Newforma ID simplifies access your Newforma projects, products, and services. It enables you to create one set of login credentials for all Newforma products and transactions. Unlike the previous system of maintaining separate login credentials for each account and Info Exchange site, Newforma ID provides you with one identity to access your project data across the accounts to which you have access.