What is Column Recipient Addressing?

This feature was introduced so customers with complex requirements for Acknowledge Reading Requests could manage the Groups and/or Users on a per-document basis and directly within the SharePoint Library.

Used in conjunction with Read and Understood Document Selector rules, it is possible to use a combination of both Document Selector rules and/or Column Recipient Addressing.

What are the Benefits of Document Selector rules over Column Recipient Addressing?

Document Selector rules can only be modified by those with permission to. Column Recipient Addressing exposes those users/groups on the Document Properties in SharePoint so those users with Edit permissions on the Files can change the recipients.

Can I Rename the Columns?

Yes, once the columns are created using our ‘well-named’ column names; they can be renamed. Each column must be created first; we recommend doing this at the Site level so it’s easy to add them to each library, in the site you wish to use Read and Understood.

App Registration Permissions

A prerequisite for granting using Column Recipient Addressing is the App is granted permissions through App Registrations, which is documented here. This is so the App can read group members to be able to sent them acknowledgement requests.

Automatically Creating the Columns in SharePoint

By providing the Read and Understood app Full Control access to the SharePoint site, when a new Library is ‘Enabled’ the App will automatically add the 3 columns. If you’re not using SharePoint Groups as a means of addressing users for Acknowledgement Reading Requests, then you can following the same instructions, after the columns are created, to set the permissions back to Read Only.

Manual Setup of Columns

Follow these instructions to create the columns and add them to an existing Read and Understood enabled library.

Using Column Recipient Addressing

If, for example, you have enabled a library for Read and Understood and you want the management of who acknowledgements should be sent to, managed in the library, then we must first update the Library Document Selector rule in the App to set ‘Use SharePoint columns for addressees’.

The Document Selector rule is still used for:

  • Identifying the Summary Report Recipient

  • The duration of the Acknowledgement lifecycle and number of reminders

  • Oboarding new group members whether they should be requested to acknowledge reading, finally

  • Email templates including company logo.

Any time a document is updated and either Users or Groups are set in either the Notify Addressees or Acknowledge Addressees columns, at midnight the email requests will be sent. If you have a document you do not wish to participate, simply leave the columns blank.

Important: if you’re library is enabled to use Major and Minor Versioning, then the App will only send requests once the version of the document is published as a major version.