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How to Open or Download an Attachment

A file attached to a call or a customer opens from its details panel in the Attachments section, or with a double-click in the list. PDFs and pictures open on ABM Service's own viewer screen; other files are saved to your computer, or opened in their own program in the ABM Service desktop app.

How do I open an attachment?​

In the Attachments section of the call or customer, select the file, then select Open in its details panel on the right. You can also double-click the file in the list, or mark it with the arrow keys and press Enter in the Normal and Full details views.

  1. Open the call or customer, and select All attachments under Attachments in the sections sidebar.
  2. Select the file in the list. Its details panel opens on the right.
  3. Select Open in the details panel.

What happens next depends on the kind of file:

  • A PDF or a picture (JPG, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP or AVIF) opens on the attachment viewer, in the same browser tab or desktop app window, in place of the call or customer.
  • Any other file, such as a Word document, a spreadsheet or a saved e-mail, cannot be shown inside ABM Service. In a browser it is downloaded to your computer, and the panel says the file "is downloading — this kind of file cannot be shown here." In the ABM Service desktop app it opens in its own program, such as Word, Excel or Outlook, and the panel says "Opening" and the file's name "in its own program…".
  • A linked file marked "cannot open" does not open at all. Open and Download say why instead, in the panel.

How do I get back to the call or customer from the attachment viewer?​

Select the back arrow at the top left of the attachment viewer, named Back to the call or Back to the customer. You return to the call or customer exactly as you left it: the Attachments section is open on the same category, the file is still marked, and its details panel is open.

On a call, anything you had typed and not yet saved is still there, because the call stays open behind the viewer. Your browser's Back button, or Back in the desktop app's title bar, does the same.

A viewer opened in a new tab or window of its own has nothing behind it, so it shows no back arrow. Close the tab or window when you have finished with it.

How do I open an attachment in a new tab or window?​

Select the small button beside Open in the attachment's details panel. In a browser it is named "Open" and the file's name "in a new tab"; in the ABM Service desktop app, "in a new window". The file opens on the attachment viewer in a tab or window of its own, and the call or customer stays where it is, so you can look at both side by side.

You can also hold Ctrl and select Open (Ctrl+click), or click Open with the mouse wheel.

In the desktop app each file gets one window: opening the same file again brings its window to the front instead of opening a second one. The window's title is the file's name.

The button is there only for PDFs and pictures. Other files are never shown inside ABM Service, so there is nothing to open in a new tab.

How do I download a copy of an attachment?​

Select Download in the attachment's details panel, or Download at the top right of the attachment viewer. The file is saved under its own name by your browser, to your usual downloads folder; in the ABM Service desktop app it goes to your Downloads folder.

Download always saves the file itself, whatever kind of file it is, so use it when you want a copy to e-mail, print or keep. It is not available for a linked file that is marked "cannot open".

What does the attachment viewer show?​

The attachment viewer is a screen of ABM Service for one file. Across its top are the file's name, its type and size, and Download. Underneath is the file:

  • A PDF is shown by your browser's own PDF viewer, with its own page controls and zoom.
  • A picture is fitted into the window, whole, with zoom buttons beside Download.

The viewer may show a message instead of the file:

  • Loading…: the file is on its way.
  • This file cannot be shown, "This file could not be found. It may have been removed.": the file is not on that call or customer any more, or the link you followed is wrong.
  • This file cannot be opened, followed by the reason: a linked file whose folder could not be read.
  • This picture cannot be shown, "The file may be damaged. Use Download to save a copy and open it on your computer."
  • A file that is not a PDF or a picture says it "cannot be shown here" and "Only PDFs and pictures can be shown here. Use Download to save it and open it on your computer."