---
title: "Contract Attachments on the Vendor/Client Gateway"
slug: "contract-attachments-on-the-vendorclient-gateway-1"
updated: 2026-10-08T18:30:02Z
published: 2026-10-29T16:41:31Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/contract-attachments-on-the-vendorclient-gateway-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contract Attachments on the Vendor/Client Gateway

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**Contract Attachments on the Vendor/Client Gateway**

*07. End Users - Contracts › Contract Details on the Vendor/Client Gateway › Contract Attachments on the Vendor/Client Gateway*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. The settings in this guide are on administrator screens, so you need administrator access to change them. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

# 1. Overview

File visibility on **Gateway** contracts is governed by two Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG) settings — **Allow Viewing and Adding of Files**, which determines whether a vendor or client can see and upload files at all, and **Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments**, which further decides whether they can only preview a file or also download it — combined with which **File Categories** carry a **Gateway** collaboration type. All VCG settings live on a single page, **Administration → Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG)**, on the **Settings** tab, grouped into sections such as **Access**, **Content**, **Emails** and **General**. Changes are not applied until you click **Save changes**.

# 2. Key Elements

- **Allow Viewing and Adding of Files** (VCG Settings → **Access**) is the master switch for file visibility on the **Gateway**.
- **Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments** (VCG Settings → **Access**) narrows that further: **On** allows preview and download; **Off** allows preview only.
- Only **File Categories** with a **Default Collaboration Type** of **Gateway** are relevant to what a vendor or client uploads or sees. Categories set to **Internal** stay inside Contract Insight.
- **Vendor document upload message** (VCG Settings → **Content**) is the text shown above the File Upload box on the Create Account form.
- **Allow vendor to upload document before account creation** and **Allow vendor to upload documents after account creation** (VCG Settings → **General**) decide when a new vendor can upload files during sign-up.
- **Enable Alerts for File Uploads** (VCG Settings → **Emails**) sends notifications when files are uploaded from the Gateway.

# 3. Navigating to the Vendor/Client Gateway Settings

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon (sliders) at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. On the **Administration** page, scroll to **Gateways & Portals** (or type *Gateway* in the **Search administration…** box) and click **Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG)**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01-admin-vcg.jpg)

The **Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG)** page opens on the **Settings** tab.

# 4. Configuring File Access on the Gateway

## 4a. Allowing Vendors/Clients to View, Add, Preview and Download Files

1. Navigate to **Administration → Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG)** (see Section 3) and confirm the **Settings** tab is selected.
2. In the **Access** section, set **Allow Viewing and Adding of Files** to **On** so vendor/client users can see and add files.
3. Set **Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments** to **On** to allow files to be previewed and downloaded, or **Off** to allow preview only.
4. Click **Save changes** at the top right of the page.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/02-vcg-access.jpg)

The two Access toggles work together as follows:

| Allow Viewing and Adding of Files | Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments | What the vendor/client can do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Off | On or Off | Cannot see or upload files on the Gateway. |
| On | Off | Can see and upload files, and preview them, but cannot download them. |
| On | On | Can see, upload, preview and download files. |

## 4b. Setting the Upload Message and File Upload Alerts

1. On the **Settings** tab, scroll to the **Content** section and enter the text for **Vendor document upload message**. This message is displayed above the File Upload box on the Create Account form.
2. In the **Emails** section, set **Enable Alerts for File Uploads** to **On** to send notifications when files are uploaded.
3. Click **Save changes**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/03-vcg-content-emails.jpg)

## 4c. Allowing Uploads Before or After Account Creation

1. On the **Settings** tab, scroll to the **General** section.
2. Set **Allow vendor to upload document before account creation.** to **On** to let vendors upload a document on the Create Account form.
3. Set **Allow vendor to upload documents after account creation** to **On** to let vendors upload documents after creating a new account.
4. Click **Save changes**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/04-vcg-general.jpg)

**Note:** If both **Allow vendor to upload document…** settings are set to **On**, vendors will **only** be able to upload a document before creating a new account.

# 5. Making a File Category Available on the Gateway

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon and, under **Lookup Tables**, click **Master Reference Data**.
2. Click the **File Categories** list. The **Default Collaboration Type** column shows whether each category is **Internal** or **Gateway**.
3. Click **Manage** on the category you want to change (or click **+ New** to add a category).

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/05-file-categories-list.jpg)

1. Click **Edit All**.
2. In **Default Collaboration Type**, select **Gateway**.
3. Click **Save**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/06-file-category-collab-type.jpg)

**Note:** A category named for the Gateway (for example, *Show on VCG*) is not shared with vendors/clients unless its **Default Collaboration Type** is set to **Gateway**. Check this column when files are not appearing on the Gateway as expected.

# 6. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| Open the VCG settings | Administration → Gateways & Portals → Vendor/Client Gateway (VCG) → Settings tab. |
| Let vendors/clients see and add files | Settings → Access → Allow Viewing and Adding of Files = On → Save changes. |
| Allow downloads (not just previews) | Settings → Access → Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments = On → Save changes. |
| Restrict to preview only | Settings → Access → Allow Previewing and Downloading of Files/Attachments = Off → Save changes. |
| Change the upload message on the Create Account form | Settings → Content → Vendor document upload message → Save changes. |
| Get alerts when files are uploaded | Settings → Emails → Enable Alerts for File Uploads = On → Save changes. |
| Control uploads during sign-up | Settings → General → Allow vendor to upload document before/after account creation → Save changes. |
| Share a file category with the Gateway | Administration → Master Reference Data → File Categories → Manage → Edit All → Default Collaboration Type = Gateway → Save. |