Online files are one of the most important things we use in our day-to-day lives. From reading ebooks to sending documents and signing digital contracts, files have become integral to almost every online experience. This is why Whop has created the Files app - so you can share files with your whop members effortlessly.
Files app is like any other whop app - you can add it to your own whop and start using it right away. In this guide, we’re going to learn what whop apps are, what the Files app is, and how you can set it up and use it.
What are whop Apps?
In simplest terms, whop apps are modules of a platform.
Let’s take Discord, for example. Discord is the platform itself, and text channels are a module of it, this goes for voice channels, forum channels, and more.
When you first create your whop, it will be a blank canvas on which you can create your dream platform. Let’s say your dream platform is a place where all fantasy writers can come together - they will collaborate on stories, give feedback to each other, take courses prepared by professionals, and more. You can add whop apps (remember to think of them as modules) to your platform, but only the ones you need - no need to make clutter.
You can add the Chat app so your members can communicate, the Forums app so your members can gather feedback, the Content app which will guide your members on using your whop, and the Video Calls app so that you can host video calls as a guild - the possibilities are endless.
What is the Files App on Whop?
You can think of the Files app on whop as a file directory. Imagine a Google Drive folder with files of all kinds in it, that is the Files app.
There are a lot of uses for the files app. Let’s continue with our fantasy writer guild example: you have just hosted a writing competition, and you want to host all of the stories in one place. Since all the stories you have are in .PDF format, you can host all of them on the Files app so that other members can see and download them.
Another example would be to create a supplementary file directory for your online course (which you have created using the Courses app).
![The Files app on whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FilesAppExample.png)
As you see, the Files app can be used in any situation where you need to host and/or share files with other people. It’s a great app to have - but how do you add it to your whop, exactly? Let’s take a look.
How to Add the Files App to Your whop
Adding the Files app to your whop is as easy as adding any other app. But before you can add apps, you actually have to have a whop. If you don’t already, check out our How to Create Your Own whop guide and get started today.
If you already have your own whop, let’s see how you can add the Files app to it:
- First of all, let’s click on the Add apps button under the Admin Area of your whop, which is on the left side of your screen. Once you do, you’ll see a list of every single app that is available.
- Then, scroll down a bit until you find the Files app and click on its Add app button.
![Steps of adding the Files app to a whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/AddingTheFilesApp.png)
That’s it! Adding an app to your whop is easy. Once you click the Add app button, you’ll be directed to the apps view. Let’s see how you use the app.
Using the Whop Files App
From the admin perspective, every single app on whop has at least three sections to it: Set up, Preview as use, and Access. As the names suggest, they respectively allow you to set the app up, see it from the perspective of a regular user, and determine how people can access the app.
The Files app has those three tabs as well. In the next three sections, we’re going to go over each one and examine them in detail.
1: Set Up
The Set up section’s main function is to allow you to upload files to the app and rename them if necessary. After clicking the Add app button on the app list screen, you’ll be directed to this section of the Files app. Here, you’ll see three things: an Upload files button on the top right, a placeholder telling you that “No files uploaded” and another Upload files button.
![The Set up section of the File app on a whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppSetUp-1.png)
Now it's time to add some files. All you have to do is click one of the two Upload files buttons. This will open a file selection dialogue where you can select the file you want to list in the directory.
![The Set up section of the Files app with an uploaded file on a whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppSetUpWithFile.png)
In this section, you can use the three-dot button on top of the files you’ve uploaded to edit the file’s name or remove it. When you first upload a file, it will adopt the file’s original name, and you can change it to whatever you want. But keep in mind that even when you change the file’s name on the app, the original file name will be displayed under the edited name.
![Steps of editing a file on the File app on a whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppEditFilePopUp.png)
2: Preview as user
Let’s move on to the Preview as user section. As its name suggests, this is how your members will see this app. All of the files you add to the app will be available to users, and they can download them by hovering over them and clicking on the Download file button at the bottom right of the file.
![The Preview as user section of the Files app on a whop](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppDownloadFile.png)
3: Access
Let’s talk about one of the most important parts of any app on whop - the Access section. This section determines how people on the internet will interact with the app.
There are two types of Access on whop apps: Free, which means everyone on the internet will be able to see and use the Files app, and Paid/Private, which means only users with specific product(s) can access the app.
Clicking on either Free or Paid/Private options will immediately change the settings of the app. As we mentioned, when you click on Paid/Private, only users with a specific product can access the app.
![The Access section of a whop app](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppAccessSectionFree.png)
Selecting that specific product is simple. The only thing you need to do is to click on the Paid/Private option and select which products you want to link with the app. When a user obtains any of the products that you’ve linked (toggled on), they will be able to access the Files app.
![Steps of setting a whop app's access to Paid/Private and linking it with a product](https://whop.com/blog/content/images/2024/07/FileAppAccessSectionPaidPrivate.png)
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