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

# Partner Mailbox Connector

> Configuration and usage guide for the CData Arc Partner Mailbox connector.

The Partner Mailbox connector provides your trading partners with a private, browser-based mailbox for self-service file exchange, where they log in to download files staged for them and upload files to send.

## Key Capabilities

* One mailbox per trading partner, each with its own credentials, URL, and folder tree
* Self-service file exchange for partners who do not have typical MFT capabilities
* Organized Send and Receive folder trees with drag-and-drop management
* File retention controls for downloaded files, with re-download support
* File extension filtering to control what partners can upload
* Customizable page title and logo branding for the partner-facing mailbox page
* Routing by folder using the standard `SubFolder` header, consistent with other MFT connectors

## Overview

Each Partner Mailbox connector represents one trading partner's mailbox. The partner opens a dedicated web page, authenticates with a username and password, and can then download files that have been staged for them and upload files to send. Multiple trading partners require multiple connector instances.

The [partner's mailbox page](#partner-mailbox-view) is organized into two sections: files staged for the partner to download (Send folders), and folders where the partner can upload files (Receive folders). Each section uses an independent folder tree that the admin manages in the connector configuration.

Partner uploads enter the Arc flow as messages the same way files from any other connector do. Routing within the flow is handled by the `SubFolder` header, described in [How Routing Works](#how-routing-works).

> [!NOTE]
>
> Currently, the web page is the only access method. SFTP and FTP access to the same mailbox are planned for a future release.

## Connector Configuration

### Mailbox Config Tab

The **Partner Mailbox URL** displayed at the top of this tab is the address the partner uses to access their mailbox. The URL takes the form `.../connector/<workspace>/<connectorId>/mailbox.rst`. Share this URL with the partner after your configuration is complete.

#### Mailbox Authentication

*Credentials the partner uses to log in to the mailbox page.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **User** | The username for the partner's mailbox account. Each mailbox has one account. |
| **Password** | The password for the partner's mailbox account. |

#### File Management – Partner Download

*Settings that control how files staged for the partner are managed after download.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **When a partner downloads a file** | Whether to keep the file available for re-download or remove it after the first download. **Keep the file until the retention period passes** allows re-downloads until the file expires, while **Delete after download** removes the file after the first download. Setting **File Retention For Downloaded Files** to 0 has the same effect as **Delete after download**. |
| **File Retention For Downloaded Files** | The number of days a downloaded file remains available for re-download. The default is 7 days. Retention is counted from the date of the first download, not from when the file was staged, and re-downloading does not reset the clock. Only applicable if **When a partner downloads a file** is set to **Keep the file until the retention period passes**. |

#### File Management – Partner Upload

*Settings that control which files partners are allowed to upload.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **File Extensions** | A glob pattern filter applied to files before they are accepted. For example, `*.txt` accepts only .txt files, and `-*.pdf` blocks .pdf files. Separate multiple file types by commas. Leave blank to accept all file types. |

#### Partner Mailbox Page

*Settings for the appearance of the partner-facing mailbox page.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Page Title** | The title displayed at the top of the partner's mailbox page. |
| **Partner Mailbox Logo** | An image to display as the logo on the mailbox page, along with a background color for the logo area. |

#### Partner Mailbox Folders

The folder configuration is split into two tabs: **Send Folders** for files staged for the partner to download, and **Receive Folders** for folders where the partner uploads files. Each tab has an independent folder tree that starts with one root folder. The **Section Header** field sets the heading displayed above that section on the partner's page.

You can add, rename, move, and delete subfolders to any depth below the root. Folder names accept letters, numbers, and underscores only, and must be unique within the same parent (compared case-insensitively). You cannot delete the root folder.

Hover over a folder, then use the tablet and pencil icon to rename it if necessary. Use the folder with a plus sign icon to add subfolders to the tree. You cannot delete the top-level folder, but you can delete subfolders by clicking the bin icon. See [Managing the Folder Tree](#managing-the-folder-tree) for details.

##### Send Folders

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Section Header** | The heading shown above the download section on the partner's mailbox page. Defaults to **Files For You**. |

##### Receive Folders

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Section Header** | The heading shown above the upload section on the partner's mailbox page. Defaults to **Your submissions**. |

### Settings Tab

#### Connector Info

*General settings for identifying and describing the connector.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Connector Id** | The static, unique identifier for the connector. |
| **Connector Type** | Displays the connector name and a description of what it does. |
| **Connector Description** | An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow. |

### Advanced Tab

#### Advanced Settings

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Upload History Retention** | The number of days a partner upload remains visible in the submission history on their mailbox page. The default is 30 days. The file itself is passed to the flow the moment it is accepted; this setting controls how long the partner can see that they submitted it. |

#### Logging

*Settings that govern the creation and storage of logs.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Log Level**</td>
<td>The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to **Debug**.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Log Subfolder Scheme**</td>
<td>Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. The **Weekly** option (which is the default) instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. Leaving this setting blank tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Log Messages**</td>
<td>Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the **Transactions** tab.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Miscellaneous

*Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Other Settings**</td>
<td>Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example, `setting1=value1;setting2=value2`). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Alerts Tab

*Settings related to configuring alerts.*

Before you can execute Service Level Agreements (SLAs), you need to set up email alerts for notifications. By default, Arc uses the global settings on the [Alerts](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/alerts.md) tab. To use other settings for this connector, toggle **Override global setting** on.

By default, error alerts are enabled, which means that emails are sent whenever there is an error. To turn them off, uncheck the **Enable** checkbox.

Enter a **Subject** (mandatory). Check **Allow ArcScript in Subject** to use ArcScript in the **Subject** field. When you select this, the **ArcScript Editor** button appears (![arcscript editor button](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/rest_arcscript_editor.png)).

Optionally, enter a comma-separated list of **Recipient** emails.

### SLAs Tab

*Settings related to configuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs).*

SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. CData Arc sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as *At Risk*, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as *Violated*. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.

SLA transitions to *At Risk* or *Violated* are also written to the [application log](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/activity.md#application-logs), which means that Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and log-ingestion tools can also alert on them.

To define an SLA, toggle **Expected Volume** on, then click the **Settings** tab.

![SLA Empty](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/sla_empty.png)
<ul><li>If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.</li>
<li>In the **Expect at least** portion of the window:
<ul><li>Set the minimum number of transactions you expect to be processed (the volume)</li>
<li>Use the **Every** fields to specify the time frame</li>
<li>Indicate when the SLA should go into effect. If you choose **Starting on**, complete the date and time fields.</li>
<li>Check the boxes for the days of the week that you want the SLA to be in effect. Use the dropdown to choose **Everyday** if necessary.</li></ul></li>
<li>In the **Set status to 'At Risk'** portion of the window, specify when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
<ul><li>By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check **Send an 'At Risk' notification**.</li></ul></li></ul>

The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.

![SLA Configuration Example](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/sla_defined.png)

> [!NOTE]
>
> You can turn off SLA alerts if necessary. This can be useful during maintenance windows. Click **Settings** on the navbar, then navigate to **Alerts > General Alerts**. Click the tablet and pencil icon to edit, and uncheck the **SLA Alerts** setting.

## How Routing Works

Routing in the Partner Mailbox connector uses the standard `SubFolder` header mechanism used by other MFT connectors.

**Partner uploads (Receive folders)**

When a partner uploads a file, it is written to the Receive subfolder the partner selected on the mailbox page. The resulting message carries a `SubFolder` header set to that folder's path. A downstream connector such as [Branch](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/branch.md) can then route the message based on that header value. This is the primary reason for defining multiple Receive subfolders: partners can indicate the type of file they are sending by choosing the appropriate folder, and the flow branches accordingly.

**Staging files for a partner (Send folders)**

To deliver a file to a specific Send subfolder on the partner's page, the upstream connector or script must set the `SubFolder` header to the desired subfolder path *before* the message reaches the Partner Mailbox connector. There is no routing UI in the connector itself. You must set the header earlier in the flow, typically by using a [Script](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/script.md) connector.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Pay close attention when setting the `SubFolder` header in upstream connectors. If the header is missing or set to a path that does not exist, files are reported as undeliverable and added to the errored-messages view. See [Managing the Folder Tree](#managing-the-folder-tree) for details.

## Managing the Folder Tree

Renaming, moving, or deleting a Send or Receive folder can affect files that are already staged or in flight. Before confirming any such change, Arc displays the number of files currently in the affected folder. Verify that no files will be stranded before proceeding.

When a folder is renamed or moved, files already staged under the old path are not automatically updated. Any upstream connector or script that sets the `SubFolder` header to the old path must also be updated to use the new path.

Files that are reported as undeliverable appear in the errored-messages view. You can requeue them once the missing folder is added or the upstream script is corrected.

## Retention and File Lifecycle

The following rules govern how files in Send folders are managed after they are staged:

* **Delete after download**: the file is removed from the partner's mailbox page after the first download. Setting **File Retention For Downloaded Files** to 0 has the same effect.
* **Keep until retention passes**: the partner can re-download the file until the retention period expires. Each download is recorded as a successful send in the connector's transaction log.
* **Retention is counted from the first download**, not from when the file was staged. Re-downloading does not reset the retention period.
* **Files that are never downloaded are never purged** by the retention setting. They remain available until they are manually removed.
* **Application and workspace-level Send folder [cleanup settings](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/cleanup-settings.md) do not affect Partner Mailbox Send folders.** The Partner Mailbox connector manages its retention independently.

## Partner Mailbox View

Partners access the mailbox by navigating to the **Partner Mailbox URL** displayed on the Mailbox Config tab and entering their credentials. Authentication uses browser-native basic authentication.

The mailbox page has two sections, as shown in the following image:

![The partner mailbox page showing the Files For You and Your submissions sections side by side](https://mintcdn.com/cdata-arc/fuF73A8feEsIWbbA/26.4/images/partner-mailbox-page.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=fuF73A8feEsIWbbA\&q=85\&s=f16fa76e77de81a157c3079c18f57d49)

### Files For You (Send folders)

Lists files staged for the partner to download. Each row shows the filename, file size, the date the file was staged, and status. Status is **Available** for files the partner has not yet downloaded, or **Downloaded** with the date of the first download. A download button appears on available rows only. Downloading an entire folder returns a zip file named after the folder. Files whose retention period has passed disappear from the list silently.

### Your submissions (Receive folders)

Lists files the partner has uploaded. Each row shows the filename, file size, submitted date and time, and status. To upload a file, the partner drags and drops it onto the upload zone or uses the file picker, targeting the currently selected Receive subfolder. Successes and failures are shown as toast notifications; uploads blocked by the file extension filter include a notification explaining the rejection.


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Setting	Description
Log Level	The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to Debug.
Log Subfolder Scheme	Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. The Weekly option (which is the default) instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. Leaving this setting blank tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.
Log Messages	Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the Transactions tab.