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4theFile Dataflow

  1. An email is sent to 4theFile, either to the general mailbox submit@4theFile.com or to a Collection address.
  2. The incoming mail is transformed into a web-ready 4theFile Resource, and assigned a unique secret URL.
  3. 4theFile sends an email back to the submitter containing the new URL for the Resource, along with links to "edit" the resource (i.e. redact it, delete it, or assign it to a Collection), along with any Collection-specific information if the Resource was submitted to a Collection address.
  4. 4theFile detects whether the From address belongs to a registered user, and if so attaches the incoming message to that user's account.
  5. The submitter clicks on the Resource link or the edit link in the email, to prove that the Resource was submitted from a real email address. This step must be performed within 48 hours of original submission or the Resource will be automatically deleted.
  6. The submitter can post http or https links to the new URL in a 3rd party application, or use the built-in "share" button to submit the resource to sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.
  7. If the Resource belongs to a Collection, it can be automatically linked from a 3rd party application using the Collection URL (if the Collection privacy allows this), or via the API.