I want to send an HTML email with link in them. The link should open files from a windows shared drive. The users will already be logged in to the network via VPN.
I've tried
<a href="file:///\\server\shared_data\Test\Test_Report.pdf">Test Report</a>
This works fine when opening on a PC but I can't figure how to open this in an iPhone although the users accessing the network thru a VPN client on their phone.
I'm open to use any third party solution
This link is for IPADs, but it should work with Iphone as well:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3978480?tstart=0
According to Apple's forum, you need to use some sort of third party software to access files, like filebrowser (link in the forum page). Personally, I use filebrowser and it works fine for me. It works kind of like WinSCP for windows. It pulls data from a Server (your vpn) and allows you to download and modify on your phone. It is cross platform compatible, so it is great if you have multiple devices. I have heard that FileExplorer Pro is exceptional, but I have not tried it. Here is the link to fileexplorer on the app store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fileexplorer-pro/id499470113?mt=8
EDIT:
As far as I know, this is not possible from any mobile device. Best bet is to send the file through a secure email, such as ProtonMail.
iOS is less flexible when it comes to file management and file associations, so there’s less you can do with these files. However, you can still open a video file directly from your shared folder and play it on your device or access other media files in a similar way. You could also use the “Open In” feature to open a file in a specific app.
The Windows network file sharing protocol is known as CIFS, which is an implementation of the SMB protocol.
this guide may help you. this is not exact answer about what you want though. https://www.guidingtech.com/27119/access-shared-windows-iphone-ios-wifi/