Chapter 5. Integrating with Office 2003
If you’re an Office 2003 user, you can integrate many of your activities with SharePoint Services to add even more functionality to your team sites. For example, by integrating Microsoft Outlook and MSN Messenger with SharePoint Services, you can send emails and instant messages to other team members and schedule meetings without having to leave the team site.
SharePoint Services team sites can also implement shared workspaces. Shared workspaces allow site users to work collaboratively on team documents. Multiple users can work collaboratively to prepare an Excel, Word, or PowerPoint document while ensuring that changes are monitored and versioned.
SharePoint Services team sites also support XML-based forms. By integrating SharePoint Services with any compatible XML editor (such as Microsoft InfoPath) you can import or create forms to retrieve input from site users. By combining all of these integrations, you can greatly increase the abilities of a team site.
In this chapter, you will learn how to:
Integrate SharePoint Services with Microsoft Office 2003
Configure an online presence so you and members of your team can send real-time messages to other team members currently logged into the team site
Create and use shared workspaces
Create and use meeting workspaces
Create and use forms in a form library
By the end of this chapter, you should understand the benefits of integrating SharePoint Services with Microsoft Office 2003.
Finding Out Who’s Online
By integrating SharePoint Services with Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, and Windows Messenger, you can display user information, including office location, phone extension, and current projects for all your team members. In addition, SharePoint Services implements an online presence indicator that displays whether team site users are online and if they are currently available or busy.
To implement online presence, you must have Microsoft Office 2003 installed and must be running either MSN Messaging or Windows Messenger. Each team user must have a valid Messenger account. When you install Microsoft Office 2003 on your server, an ActiveX control is also installed. The ActiveX control allows SharePoint Services to return online information for all your site users.
By integrating with MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger, users can send instant messages to any site user who is currently online. Figure 5-1 shows the dialog box that allows you to send instant messages to team members.
For SharePoint to recognize your online presence, your Messenger email address and SharePoint email address must match. Note that your SharePoint email address is actually retrieved from Active Directory.
Configuring Online Presence Information
Before you can use the presence information, you must configure your virtual server to allow online presence. To configure your virtual server:
Open the SharePoint Central Administration page by selecting Start → Administrative Tools → SharePoint Central Administration.
Click “Configure virtual server settings” in the Virtual Server Configuration section.
Click the name of the server you want to configure.
Click “Virtual server general settings” in the Virtual Management section.
Figure 5-2 shows the Virtual Server General Settings page. You can configure user online presence on the Virtual Server General Settings page:
Select the Yes radio button in the Person Name Smart Tag and Presence Settings section.
Click OK.
Windows SharePoint Services automatically provides presence information for any registered user as long as the user’s email address matches that user’s Messenger email address.
Shared Workspaces
SharePoint Services supports shared workspaces, which allow users to work collaboratively on documents. SharePoint supports two types of shared workspaces:
- Document workspaces
A document workspace site focuses on one or more documents that users can work on collaboratively.
- Meeting workspaces
Meeting workspace sites are used to store all the information and material needed for meetings.
Using Shared Workspaces in Microsoft Office
When you open a shared workspace document in Microsoft Office 2003, the SharePoint Services shared workspace menu is displayed in the Office task pane alongside the document. Integrating the SharePoint shared workspaces menu provides access to all of the SharePoint Services associated with the site where the document is stored without leaving the Office environment.
Figure 5-3 shows a typical Word file opened from a shared workspace. The shared workspace menu (on the righthand side) provides collaboration options made possible by SharePoint Services and shows the online status of all team members.
Other icons provide access to additional features supported by the site, such as a task list or alerts.
The shared workspace menu implements the following SharePoint Web Parts:
- Status
The status Web Part displays any changes in the status of the document.
- Document library
The document library gives a user access to any documents in the shared library.
- Links list
The links list displays any hyperlinks that are available to site users.
- Task list
The task list displays tasks that are assigned to users on the team site. Figure 5-4 shows two tasks linked to a particular document.
- Members
The members Web Part displays a list of all the site members. The members Web Part shows whether or not a user is currently online and allows you to send instant messages and emails to any site member.
- Document information
The document information Web Part lists all the document information, including which user created the document, which user last modified the document, and a link to all previous versions of the document.
Configuring Shared Workspace Options
By implementing shared workspaces, you allow more than one user to work on a document at the same time. Therefore, you must configure how a document handles any updates made by users. You can configure the shared workspace to:
Automatically update the document or workspace
Always ask a user before performing updates
Never update the document or workspace when the document is open
You can set the service options by clicking the Options... link at the bottom of the SharePoint shared workspaces menu. Clicking the Options... link launches the Service Options dialog box. The Service Options dialog box is shown in Figure 5-5. To change the settings of the shared workspace:
Select Shared Workspace from the Category list.
Edit the properties in the dialog box.
For example, you could set up a shared workspace for a business analyst writing a project specification document. By adding the specification document to a shared workspace, other employees working on the project can read the document, record comments, and make changes. The business analyst can then accept or delete any changes and republish the document to the appropriate people.
Document Workspaces
A document workspace site focuses on one or more documents that users can work on collaboratively. Document workspaces support all the features of a basic SharePoint Services team site with the additional functionality of shared workspaces.
The home page of your document workspace site automatically displays the members Web Part. The members Web Part lists all the users who have the proper permissions to use the site. The members Web Part also contains all the user information for site users, including their online status. You can use the information to send a user an email, book a meeting, or send instant messages to other online team members. Figure 5-6 shows the functionality that the member Web Part offers team members.
In addition to the members Web Part, you can also configure additional Web Parts relevant to your document space. For example, you can add an announcements list Web Part or a tasks list Web Part so that team members know what needs to be done on any set of documents.
Creating an empty document workspace
Figure 5-7 shows the New SharePoint Site page, which is used to create new SharePoint sites (in this case, a document workspace site). To create an empty document workspace site:
Click Create in the top menu bar.
Click Sites and Workspaces.
Type a title for your new site in the Title text field.
Type a brief description of your new site in the Description text area.
Enter the URL you want for your document workspace in the URL name field.
Select the permissions for your new site by selecting the “Use same permissions as parent site” or “Use unique permissions” radio button.
Click Create.
In the Template Selection page, select Document Workspace from the Template list box.
Click OK.
Creating a document workspace for existing documents
To create a document workspace for existing documents:
Click Document and Lists in the top menu bar.
Select the document library that contains the document.
Select the document, and click the Edit arrow.
Click Create Document Workspace.
Publishing a document from the document workspace to a document library
If your document is stored in a document library on the team site, you must publish the document back to the original document library once any changes are made in the document workspace. To publish back to the document library:
Navigate to the document workspace in a web browser.
Click Documents and Lists in your site’s top menu bar.
Click Document Workspace on the side menu.
Click on your desired document workspace.
Select the document and click the Edit arrow.
Click Publish to Source Location from the menu that appears.
Meeting Workspaces
Meeting workspace sites are used to store all the information and material needed for meetings. You can publish meeting agendas that are sent to all attendees as well as the documents that will be discussed in the meeting. The workspace also allows you to edit documents and to track tasks during and after the meeting. Figure 5-8 shows a standard meeting workspace.
Types of meeting workspaces
Meeting workspaces can be created when you add an event to an existing event list, or through the Create page in SharePoint. When creating a meeting workspace, SharePoint Services includes five templates from which you can choose:
- Basic meeting workspace
The basic meeting workspace template contains all the basic functionality needed to organize and track meetings. The template contains the objective, attendees, and agenda lists Web Parts.
- Blank meeting workspace
The blank meeting workspace template allows you to create a fully customized meeting workspace.
- Decision meeting workspace
The decision meeting workspace template allows you to review documents and record decisions. The template includes all the lists in the basic meeting template, as well as the document library and tasks and decisions lists.
- Social meeting workspace
The social meeting template is used to plan social events. The template includes a picture library and a discussion board for meeting attendees to post logos and comments. The template also contains the attendees, directions, things to bring, and discussions lists.
- Multipage meeting workspace
The multipage meeting workspace template includes all the functionality of the basic meeting workspace template, but also provides two blank pages to allow you to customize your template.
Creating a meeting workspace through an event
If your existing team site has an existing events list, you can create a meeting workspace site when you add an event:
Select the event list on your team site.
Click “Add new event.”
Enter the required information for the event.
Select the “Use a Meeting Workspace to organize attendees, agendas, documents, minutes and other details for this event” checkbox.
Click Save and Close. The “New or Existing Meeting Workspace” page opens (see Figure 5-9).
Select the “Create a new Meeting Workspace” radio button.
Fill in the title, description, and web site address and set the permissions.
Choose a meeting workspace template from the Template list box.
Click OK.
Creating a meeting workspace through the Create page
To create a meeting workspace through the Create page without adding an event:
Click Create in the top menu bar.
Click Sites and Workspaces.
Enter a title, description, and web site address and set the permissions.
Click Create.
Choose the meeting workspace template you want from the Template list box.
Click OK.
Meeting workspace Web Parts
Meeting workspaces incorporate the following Web Parts:
- Objectives list
The objective list details the overall purpose of your meeting. Adding an objective list to your meeting workspace lets attendees know what to expect in the meeting and helps all attendees come prepared.
- Agenda list
The agenda list outlines the subjects that will be covered in your meeting, as well as who is responsible for leading the discussions.
- Things to bring list
The things to bring list helps ensure all meeting attendees come to the meeting with the required documents and supplies.
- Decisions list
The decisions list allows users to track any decisions made in your meeting. This feature helps track the progress of any decisions made in your meeting, and to outline the important points of the meeting for users who were unable to attend the meeting.
- Attendees list
The attendees list displays all users who are invited to a meeting. You can also add attendees to the list. If Windows or MSN Messenger is installed, you can implement messaging for all users on the attendees list to invite them to the meeting workspace. Anyone invited to attend the meeting is listed in the attendees list. The attendees list also tracks comments and responses for all meeting attendees. For example, you can reply to a meeting invitation, but note that you will be fifteen minutes late due to a scheduling conflict.
Managing the attendees list
The attendees list should be set up for each new meeting workspace. Figure 5-10 shows the Attendees: New Item page, which is used to add attendees to your meetings. To add an attendee to the attendees list:
Navigate to the meeting workspace.
Click Documents and Lists in the top menu bar.
Click on Meeting Workspace on the side menu.
Click on your desired meeting workspace.
Click Manage Attendees.
Click Add Attendee.
If the Address Book feature is available, click on the Address Book button and select the user you want to add to the list.
If the Address Book is not available, type in the email address or the username of the person you want to add to the list.
Editing an existing attendee
To edit an existing attendee:
Navigate to the meeting workspace.
Click Documents and Lists in the top menu bar.
Click Meeting Workspace on the side menu.
Click on your desired meeting workspace.
Click Manage Attendees.
Click the Edit icon for the attendee you want to edit.
Edit the existing material by changing the name, comment, response, or attendance fields.
Click Save and Close.
Deleting an existing attendee
To delete an existing attendee:
Navigate to the meeting workspace.
Click Documents and Lists in the top menu bar.
Click Meeting Workspace on the side menu.
Click on your desired meeting workspace.
Click Manage Attendees.
Select the attendee you want to delete from the attendees list and click the arrow that appears.
Select “Delete this item” from the menu.
Click OK in the Confirm Delete dialog box.
Form Libraries
SharePoint Services forms are graphical representations of an XML schema that can be used to collect or display data. SharePoint Services integrates with compatible XML editors to allow you to create or import forms to be used on your team site. All SharePoint Services forms are stored in a form library.
Creating a Form Library
A form library provides you with a logical storage location to manage the forms on your SharePoint site. Figure 5-11 shows the New Form Library page, which is used to create new form libraries on your team site. To create a form library:
Click Create on the top menu bar.
Click Form Library under Document Libraries.
Type the form name in the Name text field.
Type a brief description of the form in the Description text field. The Description field is optional.
If you want your Form Library to appear in the Quick Launch Library, select the Yes radio button in the Navigation section.
If you want to create a backup of your form each time it is checked into the form library, select the Yes radio button in the form versions section.
Select the form template you want to use for all the forms in the forms library.
Click Create.
Creating a Blank Form
If there are no form templates available when you create your forms library, by default the form is created as a blank form. To create a blank form template:
Click “Modify settings and columns” under the Action section of the page that displays the form library.
Click Edit Template in the General Settings sections. To edit the form template, you must have a SharePoint Services-compatible XML editor installed on your computer.
Editing a Form Library’s Settings
To change the configuration of a form library:
Click Documents and Lists on the top menu bar.
Click on the form library you want to open.
Click “Modify settings and columns.”
Click “Change general settings.”
Edit the existing settings.
Adding a Form to a Form Library
There are two ways to add a form to a form library. You can fill out a blank form that is based on your form template or upload an existing form from your computer.
Filling out a form based on an existing template
To fill out a form based on your form template:
Click Documents and Lists on the top menu bar.
Click on the form library you want to open.
Click Fill Out This Form. After you click the link, the form opens in the program in which the form was created.
Fill out the form.
Click Save and Close.
Filling out a form based on a blank for template
If you try to fill out a form that uses the blank form template, you will receive an error message because the form doesn’t exist yet. You must first create the form using InfoPath. To create a form from the blank form template:
Click Documents and Lists on the top menu bar.
Click on the myFormLibrary form library.
Click Fill Out This Form.
At this point, you will see an error message when InfoPath opens. The form doesn’t exist yet, but InfoPath is trying to let you enter data.
To fill out a blank form, you must:
Leave InfoPath 2003 open.
Select File → Design a Form
Click New Blank Form on the righthand menu.
Type
Whatisyourname?into the top left of your form.Click Controls.
Drag a Text Box and a Button onto your page.
Click Save.
Click Publish.
Click Next.
Select the “To a SharePoint form library” radio button.
Click Next.
Select the “Modify an existing form library” radio button.
Click Next.
Enter the following URL:
http://localhost/default.aspx.Click Next.
Select your form library from the drop-down list.
Click Next.
Click “Override the existing form template in this form library” radio button.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
Select the “Open this form from its published location” checkbox.
Click Close.
The form library opens on your Team Site.
Click Fill Out This Form.
Uploading an existing form
To upload a form to the form library:
Click Documents and Lists on the top menu bar.
Click on the form library you want to open.
Click Upload Form.
Click the Browse button and navigate to the form you want to upload.
Click Open.
Editing a Form Template
If the form library is configured to allow you to edit the form template, you can add, delete, or modify form columns directly through a web browser.
To edit a form template:
Click Documents and Lists on the top menu bar.
Click on the form library you want to open.
Click “Modify settings and columns.”
Figure 5-12 shows the form library maintenance page. You can edit existing forms, upload and view new forms, or create alerts on the form library maintenance page.
Adding a column to a form template
To add a column to a form:
Click “Add a new column” in the Columns section.
Type a name for the column in the Column name text field.
Select the type of information you want the column to display from the Information Type list.
Customize the settings of your column.
Click OK.