3.2 Reading documents

3.2.1 General

In order to read/view a document which is stored in Business Collaborator, you must usually* download it to your local computer. Simply click on the document name (or icon) and this will allow you to download the document. Your web browser will dictate where the document is actually saved on your local computer but this location does not matter if you simply wish to read the document or print out its contents.

You may wish to specify where the file is downloaded to if, for instance, you wish to save the file but read it tomorrow. Section 6.1 describes how to use two leading browsers to download documents to your preferred location on your local computer.

If you do not have a copy of the appropriate application for editing the document installed on your local computer, then you will not normally even be able to view the document's contents. This is because you require an application which can interpret the formatting of the type of file you wish to view. However, Business Collaborator integrates with the Brava! file viewer to permit you to view and comment on almost any file type. Details of using Brava! are given in Section 19 - Brava! Integration. (However, please note that this may not be installed on the Business Collaborator server you are using.)

If you wish to make changes to the document itself, you will need to have a local copy of the appropriate application installed. In Business Collaborator version 4.7, it is easier than ever before to edit your documents. Simply click on   |   Edit   for the document and it will open in the appropriate application. When you have finished making your changes, simply save your document in the usual way and you will be prompted to put it back into Business Collaborator. (As this functionality depends on Microsoft technology, it is only available to Windows users who are using Internet Explorer.) Full details of Save from Windows is given in section 3.3.

Alternatively, you may download (see section 6.1) your document to a directory on your local machine where you can make changes to it. Then, once you are happy with the changes you have made and are ready to share the edited document with colleagues, you can replace (see section 6.3) the copy of the document stored in Business Collaborator. This method of document editing has always been available and is appropriate for those users who are not working in a purely Windows environment.

Note

In order to read or change a document stored in Business Collaborator, you must usually* have an application installed on your local computer which can interpret the formatting of the type of file you wish to view.

*Exceptions include simply formatted documents such as those in Plain Text or HTML (see section 6.4). Alternatively, server-side document viewing may be available on the Business Collaborator server you are using, permitting you to view documents without downloading files and without having an appropriate application installed on your local computer - see Section 19 - Brava! Integration.